Jake Lever - A Pilgrimage to Oxford

I recently went on a visit to Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford to see some new stained glass created by Thomas Denny. The window is based upon the biblical story of the Return of the Prodigal Son and Denny has portrayed the story across six panels using the artist’s characteristic drawing onto intensely coloured glass.  Soon after leaving art college I was really drawn to the idea of becoming a stained glass artist having spent a summer working at the York Glaziers Trust, so I am always interested to see new stained glass and I am really fond of the work of Thomas Denny in Gloucester Cathedral. 

As well as enjoying the new window, what really drew me was the delicate fourteenth century grisaille glass in the chapel housing the shrine of St Frideswide, a Saxon princess and healer who became the Patron Saint of Oxford.  This ancient glass was mounted low down, enabling visitors to enjoy the sensitive painting of foliage and twisting vines.  For me this was a real inspiration to see how the natural world was portrayed by medieval artists. 

Across the quad was the Christ Church Picture Gallery containing a collection of mostly medieval and Renaissance paintings including Piero della Francesca’s Virgin and Child with Three Angels. The ethereal stillness within his paintings is really extraordinary; their luminosity is captivating. Together the cathedral and gallery offered a very gentle series of incredibly beautiful imagery that felt like a real treat on this sunny, autumn morning in Oxford.