1. Who among humans is the true artist? Which category of humans (choose between the following: Christians or non-Christians) is most like the First Artist?
The category of humans most like the First Artist are Christians.
2. How would you re-word Mr. Kauflin’s definition so that it defines Art instead of the artist?
Working definition of True Art: True Art magnifies the greatness of God in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit illustrating God’s Word through the artistic medium thereby motivating the gathered Church to proclaim the Gospel, to cherish God’s presence, and to live for God’s glory.
True Art, then, will stir us up to love and good works and encourage us to hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering.4. Meditate upon the following verse. What, if anything, does it have to say to us concerning Art?Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
Let’s dig a little deeper. The very first phrase of our definition of True Art states that it magnifies the greatness of God. True Art acts like a magnifier…you know, one of those lenses designed to make whatever you are looking at through it larger, easier to see.
Does it bother anybody that God is so great, yet scripture enjoins and commands us to “magnify” Him and His greatness over and over again? Why do you suppose that is? Could it be that we are so very blind ? (probably). Or is it that no matter how large God is to us, we can never see to the end of the detail of His greatness? (very definitely!)
Have you ever used a magnifier to look at a photograph? Often you can see more detail as you look closer. But at some point you are going to run out of detail and begin to lose the picture altogether. It will resolve first into more detail, but if it is magnified more, it will resolve only into patterns of colored dots, then into fibers of paper, and at that point you no longer know what the photograph is depicting.
But God is not like that. He is so great that we cannot take Him all in at once, yet no matter how infinitely we magnify him or an aspect of His character, we still see God, we can still see the big picture! (and this is why fractals and chaos theory intrigue me!)
The most recent issue of Tabletalk magazine is entitled “The Good, The True, The Beautiful”. Dr. Sproul states the following:
“God is the source, the fountainhead, and the norm of all that is true…good…beautiful. Just as everything that is true points to God, and everything that is good points to God, so everything that is authentically beautiful also points to the source and fountainhead of that beauty….There is nothing in redemptive history that would make beauty, goodness, or truth suddenly passe’ or insignificant.”And so we come to the first thing I am able to put a finger on that I have learned through my experiences that confirms my belief about Art.
I believe that God made Art powerful. And my experiences have confirmed that.
If you have not read the “about me” section yet, you might want to take the opportunity to do so now. Unlike many pastors I have known, I will now give you a moment of silence in which to read it. It will be a moment of REAL silence, and not a moment of continual-yapping-encouragement-to-use-the-silence-to-really-do-business-with-God.
*shuts face. Waits for 50 seconds while listening to the sound of people reading.*
You’ll notice that I have played the Mouse Queen in a local version of the Nutcracker, and Mother Abbess in a community theater production of The Sound of Music. Why is it that these two stories are so enduring? They are powerful, I think we can all admit that. The stories themselves are powerful, and the acting out of the stories is also powerful—as the skill of the actor increases, so does the power of the performance.
Thinky Things
1. What would you say is the the most powerful expression of art that you have experienced?Please do fill in the comment section with your answers…it will be a worship event! In Part III, we’ll look at Jesus’ idea of beauty, and find out another answer to Stephen’s question. Until next time...
2. What is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?
...Hold Fast
In the introduciton of "The Magic of Acting" the author explains that we look to theater to provide a sense of the "larger than life", that to which we should desire to attain, that which is good, right, respectable, heroic, and beautiful...NOT what most theater has become today, which represents the very WORST in us...
ReplyDeleteTheater should represent that beauty and embetterment which we should long to grasp. It should inspire and as the Bible says, "spur us on..." There are some Christians who might say it is a lost cause, there is no hope..but this book is evidence there are some experienced actors out there who hope for a purification of this particular art form.
Ah, the most powerful expression of art that I have experienced? Being a singer, I have been moved to tears by the beauty of the sounds which came out of me, wondering why I was given this gift. I have experienced a "oneness", an effortlessness which came after MANY hours of practice and labor, that connected me with expression. I knew what art was, when my voice became so fluid that I knew it was totally "becoming" something that existed apart from myself. Unfortunately at the time I was not born again, and I did not give the Creator His due.
ReplyDelete"Acting Magic" is the name of the book. By Deslie McClellan. Pardon the error.
ReplyDelete>>that to which we should desire to attain, that which is good, right, respectable, heroic, and beautiful...NOT what most theater has become today, which represents the very WORST in us...<<
ReplyDeleteI must point out here, that "what theater has become today" is probably painting with too broad a brush. Yes, some theater represents the worst in us. But not all. I believe that it supports my point that many of the most popular theater plays are those that represent the good, right, respectable, heroic and beautiful.
I don't think that it is logical or fruitful to judge all theater "today" as falling short of the standard. I think the only way to judge rightly is to judge each work of art (in this case, each play) on it's own merits. Does it point to God? Does it spur us on to good works? Does it strengthen us for the task? Then it goes in the "true art" pile.
Everything else goes into the "faux art" can.
And that would include any "Christian" art that is performed without sacrifice. Many "Christian" expressions of art are performed without the determination of David, without the willingness to put in the time, effort and money to perfect it so that it meets the criteria.
Too many still think, as Rhiannon stated in her comment on Part III, that all that is necessary for a Christian to perform artistically is a "right heart" (whatever that means to them).
So in that "faux art" can there will be much art that has been created by Christians, for Christians and about Christians. Sad, but true.
It isn't true art just because a Christian created it, unfortunately. Nor is it automatically faux art simply because it was created by an unbeliever.
I completely agree. It has been my experience seeing theater or movies that great moments of acting or script or cinematography happen all the time, except for the fact that a lot of these movies or plays contain material I really don't want to see,(nor do I want my kids to see) nor does that material inspire me to create something wonderful in turn. This is what I am referring to. To find the really good ones requires a bit of effort.
ReplyDelete