Divine Inspiration Pope John Paul II Center Displays Various Interpretations of Spirituality by Heather Nalbone In a painting by Father Jerome Tupa, one small slab of deep-blue sky peeks through towering campaniles that bend as though they are about to break. The pavement is golden. Walls that are typically straight resemble arches, and colonnades used to support them are made of enlarged bones. This is the Vatican City the way youíve never seen it before. There is nothing realistic about Tupaís canvases on display at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center. They are imaginative and inspired, which is precisely the kind of exhibit fitting to the museum. The two-year-old centerís cultural focus is as diverse as its representations of religion. Aside from a small room featuring relics donated by the pope and occasional exhibits from Vatican museums, the center is a haven for abstract and modern interpretations of spirituality. A permanent interactive exhibit uses 90 computers and 32 video displays to help visitors explore world religions and natural phenomena. In a temporary display ending Jan. 17, nativities from around the world include an elaborate Neapolitan villag e and a Native American baby Jesus. Even the centerís structure and location give it a dynamic presence: The 100,000-square-foot building is situated on 12 acres of wooded land. Getting to the center is in some ways a pilgrimage itself for those who donít live in nearby Brookland, which is precisely why Tupaís ìThe Road to Rome: A Modern Pilgrimageî is so befitting. ìWe were looking for engaging, exciting and high quality religious art and found [Tupa] through research,î said Rebecca Phillips Abbot, the museumís director of exhibits and technology. Tupa, who cites Picasso and Matisse as two of his biggest inspirations, is among the few aspiring artists who effectively engage in abstraction and surrealism to portray religious themes and settings. The 62-year-old Benedictine monk draws on his religious ideals to invigorate his talents as an artist. His latest works depict the holy buildings he encountered during a 21-city journey through Italy during the summer of 1999. Although most of the sketches and watercolor paintings he created on the road resemble real-life settings, they are a sharp contrast to the oil canvases they eventually inspired. The paintings Tupa created at a Minnesota studio following his pilgrimage are not meant to be a literal record of historical settings. Instead, they serve as an interpretation of the well-known piazzas, monasteries and churches he sketched during his journey. Tupa transformed sacred sites into curvaceous buildings illustrated in bright yellows, oranges, pinks and blues. The bending walls of a famous shrine in ìLoreto: The Holy Houseî rightly create a sense of instability. According to legend, angels transplanted the ancient sanctuary from Nazareth. Much of the surrealism in Tupaís paintings suggests religious inferences, but at times the bold colors and arching facades are also used for artistic reasons. Thinking the town of Cortona too dull, Tupa transplanted a bell tower from Sienna into his painting. Finding new condominiums atop a historic theater in Rome too modern, he removed them. Green earth is painted to balance blue skies, and golden hues serve to give viewers a feel for Italian villages in the middle of a stifling summer day. Tupaís works are likely to become part of a series of pilgrimage-based paintings. The artist is working on paintings based on a recent trip to Spain and hopes to travel to the Middle East. ìThe Road to Rome: A Modern Pilgrimageî runs through May 7 at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, 3900 Harewood Road, NE. For more information, please call (202) 635-5400 or visit www.jp2cc.org. Heather Nalbone is a freelance writer in Silver Spring, Md.