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Views from the Choir Loft

The Greatest Catholic Painter You’ve Never Heard Of

Gwyneth Holston · December 9, 2013

GWYN_Coronation of the Virgin Detail T THE MOMENT, I find that I am in love with the painter Enguerrand Quarton (c. 1410 – c. 1466). He was French and painted in a style that is composed of a bizarre combination of French, Netherlandish, and Byzantine influences. Two of his surviving masterpieces are The Pietà of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon (figure 1) and The Coronation of the Virgin (figure 2).

Click on the images to see them in greater detail.

GWYN_Pieta Figure 1: The Pietà of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon by Enguerrand Quarton Just look at the exquisite quality of line in The Pietà of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon. I can’t get over how every element is designed to have a beautiful silhouette; even the fingers of St. John are fascinating. The underlying structure of this painting consists of a series of lines that slope downwards from left to right: Christ’s arm, Christ’s legs, Mary’s head, Mary Magdalene’s body. It is as if every line is a wave grief lapping at the foot of the cross. Like a Byzantine icon, the background is gold. Like a Flemish masterpiece, the figures are rendered with startling detail.

GWYN_Coronation of the Virgin Figure 2: Coronation of the Virgin by Enguerrand Quarton Not only does Quarton have an captivating sense of rhythm and beauty, his color is also stunning. Look at his painting, The Coronation of the Virgin. The earth below contains the cities of Rome and Jerusalem. At the very bottom are souls in Purgatory and Hell. The Holy Trinity place a crown on Mary’s head as choirs of angels and saints look on. Although Mary is depicted in a somewhat stylized manner, the effect of her presence is overpowering due to the flaming seraphim and cherubim that surround her. She who humbled herself hath been exalted.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Gwyneth Holston

Gwyneth Holston is a sacred artist who works to provide and promote good quality Catholic art. Her website is gwynethholston.com. Read more.

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    Requesting Our Advent Eucharistic Hymn
    A young lady named Agnes wrote to us: “Dear Mr. Ostrowski, do you have the PDF score for Ave Corpus Domini set to the ADVENT melody? Last year, we sang the hymn tune “Nun Komm der Heiden Heiland” quite a bit using your contrafactum technique. My choir appreciates the Latin hymns and practice videos, especially in the ADVENT and CHRISTMAS seasons. Your recent article on Gregorian Psalm Tones is a great help to my organist brother, and reminds us of attending VESPERS years ago when we lived in California. Thank you so much for all the effort put into providing these wonderful resources!”   Agnes, if you are listening! Yes, the PDF file you desire can be downloaded for free at the Brébeuf Portal via this URL link. Thanks for writing to us!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Message from the Vice-President!
    The Vice-President of the Church Music Association of America, Dr. Horst Buchholz (who also serves as Director of Sacred Music for the Archdiocese of Detroit) sent us an email yesterday regarding the harmonizations (PDF) I composed for the Gregorian Chant psalm tones. Dr. Buchholz says: “Those settings are absolutely exquisite, as I'm used to when it comes from you. Bravo! Well done! Now, as a sequel, if you could write something for accompanying psalms in English that would be awesome.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Seven (7) Hymn Verses for November!
    In the month of November, we remember in a special way the souls in purgatory. The BRÉBEUF HYMNAL often includes text alone versions for its hymns; why is that? The short answer is: flexibility. The “text only” version allows each choirmaster to employ a myriad of melodies. For example, I recently set the English translation of “De Profúndis” with the DAVOST MELODY (PDF). We are singing this before November ends. Indeed, you can hear our volunteer singing this (in real life) if you click here.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

He stood firm against nepotism, rebuking his predecessor Pope Pius IV to his face when he wanted to make a 13-year-old member of his family a cardinal and subsidize a nephew from the papal treasury.

— Re: Pope Saint Pius V (d. 1572)

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