Hanging on a wall in the entrance hall of a Jesuit retreat house in north Wales is a piece of religious art that is as charming as it is surprising (inset, below). Its naive style infuses it with childlike joy, and it has delighted me ever since I first saw it 10 years ago.

A small boat bobs on a wavy blue sea and a streaming flag and a billowing white sail indicate it is a windy day. Hunched in the bow, a diminutive, cowled figure is head down, intent on rowing. In the stern a much larger, elderly man stands upright, one hand gripping the side of the boat for safety. His head is uncovered and he is smiling as he looks to the sky; his free hand is raised in blessing. The object of his benediction flies overhead.