Art & the Christian - Part II

True Stories/Myths, Real Art, Expressive Music
At its core (Jessitron!!!), what is a story/myth? What makes them wonderful? What catches your attention in them?
It’s the truth, the reality of the struggle, the longing of our hearts satisfied in the end of the stories that we love. Art should be an expression of truth and of beauty. This is more than simply what is pleasing to the eye (which I hope to discuss in my discussion on beauty, should it ever show it’s ugly head, or uh... type). What is it that we love about music? What words draw you in?
Music expresses our deepest thoughts, struggles, emotions and truths. It communicates those things through the chords (minor vs. major and forte vs. piano), through dynamics, through tone/dissonance, through the words chosen to accompany them, through a number of means. That is why it sounds weird to hear a love song in a minor key. It communicates a happy thought in typically sad tone.
I disagree with Plato on his fundamental assertion. I believe art is not a fabrication of what is real, but it is a reflection of things kept inside the heart and mind. I also believe that good art displays truth.

A Myth Come True
J.R.R. Tolkein thought that stories captured the hearts of people because they are echoes of truth. He called Christianity (when witnessing to C.S. Lewis) the “true myth”. You can find every major literary plot within the Bible (the STORY of Christianity). The stories we love appeal to us because they are saying true things (or at least things we perceive to be true). I believe that we love happy endings because we long for the happy ending that we have in Christ. What do you think about his concept?
Let’s talk more about how we are to understand art as people and as Christians.

Story: Bach or Rock? (this is not original to me, but I don’t remember where I got it: Sorry whoever wrote it)
“Several years ago I was having dinner with a group of young people when our conversation turned to the subject of music. During the discussion I made a comment about how I believe there is a qualitative difference between the music of Bach and that of a musician who was popular among Christians at the time of our discussion. When one of the group at our table heard this, he immediately responded in anger and accused me of flagrant prejudice and a judgmental spirit. Even though I attempted to elaborate my point, the young man had determined that I was an elitist and would not listen any longer. This incident serves as a reminder that one of the most prevalent ways of approaching art is to simply say that "beauty is in the eye (or ear) of the beholder." The incident also serves to show that concepts of "good" and "bad," or "beautiful" and "ugly," or other adjectives, are part of our vocabulary when we talk of art. This is true whether we believe such terms apply only to individuals or everyone. The vocabulary pertains to a field of philosophy called aesthetics. All of us deal with aesthetics at various times in our lives, and many of us incorporate aesthetic statements in daily conversations. For example, we may say, "That was a great movie." Or, "That was a terrible movie." When we make such statements we normally don't think seriously about how such terms actually apply to what we have seen. We are stating our opinions, but those opinions are usually the result of an immediate emotional response. The challenge comes when we attempt to relate qualitative statements about the movie as part of a quest to find universal guidelines that can be applied to all art. When we accept this challenge we begin to explain why some artists and their art is great, some merely good, and others not worthwhile.”

Can you talk about art qualitatively? Is this beauty really in the eye of the beholder? Is beauty all there is to talk about concerning art and appreciating it? How should a Christian view art?

Art and the Christian
Have you ever heard someone say “that’s an ugly sunset?”
What about “that’s a beautiful sunset?” When you hear that, you probably don’t hear any arguments against its beauty. As a Christian, we can recognize that the statements about the beauty of the sunset is not merely a statement of the art, but the artist as well: God. When you praise something aesthetically, you are praising the artist as well.

“The Christian knows that the very fabric of the universe expresses God's presence with majestic beauty and grandeur. Psalm 19:1 states, "The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows forth his handiwork." Nature has been called the "aesthetics of the infinite." Through telescope or microscope, one can devote a lifetime to the study of some part of the universe--the skin, the eye, the sea, the flora and fauna, the stars, the climate. All of nature can be appreciated for its aesthetic qualities which find their source in God, their Creator.”

Have you ever had someone ask you if you are an artist? If so, what did you say? Most of us don't see ourselves as imaginative, artistic people. Indeed, most of us tend to think of the artist and imagination as terms that apply only to certain elite individuals who have left a legacy of work. "The truth is that in discussing the arts we are discussing something universal to mankind." You were created in the image of God and God is the great creative creator. Because of that, you are made a creative being. You have an innate ability to create, perhaps not music or paintings, but everyone has creativity because of your Creator.

“A bent and twisted nature has emerged, tainting every field of human endeavor or expression and consistently marring the results. The unfortunate truth is that divinely-endowed creativity will always be accompanied in earthly life by the reality and presence of sin expressed through a fallen race. Man is Jekyll and Hyde: noble image-bearer and morally- crippled animal. His works of art are therefore bittersweet. Understanding this dichotomy allows Christians to genuinely appreciate something of the contribution of every artist, composer, or author. God is sovereign and dispenses artistic talents upon whom He will. While Scripture keeps us from emulating certain lifestyles of artists or condoning some of their ideological perspectives, we can nevertheless admire and appreciate their talent, which ultimately finds its source in God. The fact is that if God can speak through a burning bush or Balaam's donkey, He can speak through a hedonistic artist! The question can never be how worthy is the vessel, but rather has truth been expressed? God's truth is still sounding forth today from the Bible, from nature, and even from fallen humanity.
Because of the Fall, absolute beauty in the world is gone. But participation in the aesthetic dimension reminds us of the beauty that once was, and anticipates its future luster. With such beauty present today that can take one's breath away, even in this unredeemed world, one can but speculate about what lies ahead for those who love Him!”

Why should we appreciate art as Christians? How should we appreciate art?
The sacred/secular split is a foreign concept to the Bible (and really all cultures up until the Enlightenment). All truth is God’s truth. If art expresses something true, it is good and worthy of beholding. We can appreciate art that expresses truth because it expresses God Himself (John 14:6). We, as Christians, must be careful to go about understanding art and recognizing the truth of God in it. There are some things we must do as we evaluate art, whether it be music, film, paintings, comics, or any other art form we encounter.

In the next post, I will discuss some things Christians must take into consideration when viewing art. I will offer practical ways of viewing art and also some examples of them as we go along. For now, happy blogging.