Sacred Art on the Street Corner
A short film and interview with Andrew de Sa about his latest painting:
Learn more about Mother Lange and this project below.
Who is Mother Mary Lange?
Mother Mary Lange O.S.P is a Servant of God and Foundress of the Oblates Sisters of Providence, the first Roman Catholic sisterhood in the world established by women of African descent. The order was founded in Baltimore in 1829 to evangelize and serve the black community, in a time when Maryland was still a slave state. Mother Lange risked being jailed for illegally teaching free and slave black children. The school she founded in Baltimore in the early 1800’s, St. Frances Academy, is still running today.
In 1832, when the cholera epidemic ravaged Baltimore, Mother Lange and her sisters volunteered on the front lines nursing the terminally ill. When the city of Baltimore reopened and volunteers were recognized, Mother Lange and her Order were intentionally disregarded due to the color of their skin. A few months ago, Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Takoma Park decided to tell the story of Mother Mary Lange and invoke her intercession during our own troubled times by commissioning a large public painting of the saint by Andrew de Sa on a street-facing facade of a convent built by the O.S.P. The former convent was reopened as a community food pantry and the painting was unveiled in August of this year.
Before & After
What is the crest behind the saint?
The crest behind Mother Lange is the coat of arms of the Oblate Sisters of Providence. A white cross divides the blue shield into four parts: In the two upper spaces are an anchor and a lily. In the two lower spaces are a lily and heart. The cross represents humility, the distinctive spirit of the O.S.P; the anchor, the confidence and trust the order has in Almighty God; the heart, the love which they give to all children to whose training they have dedicated themselves as religious. The lilies symbolize purity of heart and intention as well as the complete oblation of oneself and one’s dependence upon God's Providence, recalled by words of our Blessed Lord: "Consider the lilies of the field: they labor not, neither do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these!"
Why is the little girl wearing a mask?
The girl wears a mask to symbolize Mother Lange’s work nursing terminally ill patients during the Cholera Epidemic of Baltimore in 1832.
What paints were used?
The artist used Keim Mineral Paints, a medium invented by Bavarian scientists in the 19th century under the patronage of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. Mineral paints were invented to replicate the effect of Italian frescoes but stand up to the harsh climate north of the Alps. The result was a high-quality silicate paint system that combined performance, durability, protection and color-fastness that, even today, remains unsurpassed.
Great news: the parish that commissioned this painting was so pleased with it, they have decided to commission a second larger work on an adjoining wall. We look forward to sharing that work with you upon it’s completion.