Works by some of history’s best-known artists have been showcased at Quarr Abbey as the Isle of Wight monastery hosted its second exhibition of pictures reproduced from the National Gallery.
Following the success of last summer’s exhibition exploring the life of Mary, the Mother of Christ, Quarr Abbey returned with a second summer display focusing on the events of Holy Week.
The exhibition covered the period leading up to the death of Christ on the Cross and his Resurrection, featuring pictures dating from the 14th to the 17th centuries.
Works represented included those by celebrated artists El Greco, Tintoretto and Caravaggio.
The exhibition was staged in Quarr Abbey’s new courtyard gallery, which was inaugurated last year.
Isle of Wight poet Edmund Matyjaszek held a residency at the exhibition every Tuesday, explaining the paintings to visitors and reading poems connected with the pictures.
Edmund’s latest poetry collection, ‘A Book of Feasts: The Marian Year’, features a foreword by Abbot Xavier of Quarr.
The exhibition attracted a steady stream of visitors, including Islanders, people from the mainland and international visitors from Sweden and America.
Meanwhile, Quarr Abbey’s first National Gallery exhibition is set to continue its journey beyond the Isle of Wight.
The Life of Mary exhibition has already travelled to London and will be taken to Oxford University by Edmund next spring, where it will be displayed throughout May.
