For All You Artists Out There.
For those artists who have grown weary of the church, for some churches have neglected the importance of the beauty that only art can reveal. Remember that it is up to you to speak God’s love into the hearts of those who can not hear words of love, for they have built up a fortress around their souls that only art can penetrate, and to tell of beauty that can not be conveyed by mere words.
Pope John Paul II. ” Letter to Artists from the Vatican.”
” In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the church needs art. Art must make perceptible, and as far as possible attractive, the world of the spirit, of the invisible, of God. It must therefore translate into meaningful terms that which is in itself ineffable. Art has a unique capacity to take one or other facet of the message and translate it into colors, shapes and sounds which nourish the intuition of those who look or listen. It does so without emptying the message itself of its transcendent value and its aura of mystery. . . . In Christ, God has reconciled the world to himself. All believers are called to bear witness to this; but it is up to you, men and women who have given your lives to art, to declare with all the wealth of your ingenuity that in Christ the world is redeemed: the human person is redeemed, the human body is redeemed, and the whole creation which, according to Saint Paul, ‘awaits impatiently the revelation of the children of God’ is redeemed. . . . This is your task. Humanity in every age, and even today, looks to works of art to shed light upon its path and destiny. . . . Beauty is a key to the mystery and a call to transcendence. It is an invitation to savour life and to dream of the future. . . . Artists of the world, may your many different paths all lead to that infinite Ocean of beauty where wonder becomes awe, exhilaration, unspeakable joy.”
I would highly recommend you all read ”Chasing Francis” by Ian Morgan Cron.
-Dylan
Have you ever seen The Agony and the Ecstacy? One of my favorite films. It’s about the painting of The Sistine Chapel and churchs veiw on it. And I would just challenge your blog by asking, what about the art that isn’t beautiful? I am an artist and I like to portray truth not just beauty. I may have missed the point of your blog, lol. What’s “Chasing Francis” about? I need some more good summer reading
I have not seen that, but I will do so this week. I am not sure if I can say I have seen art that is not, in some way, beautiful. I do not think you can say that any piece of art is universally not beautiful. Beauty is way too relative. Also, is there not beauty in truth? And is there not truth in beauty?
Hope that answers your question, if not, let me know.
Chasing Francis is a fictional/biographical book about saint Francis of Assisi, and a pastor of a mega church who loses his faith. He goes on a trip retracing the steps of saint Francis. I it really good. I recommend it for summer reading.
Touche (sp?) sir. The Emerson’s use of the word “beauty”, the beauty I believe you to be refering to is something I will agree on. It is rather flat-minded of me to assume beautiful as in pleasing to the eye. Emerson, atleast I think it’s Emerson that wrote that one essay on “Beautiful” If I’m mis-quoting please forgive me, wrote of a much more universal beauty. Poop on the side of the road is beautiful as long as it’s true. I will find that essay and send it to ya, I think you’d like it.
The only universal( I think it was meant as universal) beauty I know of was socrates definition. It was based on functionality, inner beauty. Beauty of a functioning soul…. I do not know much more than that.
“I do not know much more than that.” that’s a very socrates statement lol. anyways here ya go
http://www.emersoncentral.com/beauty.htm