How the broken relationship between Church and artist is being restored

Dr Sara Schumacher says the UK Church is experiencing a renaissance of art within its walls

For most of the Western Church’s history, visual art has been central to its practice and life. Exteriors and interiors of holy places were often covered with images that held the Christian story. These images formed and shaped the theological imagination of those who passed in and out of the spaces. These works of art, such as Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling or Grünewald’s Isenheim Altarpiece, were not mere decoration, but active objects created with a purpose.