Eye of the beholder

I was reminiscing with some friends recently about the time (long ago) when TV viewing was restricted to a choice between BBC and ITV.  Yes, that memory does age me, but it seems almost incredible that although there are a proliferation of TV channels and other viewing platforms these days, the number of programmes actually worth watching seems to have risen very little!  Of course, we are all different, with varying preferences.

One programme which do enjoy watching is BBC’s Fake or Fortune, in which Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould investigate remarkable stories beneath the surface of paintings, sometimes uncovering previously hidden masterpieces.   In one recent programme the team investigated whether a small watercolour sketch could be by the British 20th-century sculptor Henry Moore.  In case you haven’t watched the programme, I won’t reveal the outcome.

Works by Henry Moore appear all over the world.  One of the places which has a number of his works is Yorkshire Sculpture Park, in West Bretton, Yorkshire.  I have a loose family connection with the place, as my dad worked there as a gardener long before the Yorkshire Sculpture Park was opened.   It is a beautiful setting, and part of me regrets that my family moved from the area before I was born!

I must admit that I am not a big fan of Moore’s works generally; they tend to be a bit abstract for me (perhaps I am a bit of a Philistine in that respect?)  However, Moore has a great many admirers, and his works can sell for a great deal of money.  One of his sculptures sold for £1.8m.

My initial reaction when I heard that news was to wonder why on earth someone would be willing to pay such a price for a rather weird (in my eyes) work of art?  Even if I had that kind of money, there is no way I would spend it on a Henry Moore work.  But someone obviously thought the sculpture to be worth it.

Yes, I do find it hard to understand why someone would pay such an amount for the sculpture.  But something far more amazing and far more wonderful is a well-known verse in the Bible, John’s gospel chapter 3 verse 16, which says, ‘God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.’  God values every human being so much that he was willing to give his own Son for us.  How can God value us, with all our human frailties and sinfulness, that much?  There is only one answer: love.  Truly incredible.