Saturday, 17 June 2017

By the Grace of God by Gary Bunt



This book pairs Gary Bunt's poems and paintings.

The paintings are playful. Jesus appears with beard and white robes, a cliché, but the context is a modern(ish) land, for example the Three Wise Man are flat-cap wearing and arrive on bicycles. But also Jesus is accompanied by a faithful dog, it is funny that a canine can give a humanising touch.

There is often a gap in religious art between twee Victorian pastiche and the high end contemporary – there is room for thoughtful but gentle works, and I hope that Bunt wouldn't be too offended by being put in that bracket.

Of the poems, some have a witty charm that echoes the paintings, many in the voice of Jesus' dog, but some seem a little glib, or trot out simplistic doctrinal statements, and I am not sure if these should be read tongue in cheek or not.

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