Sacred and Religious Art Still Matter: Painting and Praying with Beauty
- Guest Contributor
- 17 hours ago
- 4 min read
In this first installment of our series on Catholic religious and sacred artists, meet Catholic artist Brie Schulze and the vocation behind her sacred work.
By Gennie O'Gara
For local Catholic artist Brie Schulze, good art centers on a personal relationship with God. Meditating on sacred art serves as a way for the viewer to enter into conversation with the Divine Artist.
“I think beauty can pierce places in our hearts that other experiences cannot touch. When beauty is rooted in the truth, we can experience a communion with God that propels and inspires deeper relationship with him,” Schulze explained. “Everyone sees the art, but whatever you are experiencing is just between you and the Lord.”
The subject of sacred art provides a unique challenge to the artist.
“Doesn’t it say in the Gospels that no one has seen the face of God? I need to know who God is to be able to depict him, and so certainly I feel the pressure of needing to know him in a good way,” Schulze said. “Artistically, the hardest part is depicting holy people in a way that honors them, and in a way that people are able to pray with. I want my work to be an aid in prayer.”
For Schulze, there is a tension between knowing that God is so much greater than anything she can portray, yet feeling called to give her best effort anyway.
Much of her work is by commission, but every once in a while, Schulze has the opportunity to complete what she calls “a fruit of prayer.” These pieces from prayer are not direct visions of completed pieces. Instead, Schulze allows the work to undergo constant formation.
When a piece comes from her prayer, she asks friends to dress up for reference photos, gathers images to pull inspiration from and allows her imagination to dwell on the Gospels.
Her painting “Luke 2:19” is one such fruit of prayer. Brie found inspiration in the words “Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.” Mary’s own personal relationship with Christ and Mary prompted Schulze’s artistic curiosity.
“What was she doing? What was that moment like for her?” Schulze asked.
The painting is a meditation on the love poured into the Blessed Mother’s heart. The piece communicates that Mary receives God’s love, guarding and protecting it in her heart without grasping at it. Schulze concentrated on light in the painting to suggest the warmth that would have emanated from Mary.
Schulze’s piece “Adoratio” also came from prayer. She had two weeks before Christmas, but not a fully formed idea. As she took reference photos, the details began to come together.
“I wanted to show the parallels between the birth of Christ and the crucifixion,” she explained, “and part of that was just my own realization of how detailed the Lord is, and how he had every little detail in mind before Christ was born. I especially feel loved in those details.”
Schulze chose to paint baby Jesus in the cruciform position and shape the wood of the manger to appear as a Cross. She arranged the folds of the swaddling clothes to resemble burial clothes. The straw, painted as strands of wheat, invokes Jesus as the Bread of Life. It also serves as a halo around his head. Mary, her hands guarding the love in her heart, adores Jesus. The shepherd opposite her mimics her posture.
“That shepherd is representing to us how we learn from Mary how to adore Christ, how to love,” Schulze said. “He’s a little bit awkward, just to show that the learning takes time and it’s not perfect.”
St. Joseph is dressed similarly to the shepherds to symbolize his humility, but wears a purple band on his head, reminding us that he was of the royal Davidic line, a lineage from which Christ descended.
“The ox and the donkey have been depicted in the earliest nativity scenes, and they represent Jew and Gentile coming to the foot of the cross to be reconciled,” Schulze explained.
Schulze credits her mom as her biggest supporter and encourager in her artistic endeavors. Her mom recognized Schulze’s love for art and helped her cultivate it as a girl. Schulze took art classes as a child and went to Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio.
“Going to a very secular art school, I didn't think it'd be as effective to just be in your face with very Catholic art. So my work was always very narrative, but it wasn't explicitly Catholic,” Schulze recalled.
The immersion and constant conversation about art in college allowed Schulze to blossom as an artist. Growth in her personal spiritual life led Schulze to evangelize through sacred art.
“I recognized that I see the world differently, I think differently than other people,” she said. “I'm a firm believer that our churches and artwork in our churches should be the best of the best. The highest form of our gifts should be at the use of the liturgy.”
In a world that often prioritizes convenience and efficiency over beauty, it is especially important to seek out truly beautiful art, Schulze said, encouraging people to support Catholic artists in their communities.
“Each artist, and person in general, was created by God with a special mission and part of his heart that he wants to share through us. If we cooperate with God, we can allow the Holy Spirit to share those unique moments that he speaks to us in,” Schulze explained. “We have no idea how this cooperation with God will affect others in their prayer and relationships with the Lord, but I think that's part of what is so special with being a sacred artist — in a way, we get to help facilitate some of the most intimate moments in people's lives!”
Schulze appreciates that art allows for a personal communication of Truth.
“Sacred art illuminates the stories of the Gospel and can help us relate and put ourselves in those places that might otherwise be difficult to imagine. If done well, it can pierce our hearts and open us up to a greater love and communion with God,” Schulze said.
To view Schulze’s work, visit https://brieschulze.com/.
