John Piper: The Road to Emmaus

Title: The Road to Emmaus
Artist: John Piper (1903-1992, British)
Location: East Wall, St Paul’s, Harlow (C of E)
Date: 1959

A semi-figurative mosaic on the east wall, with an unusual black background.

John Piper’s (1903–1992, British) paintings mainly focus on the British landscape and churches. After attending the Royal College of Art he fell into a circle of friends that included Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. During this time he exhibited with the London Group and the Seven and Five Society. He and his second wife Myfanwy Piper founded the contemporary art magazine Axis. Besides his landscape paintings and drawings Piper completed numerous stained glass and tapestry commissions for churches and cathedrals. Most notably, Piper created pieces for the new Coventry Cathedral, Chichester Cathedral and Hereford Cathedral. Retrospective exhibitions have been held at Tate Britain, the Dulwich Picture Gallery and the Imperial War Museum. Piper’s work is in the permanent collections of MOMA, New York, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Tate.  

Further Information

Medium: Mosaic
Permanent display
See Piper’s The Road to Emmaus on the Ecclesiart map here.
Nominated by: Martin Heijne (church architect for St Paul’s Harlow)

Other artworks in churches by John Piper: Light of the World, Robinson College Cambridge Chapel; Baptistery window, Coventry Cathedral; High altar tapestry, Chichester Cathedral; Tree of Life tapestry, Hereford Cathedral

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Leonard McComb: The Bartlett Mosaics

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Antonia Hockton: The River of Life reredos