Until the late Renaissance, European artists devoted most of their talents to religious art; then the secular tide set in. Today few artists even think of painting for churches. Pope Pius XII made an attempt to reverse the drift three years ago with an encyclical proclaiming that "modern art should be given free scope in the due and reverent service of the church and the sacred rites, provided that [the artists] preserve a correct balance between styles, tending neither to extreme realism nor to excessive symbolism . . ." Last week he welcomed 300 artists and art authorities from 23 countries...
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