There is an old Christian conviction shared by Augustine and Aquinas, by builders of Benedictine monasteries and papal palaces of the Renaissance: beauty has the power to soften the soul. When a work of art is made not merely to decorate, but to lead to the sacred, the world changes – slowly, gently and ideally forever. It is a truth that flourished in medieval Oxford, where friars once crossed the bridge to commission paintings, manuscripts, silver and song, all in honour of God.
Now, in the 21st century, in the age of frictionless digital commerce and industrialised sameness, a curious new creature swims upstream: Otterkin, a young company founded by three like-minded friends who want to make commissioning fine art simple, human and also sacred again.
Read Full Article »