The term art encompasses many forms of expression – the written word, music, dance, performance and visual arts to name some of the broad categories. While I appreciate and am thankful for the unique offerings of each form of artistic expression the visual arts have been my main field of study and practice. Due to this history I am excited to encourage people to explore visual arts. Encounters with any form of art start with a willingness to participate and interact with that artwork. Meaningful participation can be informed and deepened through the use of simple observational skills. Observational skills are tools of awareness that can be applied in any setting and are ways of opening the door of interaction and understanding of how a piece of art is working to create its impact.
The tools of observation start very simply with a pause. Taking time to take in a piece of art is half the battle in both understanding a piece of art and giving the art a chance to communicate with you. So start by taking time. Take time to look at the piece as a whole, then divide it into sections in your mind and quickly scan each section of the piece. The first look, while benign in practice, immediately teaches you more about the piece. As you peruse the piece and take in what you see, do not yet critic it, just look. Start to pay attention to how your eyes move around the piece. Note the portions of the piece that cause you to linger and pay attention to where your eyes go when they start moving again. Noticing these moments is noticing the underlying composition of the piece. Composition is one of the foundational aspects of a piece of art. It is the structure of the piece, the organization that is created by the artist to keep your interest in moments of both active tension and balanced rest.
If it is a three dimensional piece take time to circle the entire piece taking it in from as many angles as possible. This is one of the objectives of three dimensional works, they are meant to be viewed from many different perspective points, each one offering a different feeling and composition. Likewise two-dimensional pieces also have many vantage points to explore. Even if you are not physically moving around the piece your eyes should take in as many different perspectives as possible. Other basic elements that work within the composition to create a piece of art and to communicate what the piece is about are things like – line, shape, texture, color, and balance. Within each of these groupings there are a multitude of sub-groupings. Lines, for instance, can be thick or thin, dark or light, solid or broken. They can lead in straight paths or be curvy – they can exist as their own element, or when connected they can become shapes. Shapes can be small or large, geometric or organic, simple or complex, and flat or dimensional in appearance. Taking note of these different elements – even simply naming them – helps better prepare you for the further search for understanding and meaning.
This process of taking time to look at piece of art and begining to note the different elements within the piece will set you on the journey towards a deeper understanding of the art itself. It will also offer the art a chance to impact you in the ways it was created to while opening the possibility to move you in ways that neither the artist, who originally created the work, nor you could predict. This is part of the power of art, if given the opportunity, to move you in unexpected ways. One of the best ways to start learning to look is to think of it as an adventure, a treasure hunt in which one isn’t sure what the treasure will be, or even if one will find what one set out to find, but will most certainly have encounters on the journey that will be worthwhile treasures in and of themselves. There is seriousness in artistic appreciation to be sure, but there is also adventure and a lot of fun if you open yourself up to looking.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Art Is
Art is. Art is a means through which ideas, emotions, lines, colors, stories, melodies, rhythms, and all of the other complexities and simplicities of life have an opportunity to come together. Art is expression, relationship, communication, distraction, influence, and play. Art can change the world in the micro and the macro. Art impacts those who create it, those who experience it, and those who avoid it. Art fills a void created when we focus on literal, tangible, mathematical and scientific explanations of the world we live in and the ways we inhabit that world. Yet art is not counter to the literal, tangible, mathematical and scientific explanations of this world, it is a companion that can partner with these methods of understanding to open up new ways of exploring and engaging this world.
Art is not necessary in the strictest definition of what is needed to sustain human life and yet it is an imperative if that human life is to grow into the fullness of existence that it has the potential to experience and become. Art is a tool to understand the world around us, the world hiding within our own persons and the web of relationships that creates the world in which we move and live out our daily living. Art can be weapon, unintentionally when used without thought and consideration for the context in which it is created and shared, and intentionally when it is used to perpetuate ideals that violate and degrade. This potential of art should not prevent us from embracing art as a whole, instead it is a reminder that in all things there is a potential for violence and suffering and without acknowledgment of that potential, the potential for good can not be fully engaged.
