Art as a resource for feral explorers
Posted by Henry
The craft of painting “ calls for imagination, and skill of hand, in order to discover things not seen… and to give them form with the hand, presenting to plain sight what does not actually exist.” Cennino Cennini
I was hopeless at art at school, but fell in love with art galleries in my teens. What initially struck me was how different artists from different centuries and continents could depict Biblical scenes so differently. It got me questioning ‘why?” I’ve moved on since to see that any good art is attempting to communicate something deep and meaningful, and is therefore worth taking seriously. It bypasses my thinking and often touches my soul, which frequently draws me to an image that I have to look at for some time before realising why my soul has taken me to it.
The Visual Commentary on Scripture is an online resource offering images from the Bible with commentary that are easy to access. They also offer a weekly download you can subscribe to, with special features during Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter.
I’m a big admirer of the artist David Hockney. His book ‘Spring cannot be cancelled’ is a great source of inspiration. He often says of life that “there is a great deal to look at” and that is so true. Art has taught me to look, and to spend time looking. You may think that a tree is a brown thing with green on the top, but look carefully and its all manner of different colours. When I go for a walk I like to stop and just look at a view: the more I look the more I see, and the experience of looking changes something in me.
There is a wonderful app ‘artDatabase’ which for free will allow you look at and download a vast number of images form a handful of well-known artists, and for an additional small sum you can access many, many more. It’s a treasure trove.
John Drury has written a fine book ‘Painting the Word’ about Christian art.
I was hopeless at art at school, but fell in love with art galleries in my teens. What initially struck me was how different artists from different centuries and continents could depict Biblical scenes so differently. It got me questioning ‘why?” I’ve moved on since to see that any good art is attempting to communicate something deep and meaningful, and is therefore worth taking seriously. It bypasses my thinking and often touches my soul, which frequently draws me to an image that I have to look at for some time before realising why my soul has taken me to it.
The Visual Commentary on Scripture is an online resource offering images from the Bible with commentary that are easy to access. They also offer a weekly download you can subscribe to, with special features during Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter.
I’m a big admirer of the artist David Hockney. His book ‘Spring cannot be cancelled’ is a great source of inspiration. He often says of life that “there is a great deal to look at” and that is so true. Art has taught me to look, and to spend time looking. You may think that a tree is a brown thing with green on the top, but look carefully and its all manner of different colours. When I go for a walk I like to stop and just look at a view: the more I look the more I see, and the experience of looking changes something in me.
There is a wonderful app ‘artDatabase’ which for free will allow you look at and download a vast number of images form a handful of well-known artists, and for an additional small sum you can access many, many more. It’s a treasure trove.
John Drury has written a fine book ‘Painting the Word’ about Christian art.
Ted Harrison argues that only art can truly capture the essence of spirituality
'Four Thoughts', a BBC R4 programme broadcast in February 2023. Link
'Four Thoughts', a BBC R4 programme broadcast in February 2023. Link
Architecture and the spiritual dimension
The Rothko Chapel: the transformation of power
The Rothko Chapel’s mission is to create opportunities for spiritual growth and dialogue that illuminate our shared humanity and inspire action leading to a world in which all are treated with dignity and respect. See website and video here.
The Rothko Chapel: the transformation of power
The Rothko Chapel’s mission is to create opportunities for spiritual growth and dialogue that illuminate our shared humanity and inspire action leading to a world in which all are treated with dignity and respect. See website and video here.
