Being and artist in a Christian community is often as difficult as being a Christian in an arts community. This seems odd in light of Western history insofar as the Church has been largely responsible for commissioning some of the greatest pieces of art that has ever been created. Now, it is widely accepted that the Christian artistic community is largely irrelevant. There are so many changes on the horizon, however. Many Christian arts organizations are popping up, such as CIVA (Christians in the Visual Arts) and the Foundation for Sacred Art. Not to mention, Image Journal and the International Arts Movement. Sadly, only a few Christian colleges are really taking their visual art departments seriously. I think that this is changing for the better, though! A lot of culture-making Christians have seen the danger of eschewing the arts and have done a lot of culture work to change things. Beauty is not irrelevant for Christians, as much as our Manichean cultural poison would have us believe.
What books, essays or articles can we turn to to help shape the minds and practice of Christians in the visual arts today? A few of my favorites are:
Art And the Bible: Two Essays (Ivp Classics) by Francis A. Schaeffer and Michael Card
State of the Arts: From Bezalel to Maplethorpe, by Dr. Gene Veith
Rainbows for the Fallen World: Aesthetic Life and Artistic Task, by Calvin G. Seerveld
Body and Gift: Reflections on Creation / Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body in Simple Language, Vol. 1, by Sam Torode and Christopher West
Purity of Heart: Reflections on Love and Lust / Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body in Simple Language, Vol. 2 by Sam Torode and Christopher West
From the blog, Aesthetic Elevator: "The Nude Figure and Christianity"
"Religion and the Arts in America" by CAMILLE PAGLIA in Arion: A Journal of Humanities
What articles, books, essays, blog posts would you recommend?
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3 comments:
What did you think of Veith's book? I don't think I've heard much good about it . . .
I really liked his book. At least at the time I read it, it really spoke to me. I've read parts of it over and over again. In general, I like Veith a lot!
I really like "Imagine: A Vision for Christians in the Arts" by Steve Turner. It's been a while since I read it, but I remember saying to myself "YES, YES." Very inspiring but also challenging as it calls Christians to aspire for excellence.
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