Hannah Fytche hovers between art and Psalm 91

In the San Diego Museum of Art, there is a room of paintings which depict artists’ impressions of the Holy Spirit. A collage of shattered glass shines from one wall, collected from New York City streets and repurposed (Justin Sterling, Study for Chapel of the Rocks (Interior Window)). On another wall, hands prune a tree root: an inscription on the painting partly reads (in Spanish) ‘ [The hands] trim the tree of life so that it is renewed and does not die.’ (Diego Rivera, The Hands of Dr Moore). Another painting reclaims the Virgin of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico, in order to expand women’s roles and identities (Ester Hernández, The Offering).

These paintings diversely communicate the Spirit’s power to renew, restore, and bring life – whether through remaking something shattered, pruning roots, or retelling a story. Seeing these paintings was a powerful experience: I was captivated by each artist’s reflection on the Holy Spirit. My favourite was Agnes Pelton’s The Primal Wing. In a midnight blue sky above three dark hills a bright wing hovers. The wing is like a cloud, painted in sunrise colours…

Hannah Fytche is Associate Tutor in New Testament studies at Westminster College, Cambridge

___

This is an extract from an article published in the Issue 2 – 2025 edition of Reform

Subscribe to Reform