Abstract:
This thesis explores the role that beauty (aesthetics) plays in increasing the
spiritual capital of pupils within Catholic educational settings.
Inspired by Hans Urs von Balthasar’s project of returning beauty to the ‘main
artery’ of Christian thought, this thesis provides a theological aesthetic framework
for the interpretation of Christian art as a means of enriching knowledge,
understanding, and transmitting the faith within a Catholic educational context,
and possibly elsewhere. Inevitably a framework for the interpretation of Christian
art draws upon Art history for its context, namely visual rhetoric, the cultural
historical method of ‘seeing things their way’ and its counterpart in Art history the
‘period eye.’ Yet it cannot be restricted to its methods and content because of the
consistency in which it fails to notice the theological significance of images.
Therefore, a framework for the interpretation of Christian art necessarily includes
a theological aesthetic thread.
The uniqueness of the framework for interpreting Christian works of art that this
thesis presents, consist of a trifold criterion: the site of its beholding; the moment
when the viewer encounters an image in light of faith; the site of the image, and
the theological aesthetic thread; with its hierarchical project of ‘ways of seeing,’
namely blepó, theóreó, and horaó, which ensures an overarching continuity and
connectivity throughout the above-mentioned sites. This thesis argues that it is
this which enables and reveals a deeper and more profound appreciation of what
Christian images express and mean for the beholder today. This is approached
from a Catholic sacramental perspective, which draws upon and incorporates
Scripture, the teachings of the Catholic Church, the lived experiences of the saints
in light, and the practices of the faithful. In doing so, this thesis will contribute to
the newly emergent sub-field of visual theology. To demonstrate the effectiveness
of the theological aesthetic framework it is applied to a case study on a series of
depictions of the Annunciation emanating from the Early Italian Renaissance
period.
In order to analyse, explore, and evaluate the efficacy of utilising the visual arts as
‘theological and spiritual aesthetic resources,’ there is a need to include a
practitioner’s research element within the thesis. Fieldwork research is a key
component in this study as without it there is a danger that the literature search
could lack relevance. Therefore, a fieldwork research project consisting of indepth semi-structured interviews, and an online survey is conducted for the
purpose of ascertaining how, and to what extent the visual arts are used as
theological aesthetic resources for increasing spiritual capital in students within a
Catholic educational setting.
Name of University: St Mary’s University, London
Name of Candidate: Sr. Carolyn Morrison R.A.
Degree Title: Doctor of Theology
Thesis Title: A Catholic Approach to Visual Theology
Date: June 2022
