Art of the Month – April
A couple of months ago we looked at a Carthusian monk at prayer. This month, by contrast, we have before us George Henry Boughton’s,”Woman Kneeling at Prayer.” As a child, I remember very lividly seeing my mother kneeling by the hearth before a picture of the Sacred Heart which hung above the fireplace and which bore the inscription, “Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.” Below, in his own hand, Pope Benedict XV on 17th July 1921, had written in Italian, “We grant three hundred days indulgence to the Faithful who shall recite three ‘Gloria Patri’ before one of these pictures of the Sacred Heart.” The picture now hangs in my bedroom.
George Henry Boughton, whose work impressed Vincent Van Gogh, was an Anglo-American (1833–1905) who spent some time during his training, in Scotland. This work can be seen at The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, U.S.A. One wonders if the woman is a lonely widow, a concerned mother of children, or simply a devout woman with a strong belief in the power of prayer. Pure faith made tangible through the genius of the artist. She looks like a woman of means. Look at the rich fabric of the chair with its heavy brass studs and at the quality of the gown she is wearing. Her hair seems well-kept and her hands are not those of a washer-woman, rather suggesting a certain gentility. Even the colour of her robe suggests a measure of wealth since purple pigment was hugely expensive. Every colour tells it’s own story. Yet, the riches of this world are not a guarantee against worry and anxiety. The clasped fingers and closed eyes, in a very natural way, suggest a woman deep in prayer and, perhaps, with a lot to pray about!
Monsignor Monaghan
