The Painting cycle of St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church

The newly renovated St. Joseph's church in Longsight Manchester was in need of a visual lift when Father Ian Farrell approached us with a commission in mind. He wanted to brighten up the church and give it more visual resonance, particularly for the congregation members that were less able to understand English. He had a limited budget and so was delighted with what we were able to offer to meet his budgetary constraints.

The cycle is comprised of;

• The Dream of St Joseph by Juan de Borgona (82cm x 55cm)
• Flight Into Egypt by Albrecht Durer 170cm x 125cm)
• The Death of St Joseph by Juan del Castillo (170cm x 125cm)
• The Nativity of Christ by Petrus Christus (85cm x 49cm)

From first speaking to Father Ian Farrell, to the paintings being hand delivered and fitted - the whole process took around 7 months. This may seem like a long time but the process is very complicated and we need to make sure our customers are 100% happy with every detail of the painting. This means that progress photos are taken by the artists and sent over for review by both our team at Barton Galleries and, of course, the customer.

We heard back from Fr Ian once everything was completed; "The response to the painting from the parishioners has been universally good. Everybody finds them very impressive - some, it has to be said simply because of the size of the two on the back wall, but many also have commented on the skill of the copies, the vibrancy of colour and the devotional aspect of the subject matter. Many of the responses have made me realise that a lot of people have simply never seen an oil painting 'in the flesh', so to speak, and struggle to articulate what they like about them - though their delight is evident. There have been many favourable comments about the visual impact of the paintings as part of the whole sanctuary ensemble. The common view is that the Church looks even more beautiful. I am still delighted and love seeing them afresh first thing each morning.

God bless.

Fr Ian."