Divine Beauty

 

I'm back from a wonderful time in France. The main focus of my trip was to experience the beauty of great stained glass windows and of great paintings, and I was not disappointed.
The rich color and brilliance of the recently cleaned windows in Chartres cathedral lifted me out of myself. In Paris La Chapelle whose walls are almost entirely stained glass, the rose windows in Notre Dame Cathedral, and the more modern stained glass of Sacre-Coeur were truly Divine. I could not get good pictures of stained glass windows with my camera. This picture of a stained glass window in Notre Dame is the best I could do.
Of all the paintings that I saw the great standouts were Monet's "Water Lilies." Two large oval shaped rooms with skylights each display four of Monet's enormous works, floor to ceiling, door to door. I didn't know where to look, whether to sit or stand, encircled by the shimmering colors of purple and blue and pink and green. An ecstatic experience.
I was struck by the thought that these artists who may or may not have believed in God had created works that caught me up into Divine Beauty.