let the church say amen

Exploring Christianity of Africa and its descendants around the world.

[globalworship]

Sunday Morning Church (Black American paintings)

Sunday Morning: The Heartbeat of Our Community by Jerry Lynn, American, b. 1975

Limited Edition Giclee on Canvas 32x40 inches

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Jerry Lynn’s gestural paintings of Black figures and Southern imagery, such as churches and baptisms,, radiant a profound sense of optimism. Raised in Arlington, Tennessee (near Memphis), Lynn’s art is deeply rooted in his religious upbringing and spirituality. -The Black Art Depot

Shared with appreciation for Jerry Lynn and his artistic celebration of faith, history, and the enduring spirit of the Black community.

To learn more about Jerry Lynn and his work, visit: https://www.blackartdepot.com/collections/jerry-lynn-art-gallery https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100031055756510 https://www.instagram.com/Artbyjerrylynn https://artbyjerrylynn.com/

He paints a variety of subject; in this blog post I feature some of the marvelous church scenes he has created.

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'Sunday Gathering'

20" x 24", acrylic on canvas https://artbyjerrylynn.com/products/sunday-gathering

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'Faith Walk'

20" x 24", acrylic on canvas https://artbyjerrylynn.com/products/sunday-gathering

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'Led By Faith'

30" x 40" https://artbyjerrylynn.com/products/at-the-meeting-place

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The artist:

[globalworship]

The Good Shepherd (Rwanda painting)

Henry Munyaneza is a 19 year-old Christian artist in Kigali, whose art is prolific and profound. Here is his painting of the Good Shepherd, with a black sheep:

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 Henry worked as a graphic designer before becoming a painter, which explains the sense of balance in his compositions. As a painter, Henry is largely self-taught, relying on occasional classes and the insights of some artist friends. He likes to work in long stretches, typically from 4PM to 2AM, which also offers a kind of escape from the challenges of life. When illustrating a Biblical passage, he reads and reflects on the scripture, drawing upon previous experience as a youth ministry leader in his Rwandan Anglican Diocese.

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Henry’s series of Biblical paintings is a collaboration with Brandon Walsh, a church planter in New Hampshire at Great Bay Anglican Church. Brandon served as a missionary in Rwanda from 2014-2020, and upon returning to America saw an opportunity to support Rwandan art and Great Bay at the same time. So Great Bay regularly commissions new art from Henry, typically of the Sunday Gospel reading, and incorporates the art into the life of the church. Prints of Henry’s work are also made available on Lion & Vine, a small business that gives the artist 75% of its profits.

A notable feature of Henry’s art is the depiction of Jesus and other Biblical features as Rwandans. This comes through, not only in skin color, but also in hair style, clothing and setting.

The distinctively shaped hair style, so notable against the backdrop of the halo, is an old Rwandan style called Amasunzu. Moreover, Henry clothes his Biblical characters with bright Rwandan fabrics, which lends his art a similarity to classical iconography. And scenes often incorporate the hills and the agriculture of the Rwandan landscape.

All text above, and the photo of Henry, is from this internet article written by Peter Johnston and published online at https://anglicancompass.com/henry-munyaneza-a-christian-artist-in-kigali/

[publicdomainreview]

Left: St. Michael rescues the faithful from Hell; Right: the rescued in Paradise.

From a 17th-century Ethiopian manuscript telling the story of Michael who, under the patronage of Emperor Zara Yaqob, became the most venerated of archangels in Ethiopia: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/17th-century-ethiopian-manuscript-the-miracles-of-the-archangel-michael

[globalworship]

Congolese Madonna and Child

This postcard, printed long ago in Belgium, features a depiction of the Virgin Mary and the Christ child as Colngolese people, known as a Black Madonna.

[globalworship]

'Optimistic' (a cappella by King's Return)

Kings Return, an a cappella group rooted in Gospel, jazz, R&B and classical music, is based in Dallas, Texas. I've been delighted to see them in concert multiple times. https://www.facebook.com/KingsReturnMusic

From their newest album, here's a cover of "Optimistic" by 'Sounds of Blackness.'

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The original was released in 1991. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimistic_(Sounds_of_Blackness_song)

[globalworship]

Can Jazz preach the Gospel? Ruth Naomi Floyd says...

I’ve heard Ruth sing and lead worship at a conference, and she is tremendous!

