To begin, The Reliquary of Saint John, attributed to The Levasseur Workshop, Quebec, 1651/54-1794 exemplifies the Catholic fascination with the body that is essential to any discussion of my IA. The body is a vessel of worship, which is demonstrated by the importance placed on this relic, since even bones become holy as people go to seek connection with the body. The photograph of the artwork also contains proof of visit to the museum through the reflection.

Next comes Alfred Laliberté's L'Emprise de la Pensée. This work shows a woman lost deep in thought, completely overtaken by the power of her mind. The revelations of the anchorites are central to the information by which my IA is based on. Their mediations are often profoundly emotional and sensual, as is reflected in the emotional state of the subject of this sculpture.

Moving onto Jesus's femininity, this is seen in Pierre Plante's Calvaire from 1888. This imposing sculpture of Jesus carriers no wounds, but on the side. The side wound evokes vaginal imagery and shows the importance of said wound to discussions of Jesus as feminine. This is reflected in The Prayer Book of Boone of Luxembourg, which is a primary source essential to my IA.

For a modern view on femininity, we turn to Joyce Weiland. Her textile work called Heart On shows a combination of beauty and violence in the bloody sheets that shows the female experience. This mix of pain and beauty that errs into a kind of grotesque category is a tone that is consistent in the study of anchorites and their fascination with Jesus and his bloody, oozing body.

Motherhood is also a central theme of my IA, since Jesus is said to be "mother Jesus". Henry Moore is known for his depictions of motherhood, especially in his studies of interlocking and reclining figures. This work is no different, since it shows motherhood as non gender-specific and instead as relationship of protection and interlocking. Jesus is a protecting figure, explaining why he becomes motherly.

Finally, Serge Lemoine shows the fluidity and instability of religion in his works that include Dryden. He does this in the context of Québec and it's secularization. According to the artist, Québecers needed a new cultural landmark after La Révolution Tranquille. The Montreal Canadiens therefore took this place. This demonstrates the fluidity of holy worship and figures through time, as is demonstrated through Jesus's lack of gender stability within the context of my IA.

In brief, the religious body, motherhood, gender and worship are all notions central to my IA yet are found across time, places and eras in art.