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A proponent of the “Let go and let God” adage, Rev. Richard Cannuli touts the rewards of opening hearts to inspiration.
The native of the 1900 block of Mifflin Street is acknowledging his receptivity through “Sacred Treasures: Ever Ancient, Ever New,” a liturgical art and vestment exhibition making its American debut at the Baltimore Basilica following 2012’s successful European run.
“The search for comfort is pervasive, as everyone’s on a life journey with numerous moments where consulting the divine becomes necessary,” the 66-year-old Augustinian priest said last week at the National Shrine of Saint Rita of Cascia, 1166 S. Broad St., the spiritual haven that initiated his religious vocation in 1966. “This show has become my latest way to advocate for that.”
The brainchild consists of 32 mixed media and icon creations and eight vestments, a scaled-down yet similarly compelling version of the previous presentation that saw time in Italy, the Czech Republic and Poland. Having struck a sponsorship agreement requiring placement in Baltimore, Cannuli prepared materials for the Maryland metropolis’ church, the United States’ first Roman Catholic cathedral, whose overseers opened them to the public June 19 and will display the pieces through July 21.
“It’s very time consuming to put a show on the road, so to speak, but the whole process involves appreciating the need for reverence to God, expression of gratitude for blessings and communion with viewers of my art,” the 35-year faculty member at Villanova University, where he instructs watercolor, printmaking and icon and oil painting, said. “I consider myself a liturgical artist, and the link between liturgy and art can involve simplicity or pomp and circumstance depending on the situation.”
For his Old World and Charm City expositions, with the first element also having included stained-glass works, the Point Breeze product drew from his allegiance to edicole, or small niches housing images of divinities, icons and vibrant vestments, with the middle components proving especially powerful.
“Icons can offer extremely lasting lessons,” Cannuli said of the staples, mostly paintings, of Eastern faith communities, such as those in Greece, the Middle East and Russia that have received mixed responses from Western church adherents, notably Roman Catholics and Protestants. “Images speak to us if we leave ourselves open to explore their depth.”
The religious figure experienced his allure’s genesis in 1986, with 15th-century Russian Byzantine style, which he deemed the “highlight of iconography,” coming to fascinate him. Each rendering, including one of St. Rita, the patroness of peace, instills in him a greater appreciation for his perpetual student identity.
“I love spreading the message of icons through teaching, but I’m always seeking, inquiring and wondering,” Cannuli said. “As a child, I hadn’t a clue what I wanted to do, and I still don’t because each day can offer a new road even if we seem content with our present one.”
With his watercolors having earned exhibitions throughout the United States, Belarus, China, Greece, Italy, Russia and Spain and Egypt’s Holy Monastery of St. Catherine having recently added one of his icons to its permanent collection, Cannuli proves greatness can result from humble beginnings. His faith-filled family applauded dexterity, as his father practiced carpentry and his mother’s side excelled at sewing. He began to explore art’s possibilities at 5 and within three years he had connected his creativity and budding knowledge of theology, with assistance from household statues of his relatives’ lauded saints, including Anthony of Padua.
“I came to be always interested in making or building,” Cannuli, an alumnus of St. Thomas Aquinas School, 1719 Morris St., and Bishop Neumann, then 2600 Moore St., now Ss. Neumann-Goretti High School, 1736 S. 10th St., and a former attendee of programs at Fleisher Art Memorial, 719 Catharine St., said.
Upon venturing to the aforementioned shrine to offer a novena for an ill aunt, he met Brother Bill Harkin, whose tutelage and that of other friars led Cannuli to join the Augustinian order at 20, the same age he began designing vestments. He professed his vows three years later and became a priest in ’99 via ordination by the Most Reverend Louis A. DeSimone, pastor emeritus at St. Monica Church, 17th and Ritner streets.
“The priesthood has given me more impetus to be mindful of art’s aims since I’ve sought to convey fully those visions, personalities, moments and connections between the past and present that my faith comprises,” Cannuli, who earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Villanova in ’73 and his masters in the same field at Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute five years later, said. “As I go forward, I’ll be looking to increase my receptivity and hope inspectors of my work are as curious and reflective.”
The frequent recipient of commissions is preparing stained-glass windows for a Prague church and will present “Cloud of Witnesses,” a collection deriving its name from the Epistle to the Hebrews, in November at University City’s Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral. Like his savior before him, he eagerly puts out his message and understands not everyone will esteem it.
“Hearing ‘yes’ or hearing ‘no,’ they’re both OK,” Cannuli said. “I will just go on making art and seeking solace.”
As for “Sacred Treasures,” he might court additional locations if he can find backers, again calling on an “If-it’s-meant-to-be” mentality with regards to his output’s outlook.
“I’ve been blessed it often has been meant to be,” Cannuli said. “Once you let go, it’s like being on a roller coaster ride where things just happen. I’m eager to see what’s next.” ■
For more information, visit richardcannuli.org.
Contact Staff Writer Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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