Church could help modern art, Russian painter believes

Church and modern art could enrich each other, painter Gor Chakhal said, who initiated and monitored Dialogue in the Church exhibition recently held in St. Tatiana Church at Moscow State University. "Church can help modern art as it knows religion better tan certain artists who are reinventing the wheel," he said in his interview published by the Vedomosti paper on Tuesday.

According to the artist, if people today want to pursue art "it means they believe in after-life of this art. It is purely religious phenomenon or we have to denounce a notion of art at all."

Meanwhile, the Church "if she wants to speak modern language with this world also needs modern art," Chakhal said.

Relations between modern art and Church will be further discussed at his exhibition, which is to open in September at the Tretyakov Gallery.

"We would like to make a historical exhibition in prospect and to present the whole Russian art of the 20th century on religious topic. There were religious artists among Russian avant-garde and painters of the sixties. However, it's a large-scaled, laborious and expensive project, I can't say when we're able to do it," Chakhal said.

Source: Interfax religion