Revelations of Divine Love; Creativity and Compassion - Julian of Norwich Festival, Norfolk - 2015
© Robert Wright
Like Julian's writings where simple words change until they have powerful theological meanings of their own, the painting "courteous love", deceptively simple and naive, draws the viewer into the mysteries of God.
Julian's own desire to share in the sufferings of Christ, her first prayer for the "mynd of the passion", and the cross she gazed on in her illness prior to her revelations, inspire "courteous love" which rather surprisingly has a reference to Malevich's black cross, although this painting has a bold red and pink cross against a gold background, providing a strong reference to iconography.
Reflecting the tumultuous age that Julian lived in, and her own obvious interest and awareness of colours and texture, "courteous love"" also offers powerful references to the suffering of our own time but does not leave us there, and through hints of compassion, the Passion, and glory, invites the viewer to "know and delight in God."