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Charles Lutyens 'Outraged Christ'
This section awaits an account of this remarkable sculpture from its creator, Charles Lutyens.
References to it follow below ...
Interesting reviews by Jason John Paul Haskins of this figure appear on the 'Locus Iste' website here and here.
Living with the 'Outraged Christ'
As you will see elsewhere on this site, in 2011 we had a remarkable exhibition in the church. This was of selected works from the lifetime output of artist, Charles Lutyens. He is, of course the creator of our extraordinary mosaic cycle of 'The Heavenly Host' which he created (largely single-handedly, until the end of the commission) over a period of 5 years up to 1968. (See this section about the recent completion of the mosaics.)
The most striking item in the exhibition (apart from the mosaics), and the largest, was his 15ft wooden sculpture of the 'Outraged Christ.' This caused a great deal of comment and astonishment at the sheer presence of the figure and was instantly taken to the hearts of the congregation - though hardly a comfortable or sentimental image - somehow connecting people to the energy and power of Christ, even on the Cross.
When the exhibition ended in October 2011 there was no planned destination for the 'Outraged Christ' and so the church invited Charles to keep the figure in its place in the church for a period, initially, of a year, now extended to October 2013 if the sculpture has not yet found a permanent home by then.
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Confirmation, July 2011 |
Christmas Bazaar, November 2011 |
School Christmas Service, December 2011 |
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Before the Midnight Mass 2011 |
Through the six months between the end of the exhibition and the beginning of Holy Week 2012 the 'Outraged Christ' has become very much a part fo our life. In spite of its size and striking nature, it has been almost like a member of the congregation - albeit a very large one! Service by service, through every event - from funerals to baptisms to a Confirmation to large school service to Christmas and then through Lent, even through social events such as the Christmas Bazaar, there has been a kind of self-efacing humility about this figure. Fanciful as this may sound, it has not dominated any of these events by its size and presence, situated, as it has been, in the midst of one half of the congregation. Nor, from the point of view of a priest conducting all these services, as well as almost daily encounters with it, has it ever 'aserted' its presence or been a distraction from conducting worship, or from participating in it. Living with the 'Outraged Christ' has been a remarkable experience and a gift for all of us.
The extraordinary arrival of this figure in the church in May 2011 has been logged and can be seen, together with other photos of the 'Outraged Christ' in some of the files in the 'Photos' section here.
During Lent, Holy Week & Easter 2012 we did something never done before since this church was built, thanks to the 'Outraged Christ' ! We exploited the flexibility of our very open church to completely turn around the whole seating arrangement to focus on this figure during the week we call Holy Week - starting on Palm Sunday and ending on Good Friday. This figure had already won the devotion of so many in the church that it was decided to use it as the focus for the dramatic enactment of the events of the Passion in the powerful services of that week.
An account of these days can be found on these links:
Palm Sunday with the Outraged Christ
Maundy Thursday & Good Friday with the Outraged Christ and Easter
During Holy Week 2012
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