New Jerusalem Studios, based out of Phoenix, Arizona, is a firm that was founded in the year 2014 by Ruth and Geoff Stricklin (the latter of which is a graduate of the Liturgical Institute in Mundelein, IL, an institution that I suspect many of our readers will be familiar with). They are a firm that focus on helping churches "bring a traditional sense of beauty back into their sacred spaces," dealing with various elements of the liturgical arts ranging from sanctuary appointments and other architectural elements, but they are perhaps best known for their execution of large scale sacred art murals.
An example of just such a project was one which was undertaken at All Saints Newman Center in Tempe Arizona. The Studio offers a detailed explanation of the work:
This large-scale mural was completed for the recently built chapel of the All Saints Catholic Newman Center at Arizona State University... it spans the back wall of the apse and is the first of several works planned for this chapel. At 32’ high and 14’ wide, the mural features images principally drawn from the Book of Revelation. Christ Coming in Glory signifies the ultimate liturgical reality - in the Mass, the past is drawn forward and the future is drawn back as we participate in the heavenly liturgy, taking place eternally. Christ establishes a new creation, new heavens, and a new earth (Rev. 21) and through him, all creation is drawn into eternal worship of the Father.
The central figure of Christ is drawn from the earliest iconographic depictions of Christ Pantocrator. The eyes of Christ, as well as the outstretched right and left arms, portray Christ as both the merciful and just judge. Christ is flanked by adoring angels offering incense, (Rev. 8:3), and the image of the “lamb as if slain,” (Rev. 5:6). Images evoking the Garden of Eden- palms, grasses, native plants of Arizona- are presented in a stylized or idealistic way, suggesting the glorified New Creation.
The mural work for the All Saints Newman Center was commissioned by Rev. Robert Clements, chaplain, and at his request, is inspired by the Beuronese school. Drawn from the name of the town in Germany and the Benedictine monastery where this form developed, its most well-known proponents were Desiderius Lenz (d. 1928) and Gabriel Wuger (d. 1892) both monks of that abbey. Developed partly as a reaction to the photographic naturalism and sentimentality of the late romantic era, Beuronese art drew largely from the iconographic tradition. It attempted to move away from hyper-realistic, emotionally evocative portrayals, which tended to emphasize our fallen earthly state and aimed to highlight our idealized, glorified, heavenly future. This is achieved by a somewhat two-dimensional approach, employment of muted colors, quiet, stylized figures, and faces which avoid the imposition of a particularly emotive experience, but draw the worshiper out of themselves and into participation in Christ’s self-offering in the Mass. Following the Beuronese tradition, the foundation of this mural is an intricate substructure of sacred geometry, assisting the composition in providing quiet balance, harmony, and order. Not distracted by abstraction or garish detail, the worshipper is drawn into liturgical rest.
Phase I included the center mural, Christ Pantocrator, and was completed in 2015. The murals within the niches on either side of the church were completed in Phase II: The Betrothal of Mary and Joseph, and Pentecost. The latest Phase III included adding a gold-starred blue sky ceiling with Seraphim, The Four Gospels (represented as winged creatures), Incensing Angels before the throne, eight Saints along with Blessed Clara Badano and Blessed Pier Georgio Frassati, and finally, Beuronese-influenced scrolls, painted columns and other design elements that bring a cohesiveness to the multiple Phases.
A wonderfully detailed explanation of the project, and here too are just a few of the details taken from their impressive mural work here to date.
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| The Holy Spirit |
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| "I am the way, the truth and the life." |
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| The symbols of the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, as well as three six-winged seraphim set against a starry field. |
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| "Behold the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world." |
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| An absolutely stunning bit of classic Christian imagery featuring references from Book of Revelation. |
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| Detail of one of the angels, holding one of golden bowls of incense (mentioned in the Book of Revelation) |
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| The Betrothal of Joseph and Mary |
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| Pentecost |
The Beuronese school is indeed a wonderfully rich school of liturgical art, having a wonderfully rich, stylized iconographic aspect (one that is especially pleasing to the tastes of the anglospheric world in my experience) so it is pleasing to see it employed on such a large scale here by New Jerusalem Studios.
If you are interested in learning more about the work of New Jerusalem Studios, we would invite you to visit their website or to find them on social media.
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