Fr. Pedro Arrupe, in his inspiring talk on ‘Art and the spirit of the Society of Jesus’ (1972), succinctly articulates the role of artists and works of art: “What was the purpose of art in the mind of St. Ignatius and the Society? One could almost answer a priori, God’s greater glory. Yes, but how? Because St. Ignatius would tell us the earth like the heavens narrates the glory of God. The average man, however, is both a poor viewer and a poor narrator. Therefore he needs the artists to direct his view and to speak for him.”

Roy M. Thottathil, SJ

The author is Superior of Lumen Jesuit Centre Kochi, Executive Editor of ‘Ezhuthu’ Magazine and coordinator of ‘Art & Peace’ of Loyola Institute of Peace, Kochi.