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Above are two paintings by 'theological' painter Peter Howson.
According to Wikipedia 'Theology (from Ancient Greek Θεός meaning "God" and λόγος, -logy, meaning "study of") is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.[1]'
I prefer to refer to him as Peter Howson, painter, not due to my personal feelings about religion, but because I'm sure he would not refer to himself as a 'theological painter.' Who would?
I discovered the work of Peter Howson due to a BBC documentary which chronicled his life and near break-down during his attempt to complete a commission from the church to paint The Martyrdom of St John Ogilvie, a Scottish Saint.
Peter Howson,OBE was the official painter of the Bosnian War, a former drug addict and alcoholic he 'found God' in 2000.
His work is dark, often depicting the ugliness, desperation and despair of humanity, but rendered in a sublime, ethereal way.
He uses light, shade and perspective to dramatic effect and the grotesque, bulbous, anatomical representations of the subjects of his works echo the horror of war and the bloated, twisted minds and egos of the men who create it.
Peter Howson is from a rough, tough world. Born in London and raised on the mean streets of Glasgow in the 70's and 80's, the characters he portrays are characatures, but they are also brutally real. Their eyes speak of sadness and madness...and knowledge, and pity.
I think they are beautiful. An honest study of the human figure, and regardless of my views on religion, I still believe that religious texts are part of the human story, a commentary on all facets of the human condition; life, love, death, greed, hate, jealousy, ignorance, hope, glory, determination, the search for eternal happiness and the fight against damnation.
Howson's paintings are dark and light, soft and hard, damning and forgiving, beautiful and ugly.
If religion is what gets him out of bed in the morning, then who the hell are we to judge?!
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