November 16, 2005

• What is art? What is good art?

  Interesting article about beauty...  although I think he delves too much into philosophical speculation, and not enough into scripture.  In fact, I sometimes wonder if Edwards and Augustine (whom he quotes) do the same thing.

  And now I may be accused of the very same thing, as I propose something (which, nonetheless, is, I think, at the very least "countenanced" by Scripture) - about a related topic/question - "What is art?"

  Most people consider Rembrandt's, Da Vinci's, Michaelangelo's work to be "art."  A relatively smaller number consider Marcel Duchamp's work to be "art".  And a much smaller (though growing) number of people consider Marina Abramovic's work to be "art."

  And if someone tries to tell one of Abramovic's fans that her work is "not art," they'd better be prepared for a rabidly indignant excoriation in which one is informed that one has no right to impose one's own aesthetic standards on other people.

  So here's my thought on this (though it's probably not original)...  the question ought not to be "What is art?"  but rather, "What is good art?"

  I.e., related to Mohler's article referenced above, there exists morality in this world, based on God's ultimate/transcendent standard.   Art that reinforces/corroborates/gives-glory-to/affirms God's own standards of truth, morality, beauty, and that promotes worship of God Himself, is "good" art, and ought to be supported.

  By "supported," I mean not only that we should buy/listen-to/watch/absorb this "good art," but also that we should actively seek to have this art promoted in the world around us.  We ought to seek to reduce the prevalence of pornography in our nation/world (though carefully, so as to avoid censoring other things like the Bible itself).  We ought to lobby public art museums to sponsor good art.

  If someone tells me that I'm "imposing", I can reply, "Well yes, actually, that is part of my job description, to be "salt of the earth" and "light of the world."  And if you are telling me that I 'ought not' to do this, then you're imposing your morality on me.  May I ask what moral basis you have for doing so?"

  So that's some of my thoughts on the matter.  Here are a few corollaries...

  Are Thomas Kincaid's paintings "good art?"   There is a fierce reaction among Christian youth, I've found, that decries the "plain, simple, beautiful, sugary" in favor of the "stinging, shocking, noir, acidic."   It seems that there is definitely plenty of wiggle-room for "taste", within the morality provided by God's word... e.g. many different types of music recorded in the Psalms, all of which presumably are glorifying to God.   And sometimes the "shocking" is powerful good art!  E.g. many of Jesus' parables... very shocking in their original cultural context.  But never shocking in morally-wrong ways... only in against-the-grain-of-the-culture-but-with-the-grain-of-God's-Law ways.

  Next, does art have to be "purposefully good" to be considered good art?  If a sweet old christian lady writes a poem and accidentally uses a phrase that is vulgar in youth-talk, does that make it bad art?  Or if a hard-core secular band writes a dark/nihilistic song that unwittingly/accidentally opens thousands of peoples' eyes/hearts to the message of the gospel of Christ, does that make it good art?  There would seem to be a two dimensional gradient (at the very least!)... both "morality" and "skillfulness"...  the best art is both moral (affirming the truth, glorifying God, explicitly or implicitly) and also skillful (i.e. baby Johnny's stick figures with "God is good" scribbled above may not deserve a place in the world art museums, though of course God Himself may be delighted with Johnny's motives and final product).

  A final gradient is the actual lifestyle of the artist... some of the world's finest "art" has been produced by men and women with very low moral standards...  should that factor in to our own valuation of what "good art" is?  I think so... not exclusively, certainly, but it is certainly a factor.

  "Soli Deo Gloria."   His glory is all that really matters... we're just passing through this earth briefly.  What, of all our works and words, will last through eternity?

  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.... For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come. Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.

  • 11:56 am
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