Changes

Many painters have made recourse to religious themes in [[Christian painting|their art]], but Spencer took a fairly unusual approach in this.

Many painters have made recourse to religious themes in [[Christian painting|their art]], but Spencer took a fairly unusual approach in this.

Rather than trying to depict [[God]]'s glory overtly in paint, Spencer's work has a strong immediacy, and sense of Jesus' life-bringing presence 'in this world'. Thus, in his portrayal of the [[Second Coming]], he did not paint famous celebrities, important leaders, or allegorical personifications, rising from the dead, but rather depicted ordinary people in the sleepy town of [[Cookham]] being resurrected, thus stressing the universality of the Christian message - Jesus coming for [[Beatitudes|the humble and lowly, as well as for the high and mighty]]. Much of his seemingly non-religious art can be read in a similar way - his 'Convoy Arriving with Wounded', for example, is a testament both to the solidarity of war [[veteran]]s, and also to the salvation of those who did not survive - the symbolism of the opening gate<ref>[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2016:19&version=NIV Matthew 16:19]</ref> is clear.

Rather than trying to depict [[God]]'s glory overtly in paint, Spencer's work has a strong immediacy, and sense of Jesus' life-bringing presence 'in this world'. Thus, in his portrayal of the [[Second Coming]], he did not paint famous celebrities, important leaders, or allegorical personifications, rising from the dead, but rather depicted ordinary people in the sleepy town of Cookham being resurrected, thus stressing the universality of the Christian message - Jesus coming for [[Beatitudes|the humble and lowly, as well as for the high and mighty]]. Much of his seemingly non-religious art can be read in a similar way - his 'Convoy Arriving with Wounded', for example, is a testament both to the solidarity of war [[veteran]]s, and also to the salvation of those who did not survive - the symbolism of the opening gate<ref>[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2016:19&version=NIV Matthew 16:19]</ref> is clear.

By focussing on images that anyone could relate to, and that were an actual reality for many of the audiences for his work, Spencer's style harks back to New Testament [[parable]]s; their meaning is not immediately obvious, but they are very rooted in ordinary, everyday sights. No special education is needed to understand them, or decipher their meaning - only the day to day experience of common people.

By focussing on images that anyone could relate to, and that were an actual reality for many of the audiences for his work, Spencer's style harks back to New Testament [[parable]]s; their meaning is not immediately obvious, but they are very rooted in ordinary, everyday sights. No special education is needed to understand them, or decipher their meaning - only the day to day experience of common people.