As many of you know, I will be away for September and October on Study Leave in Venice. (Dreadful prospect. I know, but someone’s got to do it…)

Quite a few have asked what I’ll be doing and in short, I’ll be continuing with my Art History interests.

I have an MA in Medieval Art and have undertaken other courses in Renaissance Art in Florence and have studied paintings in Venice and Rome. This time I’m looking at the painter Giovanni Bellini, concentrating on three of his paintings.

The first, from the Church of San Giobbe was designed for a specific 3 dimensional stone frame which was continued in trompe-l'oeil in the 2 dimensions of the painting. Sadly, it was torn out of its setting by Napoleon and now sits, dismembered, in a room in the Accademia Gallery. The picture on the left shows how it would originally been but now only exists digitally!

The second (on the left)is similar, in the church of San Zaccaria, and is approximately in its original setting, but mutilated and cut down (again by the vandal Napoleon) and so no longer fits its space.

The third remains unmolested in the church of Santa Maria dei Frari (my favourite church in Venice!)

I am calling this study (I’m rather proud of the title) “Location and Dis-Location”.

I’ll be thinking about what happens aesthetically and theologically to a devotional picture when it is “dis-located” from its original setting, and also what happens when a painting is returned to a sacred space, following Vladimir Putin putting the Rubliev “Trinity” back in a cathedral as a piece of propaganda…..

I suspect there will also be much fresh seafood & lots of Campari Spritz!

It will also be a time to reflect.

St. Matthew’s Day, 21st September, will be the 10th anniversary of my being Licensed to the Uckfield Plurality: so much has happened over this decade which I will lift up to God and give personal thanks for. On the day I’ll light candles for all three of our parishes in Santa Maria, and pray for you all.

See you in November.

Much Love Fr. John