Here is a short bio:

Ruth Naomi Floyd is a vocalist and composer who has been at the forefront of creating vocal jazz settings that express theology and justice for over 25 years. Ruth has performed and lectured prolifically on the intersection of beauty, theology, justice, culture, and the arts worldwide. A committed music educator, Ruth has been Director of Jazz Studies at Cairn University in Langhorne, Pennsylvania and an Artist in Residence at Temple University in Philadelphia.

My friend George Luke, a UK music journalist, recently arranged for her to be interviewed as she's been on tour in the UK.

The 43-minute audio interview is posted at https://www.premier.plus/faith-hope-and-love/audio-series/clips/audio-items/can-jazz-preach-the-gospel-ruth-naomi-floyd-says

Become a free subscriber to listen.

"Ruth Naomi Floyd, an acclaimed jazz vocalist, composer, and educator from Philadelphia, USA, thinks it isn't wrong to mix the Gospel with jazz music. Ruth's work blends jazz, theology, and history, drawing on the gospel roots of jazz to explore themes of faith, justice, resilience, and human dignity. She joined Lydia Bennett to discuss why the Gospel cannot be restricted to particular musical genres."

[globalworship]

"Annunciation to the Shepherds" and other Christmas art (Allan Rohan Crite)

Allan Rohan Crite (March 20, 1910 – September 6, 2007) is one of my favorite artists. He was a Boston-based African American artist.

He designed this woodcut artwork titled "Annunciation to the Shepherds" as a Christmas card in the 1940s.

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For most of the other art in this blog post, the published source was not given. This is an undated picture he made of a Nativity shepherd.

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I can't find any information on this image and text:

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'Nativity'

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"Nuestra Senora de la Vicinidad, Neighborhood Madonna", handcolored etching, with monogram, also hand signed and dated 1977.

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A painted panel from 1940.

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A close-up:

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Another close-up:

[uncleromeo]

if you don't do anything else today,

Please have a moment of silence for the people who were killed instead of freed when news of emancipation finally reached the furthest corners of the american south.

have another moment for the ledgers, catalogs, and records that were burned and the homes that were destroyed to hide the presence of very much alive and still enslaved people on dozens of plantations and homesteads across the south for decades after emancipation.

and have a third moment for those who were hunted and killed while fleeing the south to find safety across the border, overseas, in the north and to the west.

black people. light a candle, write a note to those who have passed telling them what you have achieved in spite of the racist and intolerant conditions of this world, feel the warmth of the flame under your hand, say a prayer of rememberance if you are religious, place the note under the candle, and then blow it out.

if you have children, sit them down and tell them anything you know about the life of oldest black person you've ever met. it doesn't have to be your own family. tell them what you know about what life was like for us in the days, years, decades after emancipation. if you don't know much, look it up and learn about it together.

This is Juneteenth.

white people CAN interact with this post. share it, spread it.

[globalworship]

GIA Songs for Juneteenth

From GIA music publisher:

Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom, resilience, memory, and hope.

For communities looking to commemorate this important day at prayer services, concerts, or worship, we’ve gathered meaningful songs from our incredible collection of Black sacred music that can enrich your celebrations this Juneteenth.

The suggestions below are grouped into the following categories: Spirituals (6), hymns & songs (5), and instrumental works (4). https://theblackcanongia.substack.com/p/songs-for-juneteenth

[blaqekklesia]

Lutheran Saints #21: Nenilava — Sarah Hinlicky Wilson

Young Volohavana kept having dreams—powerful, moving dreams—but she could not understand them. Nothing in her small farming village along th

Young Volohavana kept having dreams—powerful, moving dreams—but she could not understand them. Nothing in her small farming village along the southeastern coast of Madagascar could explain what she was seeing. The dreams started when she was ten. A tall man placed her in a basin of water and washed her feet. After drying them, he rocked her gently to sleep. In another dream, he caught her in a net and then led her up to heaven. In yet another, he brought her to a church and up into the pulpit. He preached and told her that one day she would do the same. Sometimes the dreams ceased altogether but then, during the day, she would hear a voice calling her name. At first she thought it was her parents, but they denied it and worried she might be losing her mind. She sensed somehow that the voice of the divine was calling out to her, but she didn’t know how to draw nearer to God. She gave up playing with other children and sat alone under a tree, weeping for want of God’s presence. It wasn’t only the lack of God that troubled Volohavana. Her father Malady was a diviner with a widespread reputation. For pay he would consult with spirits through his oracle and offer wealth, zebus, children—whatever the heart desired. But Volohavana was not impressed. She doubted the power of the spirits; she mocked her father’s work, sometimes even in front of clients. Worse yet, as her marriageable age came and went, she refused all the many qualified suitors asking for her hand. In desperation Malady turned again to his oracle, but this time the spirits gave him a very different kind of answer. “A superior Spirit, a God supreme dwells in her, and causes her indifference toward marriage,” they told him. “You, you are a slave, but Volahavana is a queen.”

