In the previous post, I stated what I consider to be the three main driving forces behind art: the intellect, the senses, and the emotions. I believe any work of art could be placed into any combination of these categories. And I think a diagram like mine is good, because it allows us to categorize works by their purpose, which is key in appreciating art. However you think of art, whether with my circles or not, it's always good to know why a work of art is. But more on that later.
I had an interesting conversation with my dad a while ago, after he read my last post, where he brought up the question: is there a spiritual side to art?
Now from a Christian standpoint the answer is an obvious yes. Art comes from man's creativity, which in turn springs from our being made in the image of a creative God. God creates, so we like to create. Naturally our creations don't quite compare. God created the universe, and we can't do that. But we do have an inward desire to create nice things.
Here we reach an important point when talking about art. Art, since it ultimately comes from God's creativity, should reflect His creativity. To put it in Biblical terms, since everything God creates is "very good" (based on Genesis 1), what man calls art should also be good. I like what Bob Jones University has inscribed over the door on their Fine Arts Museum: "Think on these things." An appropriate reference to Philippians 4:8. Art should be true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praise-worthy, because when we create, we reflect what God creates. God never creates anything bad. Only good, wholesome things; things of value. (To give you a little taste of what's to come, I'll do a lot of talking about value when I get to modern art...) I guess one could almost put another circle enclosing my other three, and label it: "Reflecting God's Creation".
Also, to put it frankly, a work of art doesn't necessarily have to have God in it to be good art. Some Christians may get confused here. To go back to a previous example, a hotel room painting is not a bad piece of art. It's purpose is simply to provide something beautiful to look at, which is good, and reflective of many things God created. Schumann's "Traumerei" is beautiful both to the senses and the emotions, and is good art.
This, in turn, brings us to another important point, already stated: art often plays on the emotions. In light of what has been said, we can see that we must be careful of any art which might promote a message that is wrong. This is one reason to watch for the purpose of a particular work, and be sure we are not influenced by it. Tchaikovsky wrote symphonies that he himself said represented fate's overpowering grip on our lives. So we can appreciate the rousing beauty in his pieces, but we have to be careful of its purpose and message. And naturally, some things that some people might consider to be art are simply against the mandates of God's Word, and fall outside even of the larger, all-encompassing circle of reflecting God's creativity and eliminate themselves from being true art.
Well, I guess that concludes my thoughts on art as a whole. To sum it all up for you, I think of art as something created to stimulate the senses, intellect, emotions, or any combination of the three. And I place all this against the backdrop of reflecting of God's incredible creativity. It is an exploration of the talents and creations God has given us, and when used properly, it is uplifting and good. Art is healthy for people because, like I said, humans just like to create things. So I think it certainly merits a discussion such as this.
I encourage you to do some thinking on this subject, and form your own opinions. I think I've hit all the main points and I do believe my opinions do a good job of explaining things, but like I've pointed out, some of this stuff is subjective. What do you think art is? Do you agree with my conclusions?
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