In 2016, Head of School Ty Fischer edited Teaching Beauty: A Vision for Art and Music in Christian Education. In response to this book, and in an effort to invest in the visual education of the school's students, an annual art invitational was established with the aid, expertise, and oversight of Veritas parent, graphic designer, artist and Square Halo Gallery curator Ned Bustard.
In this event several contemporary artists are invited to create works based on themes from the Great Books studied in our Omnibus classes. The works are first shown in the Square Halo Gallery in Lancaster, and then hang in our school throughout the year for the students to enjoy. A purchase award is given to one of the artists in the exhibit, and that work becomes part of the school's permanent art collection. The remainder of the works are auctioned off, with the proceeds shared between the artists and our school.
Oil on canvas by Hannah Steele
Aesop was the famous teller of many ancient fables. This particular fable concerns a grasshopper (or, in the original, a cicada) that has spent the summer singing while the ant worked to store up food for winter. When that season arrives, the grasshopper finds itself dying of hunger and begs the ant for food. But the ant rebukes its idleness and tells it to dance the winter away now. The story has been used to teach the virtues of work and the perils of improvidence.
In the fable, “The Ant and the Grasshopper,” the Ant has worked diligently to prepare himself for a more challenging, barren season ahead. The artist has painted an individual doing the same. She is planting seeds: she is rising early to work towards the growth of good fruit within her, which will be carried onward for seasons to come.
About the artist
Hannah Steele moved from Massachusetts to Pennsylvania to pursue her BFA at Messiah College, where she concentrated in two-dimensional studies. Since graduating in May of 2019, she has continued painting, and has begun teaching at both Carlisle Christian Academy and the Mechanicsburg Art Center.
hannahsteeleartist.com
Acrylic on canvas by Ned Bustard
The most famous part of The Republic is the analogy of the cave. In it, Plato unpacks the task of a true philosopher. Most men are like beings trapped in a cave and bound by shackles, they believe that they can see reality but all they are really seeing is shadows on the wall of the cave. The job of the true philosophy is to escape the shackles and go out of the cave and to see the world as it really is. Furthermore, the philosopher is to go back into the cave to try to convince the imprisoned men to reject the shadows and venture with him out to see the real world.
This piece combines three famous caves: Plato’s cave in The Republic, the prehistoric art caves of Lascaux in southwestern France, and the infamous cave of Caerbannog from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The shadow cast on the cave by the flame behind the wall is that of the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog—described as “the most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent you ever set eyes on!”
About the artist
Ned Bustard is the graphic designer for World’s End Images and Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA). He is also a children’s book illustrator, author, and a printmaker. His two newest illustrated books are George MacDonald’s The Light Princess and Steve Nichols’ Bible History ABCs. He is an elder at Wheatland Presbyterian Church, creative director for Square Halo Books, Inc., curator of the Square Halo Gallery, and serves on the boards of the Association of Scholars of Christianity in the History of Art (ASCHA) and The Row House, Inc. He and his wife Leslie have three daughters, one dog, and an unreasonable about of books.
Charcoal, gouache, colored pencil, pastel, acrylic, gold leaf and paper on canvas by Matthew Clark (former Veritas teacher)
Job was a wealthy man in the ancient world, a man who trusted in God. Satan approaches the God and asks that he be able to harm Job by destroying his family, removing his wealth and blessing, and finally by plaguing his body with disease. God allows this, but through all of it Job remains faithful. In the end, God restores Job life, family, and fortune.
The artist says: "The book of Job is about a great many things. However, what I have responded to most deeply in the past few years is Job’s suffering and the growth—or sanctification—that God brings about in him as a result of what he has suffered. In this painting, Job is alone and in prayer. His halo shines and grows as he prays to God out of the depths of his anguish. In prayer, he raises his arms in a gesture of reproach, a request for blessing and in the sign of the cross. That Job can be filled with hope, despondency and faith all at once is a profound comfort to me."
About the artist
Matthew Clark lives in central Florida where he teaches, makes prints, illustrations and the occasional painting. Formerly a teacher at Veritas Academy, Matt currently teaches at The Geneva School in the Orlando area. He and his wife live a good life in a quasi rural setting with their goats, chickens, ducks and seven children. He is a member of St Alban’s Anglican Church, APA.
