Philip Hagreen
Six small prints on paper, mounted together
1923 to 1955
Methodist Modern Art Collection
No. HAG/2007
Image Copyright © Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes. The Methodist Church Registered Charity no. 1132208
Biblical commentary
Luke 1: 39-56 2: 1-16 Matthew 1: 16, 18-25, 2: 1–2, 11
These beautifully simple woodcuts illustrate the birth of Jesus and are supplemented with liturgical texts and a quotation (top left) from Psalm 8. There are various views of the holy family, one with the shepherds worshipping at the stable. At the top left is Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth, the future mother of John the Baptist. Hagreen was a member of the Guild of St. Joseph and St. Dominic, a community of Roman Catholic artists and craftspeople committed to high quality work and design, offered to the glory of God. The style chosen is part of a desire to recover traditional Christian craftsmanship using the designs of the early Middle Ages and ancient devotional practice.
Commentary based on A Guide to the Methodist Art Collection.