Liturgical Experiences Mediated through Abstract Art

Abstract

F the church committee that invited the Dutch-American abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning to create an altarpiece for their liturgies (shown below),1 the art he presented resulted in “dividing and alienating church members.”2 Many in the congregation were “genuinely confused” as to whether the artist’s tryptic, consisting of “swirling primary color lines,” held any liturgical meaning whatsoever.3 Parishioner Peggy Moran explains her liturgical experience in relation to the artwork: “I found it annoying. To me, the colors are circusy kinds of colors, McDonald’s colors.” ... I couldn’t concentrate.”4