thinking about the arts

7/25/2019 Thinking About the Arts

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Thinking About theThinking About theArtsArts

Michael GoheenMichael Goheen

Erin GoheenErin Goheen


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Jean-Baptiste-Simon Chardin(!""-##"$% &itchen Maid

Jan 'ermeer (!)-

!#*$% Milkmaid


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E+plore ,our Areas .hat is the source o/ the artisticimpulse0

.hat is 1art20 .hat is the role o/ the arts in God2s

3orld0

Battle /or the arts


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4 Source o/ Artistic

5mpulse Grounded in the creati6e andimaginati6e impulse that is part o/

image o/ God


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As image-bearer o/ God7 manpossesses the possibilit8 both tocreate something beauti/ul7 and todelight in it2 (Abraham &u8per$4

9eople 3ere created b8 God asaesthetic creatures possessed o/ acapacit8 /or beaut87 cra6ing the

e+pression o/ their e+periences andinsights (:eland ;8ken$4


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be said toresemble God0 5s it his immortal soul7 his

rationalit87 his sel/-consciousness7 his /ree3ill7 or 3hat7 that gi6es him a claim to thisrather startling distinction0 A case ma8 beargued /or all these elements in the

comple+ nature o/ man4 But had the authoro/ Genesis an8thing particular in mind0 4 4 4The characteristic common to God and manis apparentl8 that% the desire and abilit8

to make things (?oroth8 Sa8ers$4


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4 Source o/ Artistic

5mpulse Grounded in the creati6e andimaginati6e impulse that is part o/

image o/ God Grounded in the task God has gi6en

to be good ste3ards and de6elop our

and 3orld2s potential


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)4 .hat is art0

Create a 3orld in 3hich%


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)4 .hat is art0



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Stor8 or painting is a simpli/ied 3orld in3hich all the irrele6ant details are

remo6ed /ocus on subect to see 3ithheightened clarit84

1The 3orld o/ the literar8 imagination is

a highl8 organied 6ersion o/ the real3orld4 5t is a 3orld in 3hich images7characters7 and stor8 patterns arepresented stripped o/ distracting

comple+ities2 (;8ken$4


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1.e all kno3 that Art is not truth4 Art

is the lie that makes us realie thetruth42 (9icasso$

1The imagination 4 4 4 pla8s the game o/make-belie6e4 5t simpli/ies andheightens realit84 4 4 4 The artisticimagination is a 3indo3 to realit842

(:eland ;8ken$


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)4 .hat is art0



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1To tell a stor8 is to create a 3orld7adopt an attitude7 suggest a

beha6iour42 (John Shea$1All great artists ha6e a theme7 an idea

o/ li/e pro/oundl8 /elt and /ounded in

some personal and compellinge+perience4 4 4 4 A no6elist7 there/ore7can gi6e onl8 4 4 4 truth 3ith an angle4

(Jo8ce Car8$


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1Artists aim to make the audienceshare their 6ision@to see 3hat the8

see7 /eel 3hat the8 /eel7 andinterpret li/e as the8 do42 (;8ken$

1The artists 4 4 4 can transmute 4 4 4

realit8 into the order o/ signi/icant/orm onl8 in accordance 3ith 3hatare his most /undamental belie/s

about 3hat is radicall8 signi/icant inli/e42 (Dathan Scott$


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1:iterar8 realit8 is a care/ull8 /ramedand controlled kind o/ actualit87 3ithe6er8 element displa8ing the artist2so3n belie/s7 his o3n 6alues4


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)4 .hat is art0

Create a 3orld%


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1Art takes real li/e as its subect7 but theimagination o/ the artist trans/ormsthose materials in keeping 3ith the

con6entions o/ art42

1Art does not tr8 to gi6e a photographiccop8 o/ li/e it rearranges the materials

o/ li/e in order to gi6e us a heightenedperception o/ its ualities4 Art is li/e atthe remo6e o/ imaginati6e /orm42

1Method o/ art is to incarnate meaning inconcrete /orm7 signs7 images7 s8mbols4.e enter the 3orld o/ our imaginations42

