The Guardian
David Ward writes:
Divine inspiration: Cathedral displays contemporary art for Easter.
Football and fine art rarely go together, but Blackburn Rovers FC has sponsored one of a series of portraits of the anguished Christ installed in Blackburn Cathedral, Lancashire, in time for Easter.
Worshippers attending services today for Good Friday will be able to contemplate new life-size images of Jesus twisted into almost balletic poses. Artist Penny Warden has produced canvases depicting the stations of the cross.
The stations, more common in Catholic than Anglican churches and very rare in post-Reformation cathedrals, are almost always literal in their imagery. However, Warden has opted for dominant single figures on strongly coloured backgrounds.
The traditional 14 stages begin with Jesus being condemned to die and end with his body being laid in the tomb. But Warden has broken with tradition and added a 15th station, above, celebrating the triumph of the resurrection with a figure