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A NUMBER of parishioners have expressed disappointment with the crucifix. I take personal responsibility for the choice of artist and the final designs. But I wish to share some of the thoughts of Mr Anthony Russo on his creation of the crucifix in the hope that, though it is not to everybody’s taste, does explain his theological and artistic enterprise.
“When creating a sacred space the key role of the artist is to create something physical to help reveal what is invisible, an attempt to capture a glimmer of truth (the great mystery). However, like so often in our lives, the great mystery of truth and beauty is only revealed to us in small glimpses.
The image of the crucifix for me is where the real explosion of the physical and spiritual realms collide, the crucifixion demonstrates the powerful link between the physical and the ethereal. As expressed in our Eucharistic Prayer “…when Christ opened His arms on the Cross, He put an end to death and revealed the Resurrection.” A crucifix is more than just a corpus on a cross.
In the crucifix created for Saint Bridget’s parish, the image of Christ is carved from a section of Tasmanian Huon Pine, the rugged edge of the timber still remains demonstrating the wood of the cross and its connection to the earth. The relief carving reveals the flesh emerging from the wood as the physical hands reach out beyond the timber of which they are carved. This contrasts directly with the pristine shimmer of the polished metal cross offering us a glimpse of the continually revealing spirit.
As you move closer the face of Christ is revealed as young and strong, portraying faith, hope and love.
Like most artworks the subtleties of this piece are designed to draw the viewer in and to engage at a more intimate level, hopefully evoking thought and prayer. Creativity and artworks communicate on many levels and the creation of art is largely an intuitive process. We have an important story to tell. Hopefully the artworks at Saint Bridget’s will engage all parishioners as well as call our young people to dream and contemplate this great mystery”. Anthony Russo