Arteology: "another way of observing the invisible".

On October 7, the First Course on Arteology will begin in Madrid, an innovative educational proposal that seeks to bring the revealed mystery of the Christian faith closer through art and beauty. Under the slogan "another way of observing the invisible", the aim is to offer participants an aesthetic and spiritual experience that, through masterpieces and shared reflection, will allow them to discover the depth of the deposit of the Christian faith in an attractive, dynamic and contemporary way.

"We had a demand among many young people: the revealed mystery is not so much accessed by reason as by aesthetic contemplation," Viver explains. "Art offers the experience of a sublime and true Presence that is not always understood but always claims our adherence of the heart. It is cathartic. Our society does not so much seek dogmas or ideologies as the experience of the true. Only then does theological reflection appear, as far as it is capable of reaching. This is the objective of the First Course on Arteology," he adds.

Promoted by artist and photographer Javier Viver, "Arteología" will be held at his studio (C/Doña Berenguela 7, local, 28011 Madrid) on the first and third Tuesdays of each month, from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm, until June 2026. The registration fee is 250 euros -with a scholarship of 200 euros for alumni of the Observatorio de lo Invisible or Amigos de la Vía del Arte- and can be followed in person or online, live or recorded.

A program inspired by the Catechism and the Second Vatican Council

The course proposes an aesthetic experience through the Deposit of the Christian Faith, inspired by the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the richness emanating from the Second Vatican Council. It is structured around the four great "arts" of Christian life:

• Ars Credendi (believe)
• Ars Celebrandi (celebrate)
• Ars Orandi (pray)
• Ars Vivendi (living)

Each session combines education, contemplation and commentary on works of art - from classics such as Vermeer, Caravaggio and Canova to contemporaries such as Bill Viola - to show how beauty illuminates faith and daily life.

Target audience and content

Especially aimed at artists and people with an aesthetic sensibility, the course seeks to "offer men and women of the 21st century the beauty and harmony of the faith" through the study of Sacred Scripture, the living Tradition of the Church and its Magisterium.

The program opens on October 7 with the session "Creation and tribulation. The beauty of a created and wounded world" by Abel de Jesús, within the Ars Credendi block, and will be developed in 17 meetings until June, addressing topics such as prayer, the sacraments, Christian morality and vocation, always in dialogue with works of art.

For more information you can write to [email protected] and call 614 128 152.