Art, in particular sacred art, lifts the viewer’s mind and heart toward heaven. It inspires and invites others into contemplation. Yet our churches and the homes of the faithful often lack contemporary sacred art.
However, one young woman seeks to use beauty to lead people closer to Christ and deeper in prayer through her gift.
Amber Knorr is a sacred artist who, inspired by her studies of Theology and Catechetics at Franciscan University, wants to “put people not only in touch but in communion, in intimacy with Jesus Christ,” as it says in John Paul II’s Apostolic Exhortation Catechesi Tradendae.
“It’s amazing to me that beautiful paintings, marble statues, and colored glass can awaken a desire for heaven,” Knorr says. “I want my art to be sacramental in the sense that it makes visible the invisible. It’s my hope that my artwork would reflect the One who is the source of all beauty and move the viewer in the direction of God.”
After graduating in 2017, Knorr attended the Sacred Art School in Florence, Italy; this figurative art school has a particular focus on St. Pope John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body” which has fostered a special love for painting portraits.
Amber Knorr primarily creates murals in sanctuary spaces and paintings on canvas to be placed in side altars and various other church locations. But she also accept privates commissions both religious and secular.
“Even non-religious portraits are an opportunity to encounter Christ, because as I paint each new face, I try to see the face of Christ hidden in each person.”
For more of Amber and her beautiful art, visit her at her websiteor follow her on Instagram.
And today we celebrate...