Religious Tourism and SpacesReligion, Ecology, and EthicsEthics, Aesthetics, and Art

Pavlína Kašparová

2026.4.19JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY AND THEOLOGY

DOI: 10.1177/00916471261434545

Abstract

This article explores how Christian visual artists perceive and represent the divine and faith through inner visual imagery and art-making. Based on qualitative interviews and collaborative art processes with 10 UK-based artists, the study investigates the cognitive, emotional, and embodied dimensions of religious imagination. Rather than focusing on traditional iconography, the research reveals how artists engage the divine through inner images, metaphors, and material explorations shaped by lived experience. The findings suggest that faith and divine presence are often perceived not as fixed theological objects but as dynamic, felt realities emerging in artistic processes. By shifting focus from depictions of faith to the perception and embodiment of faith through imagery, this study offers new insight into theological cognition and artistic epistemologies.

Citation format

KAŠPAROVÁ, Pavlína. The divine in art practice: How christian artists visualize the divine and reflect on faith. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY AND THEOLOGY, 2026.