On the life of Nenilava, the Lutheran prophetess of Madagascar.

[gospel-art-project]

[gospel-art-project]

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey."

Zechariah 9:9 NKJV

[gospel-art-project]

[icannotbejondenden47]

[globalworship]

Last Supper At Roscoe’s (Black Jesus)

This is a well-done and fun painting.

It's by Ebonic Embrace (no artist named). https://www.facebook.com/ebonicembrace

Buy a print at https://ebonicembrace.com/product/last-supper-at-roscoes-black-jesus-wall-art-print/

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Here's a different artwork showing Black Jesus at the Last Supper with his disciples:

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Buy a poster at https://www.amazon.com/WWN-American-Painting-Christian-Decoration/dp/B0DS1XKHCV?th=1

[set-apart-path]

Give glory to the Lord your God

before he brings darkness,

before your feet stumble

on the twilight mountains,

and while you look for light

he turns it into gloom

and makes it deep darkness.

But if you will not listen,

my soul will weep in secret for your pride;

my eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears,

because the Lord's flock has been taken captive.

Jeremiah 13:16-17

[globalworship]

"Cristo Favelado (Slum Christ)" by Brazilian artist Octávio Araújo

Octávio Araújo (Brazilian, 1926–2015), Cristo favelado (Slum Christ), 1950. Oil on canvas, 64 × 53 cm. Collection of the Instituto de Pesquisas e Estudos Afro-Brasileiros (IPEAFRO), Rio de Janeiro. Photo: Victoria Emily Jones, at Afro-Atlantic Histories at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, June 2022.

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Octávio Ferreira de Araújo was a renowned Brazilian artist whose career spans various forms of artistic expression, from engraving to painting, drawing, and illustration. Education and Early Career Araújo began his painting studies at the Escola Profissional Masculina do Brás in São Paulo, under the guidance of Edmundo Migliaccio and José Barchitta, from 1939 to 1943. In 1947, he joined the Grupo dos 19, a collective of artists seeking new forms of expression in Brazilian art. International Experience In 1949, Araújo traveled to Paris, where he refined his engraving skills at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts and attended the Print Cabinet of the Louvre Museum. This period in Paris was crucial for the development of his technique and artistic vision. Career in Brazil Returning to Brazil in 1951, Araújo settled in Rio de Janeiro the following year. He worked as an assistant to Candido Portinari, one of the greatest names in Brazilian painting, recommended by painter Clóvis Graciano. In 1959, he received the engraving prize at the Salão Para Todos in Rio de Janeiro, which allowed him to travel to China. Scholarships and Work Abroad In 1960, Araújo was awarded a scholarship from the Répin Institute in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), sponsored by the Ministry of Culture of the Soviet Union. The following year, he attended the Polygraphic Institute in Moscow, where he stayed for eight years. During this period, Araújo worked as an illustrator of Latin American books, translator, and documentary dubbing artist, expanding his artistic and cultural reach. Return to Brazil and Recognition Back in Brazil in 1972, the Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand (MASP) held the exhibition "Octávio Araújo: 20 Years Later". In 1979, the book "Octávio Ferreira de Araújo: 10 Years of Painting", written by José Roberto Teixeira Leite, was published, highlighting the importance of his work and career. Legacy Octávio Araújo is recognized for his versatility and skill in various artistic techniques. His work reflects a deep understanding and innovation in the field of visual arts, leaving a significant legacy in Brazilian art.

Text and photo from https://art.blombo.com/artists/otavio-araujo/

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My friend Emily Victoria Jones photographed the painting and featured it in her blog post at https://artandtheology.org/2022/07/05/roundup-afro-atlantic-histories-upcoming-events-more/

She wrote: Artist Octávio Araújo entered this painting in the Black Christ contest held in 1955 by the Teatro Experimental do Negro (Black Experimental Theater) in Rio de Janeiro (I mentioned this contest previously in relation to another submission, a painting by Djanira da Motta e Silva). It shows Christ crucified in a Brazilian favela, his Roman tormentors replaced with military police officers, perpetrators of state-sanctioned violence against the nation’s Black people.