Art offers us a voice, a method of expression when words, calculations and suppositions fall short of satisfactory explanations of that which makes up our experiences. Art is a balm for wounds so deep that hope of healing is only a distant glimmer. Art is a prophetic voice in times of drought calling the waters of change down from the mountain and up from the depths. Art is joy, laughter and tears made manifest in ambiguity so as to offer a unique experience to each participant in each moment of encounter.
These are reasons that I say art is. Very often one of the key questions of art appreciation is “what is art?” and while I explore what is art, I believe the most effective way to engage, explore, and grasp all that art has, will, and can offer is to start with the certainty that art is.
Art is not necessary in the strictest definition of what is needed to sustain human life and yet it is an imperative if that human life is to grow into the fullness of existence that it has the potential to experience and become. Art is a tool to understand the world around us, the world hiding within our own persons and the web of relationships that creates the world in which we move and live out our daily living. Art can be weapon, unintentionally when used without thought and consideration for the context in which it is created and shared, and intentionally when it is used to perpetuate ideals that violate and degrade. This potential of art should not prevent us from embracing art as a whole, instead it is a reminder that in all things there is a potential for violence and suffering and without acknowledgment of that potential, the potential for good can not be fully engaged.
Art offers us a voice, a method of expression when words, calculations and suppositions fall short of satisfactory explanations of that which makes up our experiences. Art is a balm for wounds so deep that hope of healing is only a distant glimmer. Art is a prophetic voice in times of drought calling the waters of change down from the mountain and up from the depths. Art is joy, laughter and tears made manifest in ambiguity so as to offer a unique experience to each participant in each moment of encounter.
These are reasons that I say art is. Very often one of the key questions of art appreciation is “what is art?” and while I explore what is art, I believe the most effective way to engage, explore, and grasp all that art has, will, and can offer is to start with the certainty that art is.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Art & Theology: Where the Two Meet
One of the primary purposes of this blog is to house a forum for thoughts and explorations in the combined field of art and theology. While the independent fields of art and theology each offer volumes of information and insight in and of themselves, the combination of the two offers a chance to look at each with renewed vision.
Art can expose us to new ways of appreciating and engaging the world around us and offers a unique outlet for the expression of those encounters. The creation of art can be a holistic process of unexpected insight, connection, and healing for the artist and, once created, a work of art offers a gift of experience, ranging from enjoyment, challenge and insight, to those who encounter the art as spectators. The potential power of art as it offers these experiences of meaning to both artists and spectators alike is one of the base connections it shares with theology.
Theology, in its enduring search for meaning and connection in the world, offers an outlet of expression in the way people live out theological understandings in their lives and the continuous exploration of meaning offers insight into theological possibilities. Theology in this sense is not just an understanding of meaning but is an active living out of meaning in the world.
This base connection of both art and theology to provide both insight and action is just a small piece of the foundation of the connections between the two fields and future posts will further explore the vast realm of those connections.
Art can expose us to new ways of appreciating and engaging the world around us and offers a unique outlet for the expression of those encounters. The creation of art can be a holistic process of unexpected insight, connection, and healing for the artist and, once created, a work of art offers a gift of experience, ranging from enjoyment, challenge and insight, to those who encounter the art as spectators. The potential power of art as it offers these experiences of meaning to both artists and spectators alike is one of the base connections it shares with theology.
Theology, in its enduring search for meaning and connection in the world, offers an outlet of expression in the way people live out theological understandings in their lives and the continuous exploration of meaning offers insight into theological possibilities. Theology in this sense is not just an understanding of meaning but is an active living out of meaning in the world.
This base connection of both art and theology to provide both insight and action is just a small piece of the foundation of the connections between the two fields and future posts will further explore the vast realm of those connections.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Thinking Theologically
To be a theologian sounds like a heavy task. The word itself - theologian – immediately brings all sorts of stodgy images to mind. Truth is, theologians come in all shapes and sizes, all creeds and colors with varying approaches to theology that span whole spectrums of societies. Theologians are a people on a quest – a quest in search of…something – generally meaning – and usually only encountering more questions. Yet the challenge for the theologian is to continue to seek meaning that somehow sheds light on connections and relationships through which we may catch glimpses of God.
This is the essence of theology to me – seeking and finding and failing to find and continuing to seek glimpses of the intricate connections that exist in the world. In the process of observing connections between humans, animals, nature, objects, places, memory, imagination (the list could truly go on and on), we begin to learn, understand, and experience more of God and what it is to be a person living in the midst of so many connections.
