Sacred Made Real Exhibition London

A retrospective of some of the most realistic religious art to be produced during the Spanish Golden Age, The Sacred Made Real exhibition London event at the National Gallery gives art lovers the chance to see paintings and sculptures rarely seen outside of Spain. Juxtaposing paintings with spectacular sculptures of religious characters, the exhibition includes work by Diego Velazquez and Francisco de Zurbaran, as well as other artists involved in the Counter Reformation.

Sacred Spanish art
Taking place in the Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery, The Sacred Made Real exhibition London show takes a closer look at the ways in which artists in 17th century Spain sought to bring their religious subjects back to life with hyper realistic depictions. Christian themes such as the Passion of Christ and the lives of saints were portrayed with sensational detail to inspire religious devotion and conformity to The Church.

Polychrome statues
Alongside the paintings by artists such as Velazquez and Zurbaran, The Sacred Made Real exhibition London event displays sixteen polychrome, or painted, sculptures. Although still venerated in monasteries and churches across Spain, these sculptures have rarely been exhibited outside of the Iberian peninsula, so this is a rare opportunity to see the intricate and masterful work that went into these sculptures outside of their home country. The sculptures on show include the 1673 work by Pedro de Mena titled Christ as the Man of Sorrows, which has been borrowed from the Convento de las Descalzas in Madrid.

Life like renditions
Some artists who worked on the polychrome sculptures used glass eyes and ivory teeth in their work to achive the most life like effects, and the sculpture by Gregorio Fernandez titled Dead Christ, completed around 1625-1630, uses cork bark to simulate congealed blood and bull’s horn for Christ’s fingernails. Designed to inspire feelings of awe in the viewer and to make onlookers feel the presence of Christ, the sculptures can be seen to have had a direct influence on contemporary painters.

Accompanying exhibition
For those interested in finding out more about how the 17th century artists created their polychrome sculptures, the Sacred Made Real exhibition London event is accompanied by a free exhibition running alongside the main display. Taking place in Room 1, The Making of a Spanish Polychrome Sculpture explores the carving and painting techniques used by the artists.

The Sacred Made Real exhibition London event at the National Gallery runs from Wednesday 21st October 2009 – Sunday 24th January 2010. Gallery opening times are 10am -6pm, with a late night opening until 9pm on Friday.

Full price tickets cost £8.00. The admission charge for students, job seekers and children aged 12 – 18 is £4.00. Children under 12 go free, and family tickets for two adults and up to four children is £16.00. For more information and to book your tickets in advance, call 0844 2091778.

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