-;8ken


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4 .hat is the role o/

arts in God2s 3orld0 ?elight7 eno8ment7 entertainment

1That is ho3 it is 3ith poetr8% created andde6eloped to gi6e o8 to human hearts42(


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1Art needs no usti/ication42(;ookmaker$

As God2s image created to delight inand eno8 beaut87 harmon87 etc4

1A poem begins in delight and ends in3isdom4 4 4 4 5t begins in delight 4 4 4and ends in a clari/ication o/ li/e42

(;obert ,rost$


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arts in God2s 3orld0 ?elight7 eno8ment7 entertainment ?eepens and broadens an

understanding o/ oursel6es7 3orld7others


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?eepens insight

1The /unction o/ the arts is to heightenour a3areness and perception o/ li/e

b8 making us 6icariousl8 li6e in it42(;8ken$


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1The grand po3er o/ poetr8 =also other arts>is its po3er o/ so dealing 3ith things as toa3aken in us a 3onder/ull8 /ull7 ne37 andintimate sense o/ them7 and o/ ourrelations 3ith them4 .hen this sense isa3akened in us7 4 4 4 3e /eel oursel6es to be

in contact 3ith the essential nature o/those obects 4 4 4 (Matthe3 Arnold$4


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5magination enables us to understand3orld in 3a8 reason does notF

1The 3orld o/ literature is a 3orld 3herethere is no realit8 e+cept that o/ the

imagination4 4 4 4 The constructs o/ theimagination tell us things about humanli/e that 3e don2t get in an8 other 3a842

(Dorthrop ,r8e$


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Also broadens insight

1.hen 3e are at pla87 or looking at apainting or a statue7 or reading a

stor87 the imaginar8 3ork must ha6esuch an e//ect on us that it enlargesour o3n sense o/ realit842 (Madelein:2Engle$


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1.e seek an enlargement o/ our being4.e 3ant to be more than oursel6es4 Each

o/ us b8 nature sees the 3hole 3orld/rom one point o/ 6ie3 3ith a perspecti6eand a selecti6eness peculiar to himsel/4 4 4.e 3ant to see 3ith other e8es7 toimagine 3ith other imaginations7 to /eel3ith other hearts7 as 3ell as 3ith ouro3n4 4 4 4 .e demand 3indo3s4 4 4 4 This7 so/ar as 5 can see7 is the speci/ic 6alue orgood o/ literature4 4 4 4 it admits us to

e+periences other than our o3n4 (C4S4:e3is$


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arts in God2s 3orld0 ?elight7 eno8ment7 entertainment ?eepens and broadens an

understanding o/ oursel6es7 3orld7others

E+pression o/ creati6e impulse

Dourishes the imagination


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;ole o/ the Artist

To become an artist means that 8oubecome a pro/essional imaginator in orderto help 8our handicapped7 unimaginati6e

neighbour4 Hur artistic pro/ession is meantto gi6e 6oice7 e8es7 ears and tactile senseto those 3ho are underde6eloped to3ardsuch rich nuances o/ meaning in Gods

creation1 (Cal Seer6eld$4


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.e 3ill li6e out o/ our imaginations 4 4 4 sothe8 had better be nourished in a health83a8F

14 4 4 3e are /ar more image-making andimage-using creatures than 3e usuall8think oursel6es to be4 4 4 .e are guided b8

images in our minds 4 4 4 The human is abeing 3ho grasps and shapes realit8 4 4 43ith the aid o/ great images7 metaphors7and analogies42 (


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I4 Battle /or 5magination

and Arts1Hur leisure7 e6en our pla87 is amatter o/ serious concern4 There is

no neutral ground in the uni6ersee6er8 suare inch7 e6er8 split second7is claimed b8 God and counterclaimedb8 Satan4 4 4 4 5t is a serious matter to

choose 3holesome recreations42 (C4S4:e3is$


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1Hne o/ the great tragedies o/ our da8 isthat people do not kno3 ho3 to use theirleisure time in enriching 3a8s42 (;8ken$

Much leisure time% boredom7 search /ordistraction7 /ear o/ spending time b8onesel/7 sensualit87 escape into comed87

6iolence7 and the appeal o/ horror4 (9aulElmen$

thinking about the arts

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