Sunday, March 27, 2011

Sunday Church Series - Église Saint Jean l'Evangéliste


Recently I exhibited some of my work at Independent Presbyterian Church's Religious Arts Festival. I wish I knew more about this statue in the Église Saint Jean l'Evangéliste in Montmartre. Perhaps some of my readers will add some information.  I was just taken by this lovely statue.

The church is located on Place des Abbesses and was the first concrete (bricks) church in Paris, built in 1904.  Its architecture is described as art nouveau and Byzantine and is far less ornate than most churches in Paris that I've seen. It has been nicknamed "Notre-Dame-des-briques".  Clearly the architecture of this particular church was not well received by many.


For my Birmingham area readers I will be offering another series of photography classes. Designed for amateur photographers with any type digital/film camera who want to be more creative and learn to take better family and vacation photos.

Community Education South
April 18-May 16
6:00-8:00 PM

For more information:
Contact me at virgjones@gmail.com

19 comments:

Starman said...

Well, all you have to do is ask Peter. He knows everything.

Thirtytwo degrees said...

Artist concepts are always interesting to study since they seem to idealize or glamorize the simplest of things. A beautiful face which looks very young to me, but I frankly do not think that St. John the Evangelist would look this at all. Holiness should not be depicted as effeminate.

Harriet said...

Lovely sculpture.

Elizabeth said...

oooh, very nice. Great textures. I love it when I take a photo, in color, that could actually be a B&W.

Genie -- Paris and Beyond said...

You have beautifully captured the ethereal expression on this statue... I could not find any information on this statue but will look in a few weeks if Peter does not know.

Bon dimanche,
G

Virginia said...

I too think this is a woman. Starman is right, Peter will know...I hope!
V

PeterParis said...

No, I don't know. I have been in the church a number of times, but have not registered who the statues are supposed to represent. I guess I more concentrated on the architecture of the church which is very special.
Now, of course, Saint Jean was not always an old man; he's often represented quite young (e.g. by El Greco) ... and some physical "details" give me rather the impression of a young man. Normally, you can possibly distinguish who it is supposed to bee by an attribute, e.g. something he would hold is in his hand, but that can't be seen here. Maybe, together with Genie, we can have a closer look in April, when she will be around. :-)

MadAboutParis said...

It's one of my favorite churches - the mosaic work is just lovely.

Jilly said...

Beautiful statue, beautiful photo of it.

Cezar and Léia said...

Such a grave expression, the artist who produced this statue is very talented!
God bless you!
Cezar

Starman said...

Peter is right again. It definitely represents a male.

Maria O. Russell said...

- Very interesting what Mme. Thirtytwo degrees said about how artists perceive things. All of a sudden she got me thinking about something that has always bothered me: how women look in Michelangelo's Creation of Man! The women look beautiful but very masculine. The men look even more beautiful but very effeminate. Maybe the sexual orientation of the artist influences his work.

Virginia said...

WEll thank you all for your ideas. I'll admit that I cropped this one a good bit to suit me. IT's lovely nonetheless so maybe we'll just enjoy him/her and wait for Peter & Genie to have a look. I should have taken an archive photo of the plaque. When will I learn???
V

Maria O. Russell said...

Beautiful post and beautiful photo as usual, Miss Virginia! Thank you so much.

Pamela said...

Lovely statue!!

M said...

I'm game for exploring this en avril -- I want to gaze into this face in person -- perhaps I will be just as transfixed. Lovely photo, V.

TheChieftess said...

I don't see it as effeminate...merely quite young...perhaps of the jaw were more square it would not be perceived as feminine? I think his neck and chest suggest a young male...barely out of his teens...

Harriet said...

Cover the eyes on your screen and it looks like a male jaw line to me.

Sab said...

It's funny, I've gone past and right up to this church so often to point out the little angels above the door to my photo tour clients, but I've rarely gone in and didn't know about this statue. I'll have a look next time I'm down that way!
The halo carved into the stone is rather curious, I think :-)