Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was popularized by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, but long before that it was a cherished part of Catholic piety. The Sacred Heart has origins in the medieval ages. However, despite its venerable history and the countless graces which the faithful have received through it, much of the artwork associated with the devotion lacks inspiration. As Bernardo Aparicio, founder of Dappled Things Magazine, writes, “Some of the most widespread images present sentimentalized portraits of a Jesus with doe eyes, Pantene hair, and what appears to be rouge on his cheeks.” These images are, “at least as likely to discourage devotion as to promote it.”
Dappled Things Magazine has long been dedicated to promoting a revival in the arts among the Catholic faithful, including publishing original poetry, short stories, and visual images both online and in print. This year, the good folks at Dappled Things decided to offer a prize competition for original artworks on the subject of the Sacred Heart. The results were astounding.
The creations of the artists who responded were so beautiful that the editors asked if they might be shared more widely here at Aleteia. Since I’m on the editorial board at Dappled Things and wholeheartedly support their mission of encouraging Catholic culture to be a wellspring of beauty, I was only too happy to share the winning images with our readers here.
View the Photo Gallery below to see the three finalists. There are even more wonderful artworks to be seen if you head over to the Dappled Things website, where you can also read the judges' full commentary on the winners.