Textile paint and chalk on cotton by Christina C Begian
The Iliad is perhaps the beginning of Western Civilization. It is the tale of heroism, rage, and despair in the midst of the Trojan War. It begins with the line, “Sing goddess of the rage of Achilles.” This war was caused by the goddess Venus promising Paris, a Trojan Prince, the most beautiful woman on earth if Paris would choose her as the most beautiful in a competition between the goddesses. Paris steals Helen from Menelaus, a Greek ruler. This draws the Greeks into war with the Trojans. The Greeks, led by the great king Agamemnon—Menelaus’s brother, set sail in a thousand black ships to retake Helen.
The artist says: "With this piece, I thought to explore a less well-known aspect of the Illiad. While there are many paintings the great, famous, masculine heroes, the only woman frequently depicted in art is the beautiful Helen. The women of Troy are almost entirely ignored. In attempting to portray their story, I thought to employ the maiden/matron/crone archetype. On the left you see Cassandra, the quintessential maiden, cursed with knowledge by Apollo because she would not surrender herself to him. On the right is Andromache, the ultimate wife, and mother, wistful and ghostlike, as she might appear on the walls of Troy. In the center is Hecuba, the queen, once maiden and mother, now arrived at old age. Regal and filled with dignity, she does not yet know it will all be taken from her and her kin. These are the women of Troy. Beautiful, ghostly, standing on the edge of the story.". .
About the artist
A lifelong Chester County resident, Christina Begian is a self-employed artist and art teacher at a small Christian school. She received her B.A. in Art from Arcadia University and has been painting and drawing her entire life. For this project, Christina was inspired by the sweeping epic of The Iliad and the works of artist Cy Twombly. In her future art, Christina plans to deeply explore the beauty found in human weakness and brokenness, utilizing light and textiles to depict these concepts.
The foundational book of all Geometry, this book works from simple definitions of things like points, lines, and planes to a whole system of proofs in 13 books. His logic and proofs are so convincing that people throughout history have tried to tie all knowledge to Euclid's Elements.
Euclid’s 47th proposition has evoked wonder in the western world for over 2000 years. 1.47 is as recognizable to students of geometry as 3:16 is recognizable to students of the New Testament. Euclid begins with 5 simple assumptions, applies logic, and after 46 carefully chosen steps is ready to present his masterpiece. The Pythagorean Theorem was know for hundreds of years before Euclid, but it is Eucld’s proof that stands as a time tested example of a mathematically elegant argument.
The golden ratio was chosen as the ratio between the legs of this right triangle. The side of the smallest square was also divided into the golden ratio which providentially made the radius of the circle 3.14 inches.
About the artist
Dale Siegenthaler is Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Cairn University and taught mathematics at Veritas Academy for 13 years.
Hannibal was a Carthaginian general and the greatest opponent of Rome. The long-standing hatred between the Romans and the Carthaginians resulted from Aeneas, Rome’s founder, jilting Dido, the beautiful Queen of Carthage. Hannibal leads his Carthaginian army from North Africa crossing into Spain and then crossing the Alps to attack Rome from the North. He almost completely wipes out the Roman army.
The artist says: "The brilliant Carthaginian general, Hannibal, crossed the Alps with a massive army, including numerous elephants - yes, real elephants - to invade Italy from the north, which was deemed impenetrable. Not only were there elephants, but horses, men and the sheer tons of supplies and equipment needed, all carried on carts or horseback, all vulnerable to the weather, rocky terrain and mishaps sure to meet the invaders along the way. Reading about the Second Punic War by Livy, in his book The War With Hannibal, one is brought sharply into this ancient world as the talented author tells of events he seems to have witnessed first hand. I painted a picture of a looming African elephant because of the strong impression this event left on me. Elephants! The idea was that the elephants would put the advancing Roman horses into a frightful frenzy, thus causing chaos and rending the Roman warriors useless. You’ll have to read the book to find out who won.
"Being primarily a sculptor of animals mainly, I jumped at this opportunity to paint a picture with an elephant as subject matter. I’ve been sculpting and painting for over 30 years, and find that nature, particularly animals, offer boundless themes for the visual artist both as subject matter and as characters in narratives."
About the artist
Kathe Umlauf studied art at Tyler School of Art, Millersville University, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and have an MFA from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. Her work can be found in numerous collections, including a huge gorilla sculpture at the HACC Lancaster campus atrium.
From Pilgrim's Progress
Katie Joy Nellis
Oil on canvas
