Cain and Abel, 1958
John Reilly (1928-2010)
Oil on canvas, laid down on board, 92 x 124 cm. Methodist Modern Art Collection, MCMAC: 035
Image Copyright © Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes. The Methodist Church Registered Charity no. 1132208
Biblical commentary
Genesis 4: 1–12
Cain’s fenced farmland, under intensive cultivation, and Abel’s extensive sheep runs are clearly delineated in the rolling landscape. The acceptance of Abel’s gift of a sacrificial lamb is represented by a bright and open area in which he and his herds are placed, with a vortex of light representing God’s acceptance of his gift, which descends from heaven and bathes him in its glow. Cain, in contrast, is in a closely defined, darker area, with his rejected sheaf of corn. He directs a murderous look at Abel while digging his land. Reilly has placed his portrayal of Cain and Abel at the point between the gifts to God and the murder. Cain’s anger and hate are visibly conveyed by his demeanour, look and stocky stature (in stark contrast to Abel’s tall, willowy grace).
Commentary based on A Guide to the Methodist Art Collection.
Artist biography
Early life and education
John Reilly spent his early childhood at Kingston-upon-Thames and, although the family moved to Leeds, he returned to train at Kingston-upon-Thames Art College (1949-52)
Life and career
Reilly moved to the Isle of Wight in 1954 where he met and worked with the potter Joe Lester Senior before setting up the Ventnor Pottery Studio in 1958 with his wife, the potter Elspeth Henderson. He specialised in distinctive, brightly coloured ceramics, mainly plaques and tiles. One of his two daughters also became a potter. For about thirty years, he combined running the pottery with painting but turned to painting full time in 1981.
John Reilly said that Christianity was “the leading interest in my life – it is my life”. He was not a member of any organised church, but his devout belief drove his creative work. He wrote that his ambition had “always been to paint a picture which perfectly weds form and content” to “express in visible form the oneness and unity” of the invisible power “which binds all things into one whole”. He sought to achieve this through an approach which is both stylised and expressionist and he developed a visual language of forms and colours which express “something of their deeper spiritual significance”. His paintings in the Methodist Modern Art Collection are early works before his style became defined.
Reilly returned regularly to biblical themes. His biblical scenes do not seek to illustrate Bible stories literally but to express the deeper significance of each story and the universal truths they convey. His stylised approach to religious imagery has been likened to both the icon tradition of the Orthodox Church and the paintings of William Blake.
Exhibitions and collections
His solo exhibitions include the church of All Hallows on the Wall, London (1965); Coventry Cathedral (1982); Drian Gallery, London (1988); and a series of exhibitions in the cathedrals of Winchester, Guildford, Portsmouth, Lichfield, Southwark, St Albans and Ely (1996 to 1998).
Group exhibitions include the Archer Gallery, London (1958-63); Guildhall Gallery, Winchester (1984); Winchester Cathedral (1993); the Altered image show in the Church of Christ Cornerstone, Milton Keynes (1997); and NYAD 2000 exhibition, DFN Gallery, New York (2000).
Collections holding his work include Leicester County Council Education Department; the Findhorn Foundation, Gaunts House, Wimborne Dorset (long-term loan); and Sarum College, Salisbury. The Methodist Modern Art Collection holds four of his works.
Sources and further reading
David Buckman, Artists in Britain Since 1945: Volume 1 A to L. Vol. 1 of 2 volumes, (Bristol, Art Dictionaries Ltd, 2006), p.1330. The text is also available on the Art UK website: https://artuk.org/discover/artists/reilly-john-19282010 (accessed 19 September 2024)
Jonathan Evens, ‘Obituary: John Reilly,’ The Church Times. 30 March 2010. Available at: www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2010/2-april/gazette/obituary-john-reilly (accessed 19 September 2024)
Richard Harries, The Image of Christ in Modern Art, (London and New York, Routledge, 2016), p. 100-104
John Reilly, The Painted Word: Paintings by John Reilly, (Cross Publishing, 2008)
Seeing the Spiritual: A Guide to the Methodist Modern Art Collection, (Oxford, Methodist Modern Art Collection, 2018), p. 82-85
Roger Wollen, Catalogue of the Methodist Church Collection of Modern Christian Art with an Account of the Collection’s History, (Oxford, The Trustees of the Methodist Collection of Modern Christian Art, 2003), p. 99-103