A stunning collection of post-conceptual paintings depicting a little-known religious text has gone on display at the Hardwick Gallery, Cheltenham at the University of Gloucestershire.
The 12 two-by-two metre oil on canvas works, believed to be the first large-scale paintings of their kind in British biblical art since the Reformation, interpret 12 crucial scenes from the Book of Enoch – an ancient Jewish text that was omitted from both the Christian and Hebrew bibles but saved by Ethiopian Orthodox tradition since the fifth century AD.
The five-year project was conceived by an unlikely partnership between the eminent artist and agnostic, Angus Pryor and the prominent theologian, Professor Philip Esler. Pryor is Head of School for Art and Design at the University of Gloucestershire while Professor Esler is Portland Chair in New Testament Studies at the University and also the former chief executive of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).
Pryor’s contemporary collection, Enoch: Heaven’s Messenger, visualises the narratives, meaning and relevance of the Book of Enoch – or 1 Enoch – described by Esler as ‘the most important Jewish writing not to have been included in the Old Testament’. Each painting depicts an imaginative, secular response and transposition by Pryor of particular parts of the apocalyptic narrative with detailed iconographical descriptions provided by Esler.
Despite the text’s ancient beginnings, it speaks to a number of contemporary issues which are interpreted by Pryor in his unusual transdisciplinary approach to art. Today’s important environmental issues are given personality in the text with messages of the earth crying out against those who abuse it, while connections between homicidal violence and disordered sexual desire are also made, making Pryor’s paintings both relatable and accessible to religious and non-religious audiences.
The exhibition, which includes a richly illuminated model of an Ethiopian church at its centre, was planned for initial installation at both Gloucester and Canterbury Cathedrals in summer 2020 until the coronavirus outbreak put those plans on hold. The exhibition can be viewed virtually in the meantime bookofenoch2020.com/virtual-tour.
Describing how he became involved in the project, Pryor, Head of School for Art and Design at the University of Gloucestershire, said: “Back in 2014, I attended Philip’s inaugural lecture on how heaven is presented in 1 Enoch and became fascinated by this influential ancient Jewish text. Today, the complete text has only been preserved from antiquity in Ethiopia, where it forms an important part of the Old Testament of Ethiopian Orthodoxy. Philip and I travelled to Addis Ababa the following year and were bowled over by the art and architecture there, as well the Ethiopian people themselves. It wasn’t long before I was compelled to start painting my own interpretation of the text.
“In an homage to Ethiopian religious iconography, the 12 oil on canvas images replicate the linear, flat and pared down forms and colour palette associated with Byzantine, Ethiopian and early Coptic Christian iconography and, whilst idiomatic and stylistically distinctive, they are both observational and culturally responsive.
“Naturally, these pieces will appeal to different people for different reasons, just as they do for Philip and me, but I’d like to see them used as a facilitator for discussion. Not just from a religious sense, but as a way to better engage people with some of the contemporary issues that arise, as well as with the arts.”
Philip Esler, Portland Chair in New Testament Studies at the University of Gloucestershire, added: “Angus and I have been on a wonderful voyage of discovery over the last six years and despite him describing himself as an agnostic, he is one of the most spiritual people I know. Angus has an instinctive grasp of values that go beyond the material and he manages to reproduce these fundamental realities of the world on canvas. His works are masterpieces of religious contemporary art which draw inspiration from a number of beautiful church paintings and manuscript illuminations we discovered on our trips to Ethiopia. This has truly been one of the most creative academic experiences of my career to date.”
Pryor and Esler have undertaken a series of immersive visits to Addis Ababa, Aksum, Gondar and Lalibela since 2015 in order to experience the cultural legacy of Ethiopian art and architecture firsthand. The painted surfaces of Pryor’s works include three dimensional objects and imprints – mangoes, lemons, beads, clay depictions of guinea fowl, plastic figurines and deer antlers. Yet despite such relational encounters, these ostensibly narrative paintings are tangibly disjunctive and fugitive of their formal and declared subject matter.
Enoch: Heaven’s Messenger is an ongoing project with discussions already in the works to paint additional scenes from 1 Enoch. Pryor and Esler hope to tour the exhibition around the UK and internationally when lockdown restrictions are fully eased.
In 2019, Pryor suffered a fall which left him paralysed from the neck down. Despite his injuries, he was able to complete the project during his extensive rehabilitation, which will help him regain around 80 percent of his mobility.
You can find out more about each of the paintings and explore the virtual exhibition here: https://www.bookofenoch2020.com/.