So now I have just set forth a very concise definition of theology and right away it must be acknowledged that, of course, this definition is not comprehensive. This definition of theology does not even scratch the surface of the realm of theology as it exists and is used in spiritual, political, and academic ways all over the world. What it does offer is an entry point – an opening through which theological exploration can begin and the beginning is very often one of the most challenging portions of a journey to overcome. Of course there are bumps (and worse) on every road – but getting up the gumption to start travelling on a road is what allows you to have the opportunity to encounter all that will be met along that path – the bumps and the unknown and unexpected scenery and experiences along the way that would never be known if the journey fails to commence.
I have been on a journey of theological inquiry for much of my life, having grown up in a family of theological thinkers and preachers and in a community that strived to live out its theology in everyday ways of life. Pondering the theological implications of almost everything is just about second nature to me – but I still remember being thrown for a loop my first couple of weeks of seminary when all of my professors kept asking us students to think theologically, or respond to this (insert topic of your choosing here) theologically. Over and over I was asked to think and respond theologically and over and over all I could think and respond internally with was – what does that even mean? What on earth does it mean to think about something theologically – let alone respond theologically?
The harder I tried to ‘think theologically’ the less anything made sense – and while this may be the case in some theological conundrums – it is not (or at least should not be) the case for theological thinking at its base level. So I wallowed for a while in my confusion of what this request of my professors could possibly mean – when it finally dawned on me that my question was the answer: thinking and responding theologically simply meant exploring meaning – what does it mean! What are the contextual realities of a situation and what are the implications of that situation in action? With a renewed insight into a more grounded approach theological thinking and responses ensued and continue to this day as I live out my theological quest and strive to find connections and meaning in the world around me.
So now I extend the invitation to you to join the expedition of theological thinking – be not overwhelmed by the stigma of the word theology – instead jump into the process with an open heart and mind and experience the joy, pain, and grace that can be found in the adventure.
This is the essence of theology to me – seeking and finding and failing to find and continuing to seek glimpses of the intricate connections that exist in the world. In the process of observing connections between humans, animals, nature, objects, places, memory, imagination (the list could truly go on and on), we begin to learn, understand, and experience more of God and what it is to be a person living in the midst of so many connections.
So now I have just set forth a very concise definition of theology and right away it must be acknowledged that, of course, this definition is not comprehensive. This definition of theology does not even scratch the surface of the realm of theology as it exists and is used in spiritual, political, and academic ways all over the world. What it does offer is an entry point – an opening through which theological exploration can begin and the beginning is very often one of the most challenging portions of a journey to overcome. Of course there are bumps (and worse) on every road – but getting up the gumption to start travelling on a road is what allows you to have the opportunity to encounter all that will be met along that path – the bumps and the unknown and unexpected scenery and experiences along the way that would never be known if the journey fails to commence.
I have been on a journey of theological inquiry for much of my life, having grown up in a family of theological thinkers and preachers and in a community that strived to live out its theology in everyday ways of life. Pondering the theological implications of almost everything is just about second nature to me – but I still remember being thrown for a loop my first couple of weeks of seminary when all of my professors kept asking us students to think theologically, or respond to this (insert topic of your choosing here) theologically. Over and over I was asked to think and respond theologically and over and over all I could think and respond internally with was – what does that even mean? What on earth does it mean to think about something theologically – let alone respond theologically?
The harder I tried to ‘think theologically’ the less anything made sense – and while this may be the case in some theological conundrums – it is not (or at least should not be) the case for theological thinking at its base level. So I wallowed for a while in my confusion of what this request of my professors could possibly mean – when it finally dawned on me that my question was the answer: thinking and responding theologically simply meant exploring meaning – what does it mean! What are the contextual realities of a situation and what are the implications of that situation in action? With a renewed insight into a more grounded approach theological thinking and responses ensued and continue to this day as I live out my theological quest and strive to find connections and meaning in the world around me.
So now I extend the invitation to you to join the expedition of theological thinking – be not overwhelmed by the stigma of the word theology – instead jump into the process with an open heart and mind and experience the joy, pain, and grace that can be found in the adventure.
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