The second in the series of discussion groups on art in Chichester Cathedral took place on Saturday 20th February on the subject of Baptism paintings. There are two in the Cathedral — one by Hans Feibusch (1951/77) in the Baptistery in the South West corner (view on the Cathedral website), the other by Patrick Procktor (1984) in the chapel of John the Baptist in the North East corner (view on the Cathedral website)
The two paintings are set apart from each other in many ways besides their locations in opposite corners of the Cathedral.
In the Feibusch painting, the only figures are Christ and John the Baptist, in a very close composition informed by Piero della Francesca’s famous painting of the subject in the National Gallery (though without the additional figures in that precedent). In the Procktor, Christ’s baptism by John the Baptist is part of a larger composition with numerous other figures — some being baptised, others apparently preparing for baptism, others still having been baptised. In addition, one of the many trees in the composition grows into the cross of Christ who is crucified on it — thus we clearly see both the beginning and end of Christ’s ministry in Procktor’s painting, and Christ as “the Lamb of God who away the sins of the world” (John 1:29), fulfilling these words of John the Baptist.
One of the topics we discussed was that these different approaches to the subject probably partly reflect the different types of location for which they were created. At a mundane, practical level, each was created for a space of a particular shape. The Feibusch picture was originally in a blocked-off doorway in the southern side of the Baptistery and is thus is an arched portrait format; it was moved in 1977 when the doorway was put back into use to allow level-access entry to the Cathedral to where it now hangs in on the western wall of the Baptistery. This move is the reason the painting bears two dates — ’51, when it was first painted, and ’77, when it was moved, because Feibusch made some changes to the painting for its new location (he had a very strong belief in the importance of the relationship between his work to its architectural location and was apparently not happy about the painting being moved). The Procktor painting was to go behind an altar, in quite a long, landscape-shaped space between the altar and the window above it — there was at one stage talk of it being a three panel piece, and, as we discussed, the final work can be read in three parts.
The locations are also different kinds of spaces, and here we got onto questions of function and the theological and liturgical significance of paintings for churches, and particular spaces within churches. The Baptistery, where Feibusch’s picture is, is the place where, through the sacrament of Baptism, individuals are formally and spiritually welcomed into the church community, as is physically emphasised in its location by the west doors — the usual point of entry to the Cathedral. Here, individuals are partaking in a sacrament which reenacts Christ’s baptism, marking the inauguration of his/her Christian life just as Christ’s Baptism marked the beginning of his public ministry. One participant highlighted the wonderful detail of the transparent water around the feet of the two figures, which, as another pointed out, can be read as the water flowing into the viewer’s space, so that in standing in the Baptistery we are standing in the waters of the Jordan (this would have been stronger still in the painting’s original, lower location).
Procktor’s painting is related to another sacrament, the Eucharist, which reenacts the Last Supper, at the end of Jesus’ public ministry, and the sacrifice of his death. As already noted, in John’s Gospel, John the Baptist announces Jesus to the people with words that prefigure his death: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). These words are said by the celebrant in the liturgy of the Eucharist; in receiving Communion before this altarpiece, dedicated to John the Baptist, the individual has a visible reminder of the Baptist’s special role in Jesus’ ministry, and in prophesying the sacrificial offering of which s/he is partaking in this sacrament. Here too, the larger assembly of figures is appropriate to the corporate nature of this sacrament, which is celebrated for a gathering of individuals, in contrast to Baptism, which is about the individual joining the body of believers.
The discussion was incredibly rich, and ranged through many other topics — including tree trunks, foliage, pectoral muscles, and more besides. I look forward to sharing more of these details in due course.
In the meantime, thank you to all those who participated, and please continue to spread the word about future sessions — all are welcome, and details can be found on the Discussion Group page.
Bishop Otter Scholar 