Contemporary Bible Art on Old Testament themes by Darius Gilmont. Darius’ naive and colourful style presents us with a fresh approach to Biblical stories. His refreshing Bible art, originally aimed at children and young people, transcends age categories and touches us all. Based in Israel, Darius has been working on Bible art for the last thirty years.
It all started when the artist, self-exiled from the small architectural office where he had been working in Tel Aviv, went wandering in the Sinai desert, in search of meaning and some kind of salvation. The vast and ancient fire-burnt landscapes breathed their furnace-breath across their expanses, and spoke to the impressionable young artist of the power of the Eternal.
Here was where the Israelite ancestors had walked on their journey from slavery to freedom. Here was where their leader Moses had received the Torah from G-d. And the rock they saw, the sand they trod, and the furnace-air they had breathed, was the same rock, the same sand and the same air as he now lived. Thus began an artist’s odyssey into the lore of the ancient Torah.
Back in Tel Aviv, Darius began painting. Vast desert landscapes emerged, populated by tiny white-robed figures; figures that wandered in search of oases, or cities, or revelation, or otherwise standing in formation, formally enacting ancient and sacred rituals. Later these figures became larger and more defined, the landscapes less massive, and everything took on a more colourful and lively feel. Darius had become interested in naive art, where the focus was less on the mystical and more on the magical within everyday life. His Bible art began to fuse both approaches: the mystical and the naive, and it is that dialogue which continues in his work today.
This is a contemporary Biblical painting on the theme of Daniel in the Lions’ Den. It is acrylic on canvas, with applied gold leaf, and measures 80cm x 80cm. The angels are depicted as ethereal globules of colour, but I’m not too happy with this treatment. Considering making some changes – I’ll post an update […]
Ceramic Biblical Art I really enjoyed making this piece of ceramic Biblical art; a whimsical depiction of a prophet with his cat! For the discerning collector of high-performance Biblical prophets and cats, this must be the sculpture for you! I made it in terracotta clay, firing it with an engobe (matt-finish) glaze. Later I added […]
The Stone Gallery, run by the Marshall family in Burford, Oxfordshire, has recently opened an exhibition to celebrate their 100th year. I’m very honoured to be one of the participating artists. The exhibition features work by several artists and I have eight works on display (and for sale). They can be seen in the picture […]
After 40 years of wandering in the desert, the people of Israel are finally entering the Promised Land! This is a newly-commissioned painting based on an earlier version of this scene. I’ve just finished varnishing it and am soon to send it to its new home. The Judaean hills, covered in ancient goat-trails, provided the […]
The new Children’s Bible from Westminster John Knox Press (WJK) is now out. A beautifully designed, new children’s Bible, featuring several of my illustrations (with lots of great work by other artists). It’s a truly engaging and thought-provoking introduction to the Bible and issues of faith for Christian children everywhere. Highly recommended! From the publisher’s website: […]
This Biblical relief sculpture, Noah and the Dove, is made of a light-coloured clay (called Yellow Terrazzo), with an inlay of smoked glass. Many of the elements are finished with acrylic paint. (See my post from September, showing how it was made).The design is simple, primitive, direct and, I hope, powerful. The motif of the […]
Pilgrimage: A Biblical Painting This imaginary Biblical painting tells a story: Once a year, pilgrims visit this most secret and sacred valley of the desert, where veins of gold run through the rock, symbolizing eternal wisdom and the divine (אלוקות). Each of the Twelve Tribes is represented, wearing variations of their tribal colours and, between […]
Showing stages in the creation of a new ceramic wall sculpture, 28cm x 25cm. It’ll be finished with coloured glazes. Looking forward to showing you the finished product soon….
This small ceramic wall sculpture (13.5 x 18cm) shows a Biblical patriarch and a palm tree. It has been fired once, and is coloured with acrylic, giving a matt, non-shiny finish. The man’s staff is picked out in applied gold leaf. There are more of my ceramic works on my dedicated Ceramic Sculpture page. If you’re […]
I’m currently working on these two small relief sculptures in clay. Shown here before firing and before colouring, they will eventually be terracotta red clay, with colour and gold leaf applied. Approximately 15cm wide, they are intended to be wall-hung.
