Art is evangelisation
Art, aside from being a credible witness to the beauty of creation, is also a tool of evangelisation. In the Church it exists above all to evangelise: through art – music, architecture, sculpture, painting – the Church explains and interprets the revelation. Let us look at the Sistine Chapel: what did Michelangelo do? He carried out a work of evangelisation. As in medieval cathedrals: the catechism was in the stone sculptures, since the people did not know how to read but instead learned by observing the sculptures. The Church has always used art to demonstrate the wonder of God’s creation and the dignity of man created in His image and semblance, as well as the power of death, and the beauty of Christ’s resurrection that brings rebirth to a world afflicted by sin. Beauty unites us and, as St. John Paul II said, quoting Dostoyevsky, will save us. Following Christ is not only true but also beautiful, able to fill our life with joy, even in everyday difficulties. In this sense beauty represents a way of encountering the Lord.