The head of the Roman Catholic Church shares his views on art in a new documentary.
Pope Francis thinks the church should use contemporary art as a tool for evangelisation. He says it in a new documentary titled Pope Francis: My Idea of Art, in which he shares his thoughts on art and its role. The documentary is based on his book of the same name, co-written with Tiziana Lupi and released in 2015.
“The Vatican Museums have to be the most beautiful place and the most hospitable. It must throw open its doors to the world,” the Pope writes in his book. He notes that according to the Bible, the inability to pay for a ticket should not prevent people from seeing the church’s impressive art collection.
Pope Francis is known for his progressive views. He hopes the Catholic Church, which has been an important art patron for centuries, will again work closely with contemporary artists to use the power of art to promote ideas of Christianity.
“The art of mercy is truly Pope Francis’s idea of art. It is art that is directed toward the humble,” Barbara Jatta, director of the Vatican Museums, said at a press screening of the film.
The documentary is set as a tour of the Vatican Museums, St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Peter’s Square, with Pope Francis as a guide. He selected 11 works, which, as he thinks, stand in contrast with today’s culture of exclusion and waste. The selected artworks highlight the ideas of humanity, value of human life and every human being, as well as mercy.
Pope Francis speaks about such masterpieces as Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel and Caravaggio’s The Deposition. He draws attention to two statues made from discarded materials by Argentinian artist Alejandro Marmo, which Vatican recently received as a gift.
“The art work is the strongest proof that the incarnation in possible,” Pope Francis says.
The documentary directed by Claudio Rossi Massimi will be distributed in four languages.
Photo: Draka Cinema
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