Timothy Larson, in his article “Look Again” in Books & Culture, March/April 2007, pages 44-45, reviews two books on Christian art, William Holman Hunt and Painting the Bible. He laments that modern Americans have “impatient eyes” because we have been programmed to expect one picture to be quickly replaced by another as fast as our brains can take them in. “We flatter ourselves that we are the most sophisticated viewers ever, when all the while we demand images so crude, they can be exhausted in the blink of an eye.”
He claims that we are impatient with sacred art in a different way—impatient with its very right to exist. We are afraid of being caught endorsing propaganda that we shy away from art that expresses our own vision of the world, no matter how good it might be. Art, however, has always been a powerful way of communicating the faith. William Holman Hunt was inspired by the atonement of Christ and personal conversion, so much so, that all of his paintings are the result of these sacred realities. Many of his paintings were also sermons, complete with accompany biblical texts.
Larson quotes Ruskin: “We have been so long accustomed to see pictures painted without any purpose or intention whatsoever, that the unexpected existence of meaning in a work of art may very naturally at first appear to us as an unkind demand on the spectator's understanding.”
He quotes Beatrix Potter commenting on Hunt’s paintings: “My father objects to it that he can't understand it, but I had rather a picture I can't understand than one with nothing to be understood.”
He concludes : “Despite all the faux bravery of our endlessly proliferating "post"- movements, it strikes me that it would take far greater courage in our day for a few hearty souls of real intellectual mettle to pursue some daring "pre"- experiment. The Pre-Raphaelites knew that it is harder to recover what was good in the past than to deride what was bad.”
You can read this article at: http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2007/002/20.44.html
Showing posts with label Art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Art. Show all posts
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Mysteries of the Middle Ages
Thomas Cahill, in his recent book, Mysteries of the Middle Ages: The Rise of Feminism, Science, and Art from the Cults of Catholic Europe, gives a brief introduction to important people and events that shaped the modern world in the areas of Women’s rights, science and technology, and music and the arts. While many historians focus on the negative aspects of the Middle Ages, especially of the corruption of the Popes and the resistance of the Catholic Church to science and progress, Cahill looks at the positive side of the Middle Ages, pointing out many of the brilliant men and women who helped bring change and reforms that laid the foundation for modern society.
Cahill begins the book by laying the historical foundation for the Middle Ages. He explains how ancient Greece and Rome flourished, providing a rich cultural heritage that was nearly forgotten by the fall of Rome to the barbarians. Even though it wouldn’t be until the Renaissance that this cultural heritage was rediscovered, the near millennium between these events wasn’t as “dark” as many have been led to believe. During this time, men and women of great intellect and character continued to make discoveries and add to the cultural development of Europe.
Hildegard of Bingen became a nun at age 8 and lived most of her early life in seclusion in a monastery. However, she read widely and educated herself far beyond any woman of her time, as well as most men. She was outspoken and daring, stepping consistently outside the norms of society and paving the way for the liberation of women in Europe. She also created a new genre of music that was more complex and free than anything the church had ever seen. Even though she lived from 1098 to 1179, she had an influence on the church and society that lasted for centuries.
Peter Abelard was another brilliant man who pressed the envelope by his enquiries and radical theology. While he was constantly harassed for his cutting edge ideas, he never stopped thinking and teaching what he believed was a better understanding of the world and the Bible. Unfortunately, he fell in love with Heloise and married her secretly after getting her pregnant. However, the secret got out and heloise’s father castrated Abelard and he had to live out his days separated from the woman he loved.
Thomas Aquinas was a solid, steady thinker who reshaped Catholic theology by using Aristotle’s ideas as a foundation instead of Plato’s. The newly rediscovered philosopher captivated Aquinas’ imagination and he wrote volumes integrated what he was learning from Aristotle with Christian doctrine. His writings have influenced Catholic doctrine more than any other theologian even to this day.
Dante transformed the world of literature with his Divine Comedy, written between 1308 and 1321. Dante was enamored with the Roman poet Virgil whose Latin style influenced Dante’s Italian style. Dante was also inspired by the love of his life, Beatrice, with whom he never actually had close intimate contact. These two loves shaped all that Dante wrote, the most famous being the Divine Comedy, which describes his journey through Hell, Purgatory, and finally Paradise, in which he places many historical and contemporary figures in one of the three realms. His works have influenced popular Catholic thought for centuries.
Finally, Giotto was a brilliant and prolific artist in Florence, Italy from1267 to 1337. His works are considered the beginning of the Italian Renaissance. His paintings, sculpture and architecture ignited a new artistic movement that lasted centuries.
Cahill begins the book by laying the historical foundation for the Middle Ages. He explains how ancient Greece and Rome flourished, providing a rich cultural heritage that was nearly forgotten by the fall of Rome to the barbarians. Even though it wouldn’t be until the Renaissance that this cultural heritage was rediscovered, the near millennium between these events wasn’t as “dark” as many have been led to believe. During this time, men and women of great intellect and character continued to make discoveries and add to the cultural development of Europe.
Hildegard of Bingen became a nun at age 8 and lived most of her early life in seclusion in a monastery. However, she read widely and educated herself far beyond any woman of her time, as well as most men. She was outspoken and daring, stepping consistently outside the norms of society and paving the way for the liberation of women in Europe. She also created a new genre of music that was more complex and free than anything the church had ever seen. Even though she lived from 1098 to 1179, she had an influence on the church and society that lasted for centuries.
Peter Abelard was another brilliant man who pressed the envelope by his enquiries and radical theology. While he was constantly harassed for his cutting edge ideas, he never stopped thinking and teaching what he believed was a better understanding of the world and the Bible. Unfortunately, he fell in love with Heloise and married her secretly after getting her pregnant. However, the secret got out and heloise’s father castrated Abelard and he had to live out his days separated from the woman he loved.
Thomas Aquinas was a solid, steady thinker who reshaped Catholic theology by using Aristotle’s ideas as a foundation instead of Plato’s. The newly rediscovered philosopher captivated Aquinas’ imagination and he wrote volumes integrated what he was learning from Aristotle with Christian doctrine. His writings have influenced Catholic doctrine more than any other theologian even to this day.
Dante transformed the world of literature with his Divine Comedy, written between 1308 and 1321. Dante was enamored with the Roman poet Virgil whose Latin style influenced Dante’s Italian style. Dante was also inspired by the love of his life, Beatrice, with whom he never actually had close intimate contact. These two loves shaped all that Dante wrote, the most famous being the Divine Comedy, which describes his journey through Hell, Purgatory, and finally Paradise, in which he places many historical and contemporary figures in one of the three realms. His works have influenced popular Catholic thought for centuries.
Finally, Giotto was a brilliant and prolific artist in Florence, Italy from1267 to 1337. His works are considered the beginning of the Italian Renaissance. His paintings, sculpture and architecture ignited a new artistic movement that lasted centuries.
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