St. Patrick's Cathedral In New York Celebrates 200 Year Anniversary With Sacred Art Exhibit

St. Patrick's Old Cathedral will be commemorating the 200 year anniversary of the Cathedral in the historic district of SoHo in New York City and the restoration of the tabernacle of the church by the artist-in-residence, Guillermo Esparza. The exhibit, titled "Arcanum Angelorum" (Mystery of the Angels) will feature recent paintings on angels in oil, icons in egg tempera and gold, drawings, and sculptures and mural designs.

The opening reception will be held on Thursday, February 26 at 6:00 pm and will run until July 31. The exhibit will be shown in the undercroft on the Old Cathedral in the Holy Name Chapel.

Esparza's permanent works are held in the Vatican museum in Rome, the Phanar Museum in Istanbul, Turkey, the U.S. National Archives, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, as well as other numerous cathedrals, churches, museums and private collections. He works in the figurative manner, drawing from Byzantine, Classical and Alexandrian influences to create an original conception of light and color.

"According to early Christian history, the tradition of iconography was established approximately 1,000 years before the Renaissance," says Esparza.

"It is based on golden-mean proportions and related geometry, Byzantine modules, exact anatomy, inverted perspective, and perspective. In my works, I strive to preserve the traditions of the medieval painters. What inspires me is light penetrating transparent colors of egg tempera, reflecting back from the gesso ground. In sculpture, it is the super emanating light coming from white marble, reflecting the heart of the shellfish: fiat lux."