Vatican
City, 10 July 2013 (VIS) - “In the Footsteps of the Lord” is the
title of the exhibition which will accompany the 28th World Youth Day
in Rio de Janeiro. The exhibition, organised by the John Paul II
Youth Foundation of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, will be
open from 9 July to 12 October in the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes
in the carioca capital.
“In
the Footsteps of the Lord” presents a series of works, objets d'art
and manuscripts grouped into four sections: “Christ, the way of
salvation”, “Vocation and mission of the Apostles”; “Mary,
the road leading to Christ”, and “The saints: models to emulate”,
all inspired by the theme of the World Youth Day, “Go and make
disciples of all nations”.
“Christ,
the way of salvation” includes works on the life of Jesus, the
passion and the resurrection, Thomas' disbelief, and the parables of
the adulteress and the good Samaritan, as well as an important
section dedicated to the image of Christ. The exhibition opens with
the celebrated Mandylion of Edessa, venerated as an acheiropoieta or
image made not with human hands, regarded as a true image of the
Saviour. The exhibition includes other prestigious works by, among
others, Beato Angelico, Melozzo da Forli, Leonardo da Vinci, Bernini,
Correggio, Guercino and Lorenzo Lotto, whose “Christ and the
Adulteress” was recently restored by the Vatican Museums. The
Christological image of the Turin Shroud will also be displayed in
the form of the photograph taken by Secondo Pia in 1898.
The
works in the second section are linked to the theme of the call of
the Apostles, such as the diptych of St. Peter and St. Paul dating
from the third and fourth centuries, on loan from the Vatican
Museums, and works by Pomarancio and de Ribera.
The
section dedicated to “Mary, the road leading to Christ”
juxtaposes works from both eastern and western traditions: Byzantine
icons are displayed alongside Pinturicchio's celebrated “Madonna of
the Window-Sill” and works by Michelangelo, Sassoferrato and
Perugino.
Finally,
the fourth section consists of depictions of the most renowned
saints.