John Piper: The Road to Emmaus
Title: The Road to Emmaus
Artist: John Piper (1903-1992, British)
Location: East Wall, St Paul’s, Harlow (C of E)
Date: 1959
A semi-figurative mosaic on the east wall, framed by a broad black background. Contemporaneous with John Piper’s 1960 large commission for the BBC Centre in White City, the mosaic has comparable ‘shading’ within the areas of one colour, giving an illusion of depth and creating a kind of fizz of pixellation. The central figure of Jesus – appearing after his resurrection to the disciples, who did not recognise him – is abstracted as a block of pale blue, gold and white, with simple yellow lines carving out his halo, head, hand, neck and waistlines of his tunic. The two disciples, thought to be Cleopas and Mary, are rendered in much more human forms and in dynamic postures of movement suggestive of their disbelief and anxiety.
The image rises up over the altar prefiguring the Supper at Emmaus when he revealed himself as their risen Lord by breaking bread with his disciples.
About John Piper: John Piper’s (1903–1992, British) paintings mainly focus on the British landscape and churches. After attending the Royal College of Art he fell into a circle of friends that included Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. During this time he exhibited with the London Group and the Seven and Five Society. He and his second wife Myfanwy Piper founded the contemporary art magazine Axis. Besides his landscape paintings and drawings Piper completed numerous stained glass and tapestry commissions for churches and cathedrals. Most notably, Piper created large works for Coventry Cathedral (where he collaborated with the glass artist Patrick Reytiens), Chichester Cathedral and Hereford Cathedral. Retrospective exhibitions have been held at Tate Britain, the Dulwich Picture Gallery and the Imperial War Museum. Piper’s work is in the permanent collections of MOMA, New York, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Tate.
Further Information
Medium: Mosaic
Permanent display
See Piper’s The Road to Emmaus on the Ecclesiart map here.
Nominated by: Martin Heijne (former church architect for St Paul’s Harlow)
Other artworks in churches by John Piper: Light of the World, Robinson College Cambridge Chapel; Baptistery window, Coventry Cathedral; High altar tapestry, Chichester Cathedral; Tree of Life tapestry, Hereford Cathedral