Is That Art? #7
by Joseph Prescia
I was listening to a local radio talk show recently while they were discussing art. A lady called in and complained about an art show she had visited and said it didn’t look like art to her. She could not believe that an organization would sponsor such a show. The talk show host defended art in general and told her, “you know that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.”
Since I was not at the show she mentioned I could not really comment about it. But I do have an obligation before God to teach my children what the individual motive behind a particular painting, sculpture or song may be. Just because someone calls something art does not mean that I have to accept it as art. For example, if an artist calls something abstract, I have the right, if it fits the painting, to say it’s disturbing, confused or possessed. What a person thinks about manifests itself on the canvass. You can surely ask the question “does this painting glorify God or man?” If it just glorifies man then it seeks to elevate man above God. On the other hand if the motive was to glorify God then man is humbly and correctly placing himself in subjection to the Creator.
The purpose of art is to evoke emotion. That emotion is in response to the motive of the one who paints, sculptures or sings. Why would we want the government to promote art? People’s imagination will run wild regardless of whether or not government is behind it. The motive in art, for the most part, has been to magnify mankind, to elevate self, to promote an immoral climate and to turn away from our Creator. It is said that art imitates what is happening in the hearts of the people of the world. So often this paints a picture of the degradation of mankind. When one sings defending rape, murder, drugs, incest, and other selfish acts do you really believe it’s all in the name of freedom of speech? What a cheap defense. It really goes deeper than that. It goes down to the heart of the one in which it originated; the singer, the painter or the sculptor.
When the motive is to glorify God there’s no selfishness in art because the attention is focused on someone other than yourself. Godly art will portray things like thankfulness, genuine love, tenderness, biblical doctrine, compassion, forgiveness, genuine peace, etc. These are meaningful and lasting qualities that one would be proud to defend in the name of freedom of speech. Genuine art is in the eyes of God and in those in whom He inspires. |
