Credit: @USMCTheology on Twitter An Irish Benedictine monk is showcasing his huge oil-on-canvas painting of Mary at an exhibition in Canada during the month of February.
Emmaus O’Herlihy’s painting of Mary, called Red Magnificat, pictures her as both indigenous and almost young enough to be called a child.
His painting is in Toronto’s Regis College as part of an exhibition called ‘Neighbourhood Earth’, which explores what it means to be neighbours to each other and our environment.
“Red Magnificat reflects Christ’s challenge to historical patterns of exclusion, cultural prejudice and power,” he said.
“Instead of an idealised Marian image, the facial features of this young girl suggest Indigenous ethnic origin, in order to re-contextualise Mary’s prayerful declaration of God’s preference for those counted among the most marginalised in our society.”
He is one of nine artists portraying their work at the show in the Jesuit graduate school of theology from February 2 to 29.