Viva Valencia

The Sign of the Cross  We set out on a spiritual artistic path with the cross, a universal sign par excellence and one of the motifs that has acquired greatest prominence in religious iconography and has been most widely represented in the history of universal art because it represents the union of concepts that oscillate between the earthly and the divine. Crucifixion and Death  Artists of various generations draw, model and reinterpret the crucifixion, stripping it bare and nourishing it with new meanings, enhancing the contrast with readings from the past, always contemplating its transforming dimension. Hell  In this fiery abode, anguish and torment are concentrated in the various scenes that link the most classical tradition of art with references to science fiction, reinterpreting the idea of hell from a contemporary viewpoint by creating an interplay of visual contrasts, yet without subtracting anything from the theological idea of eternity without God. Heaven  A representation of the plenitude that is needed to complete us. A heavenly scene that has been extensively incorporated into our culture, as we see in the audio-visual projections and the reproduction of the frescos that Palomino painted on the ceilings of St. Johns’ Church and the Basilica of Our Lady of the Forsaken. Religious Architecture  Religious architecture is the place that helps us in the encounter with utter beauty and transforms that place into a sacred space that is favourable to the encounter. Sacred architecture that inspires a series of modern and contemporary artists, seduced by its architectural spirituality, to make various reflections of religious buildings. The exhibition continues in Gallery 3 with: The Bells and Mysteries of the Rosary  In this part of the path we turn our attention to the call of faith, the act of grace, the joy with which the Church calls an assembly of the people and its faithful to celebrate the acts of the liturgy or to experience the simple prayer of contemplation of the mysteries. Saints and Ascetics  Both classical and contemporary art have reproduced the beauty of all the men and women distinguished by the heroism of their lives, identified as a sign of the encounter with the transcendent, impacting on the importance that inner freedom possesses. Mary  Historically, her image has been exalted as a paradigm of intercession. Looking towards the past and also to the present, we contemplate a series of artistic representations that coincide in suggesting that her true importance lies in her humility. The Altarpiece  It has taken part in the transmission of knowledge which, as a biography of salvation, has become a highly significant means of communication and narration of the divine existence. The Way  Different ways and paths intersect in this room, the path followed by St. Vincent Martyr, that of the Holy Chalice from the Last Supper and that of Calvary, which indicate the way of faith in various artistic languages.