The Christian and Art

The Christian and Art

The subject of art has been almost wholly neglected in Protestant circles during the last few centuries. This aspect of Puritanism was a result of a mystical tendency which, in turn, was derived from medieval and pietistic interpretations of Scripture. Art thus became a problem in

Bible-believing circles. At present several Protestant scholars are seeking a solution to this problem, mainly in the area of art theory and criticism, for the purpose of showing that a Christian analysis may also present answers to questions of art. The norm for our attitude to art, however, may not be sought in an attempt to build up an aesthetic of our own since this is, of course, subjective and transient. Nor is this necessary for the topic at hand. For the issues in question actually concern the nature of a Christian way of life, and about this the Bible is explicit. From this vantage point the subjectivity of the individual (type, character, development) may also be taken into account.

A gift of God for enjoyment

It is wrong to pose an antithesis between one’s professional life and the enjoyment of art in the same way that sincerity may be opposed to light-heartedness, seriousness to frivolity, responsibility to trifling, or constraint to joy. Such a distinction is humanistic. For both toil and enjoyment have their respective place and purpose (Ecclesiastes 3:1). The enjoyment of art belongs to the gifts which God presents to his children for their happiness (cf. Ecclesiastes 3:11-13).

Different Types

There are many types of art, each fulfilling its own function. In music we can differentiate between background music, folk songs, church music, concert music, etc. Each of these has its own task and laws. During a parade a concert by Bach is out of place, and a march played at a church meeting is equally inappropriate. In pictorial art the distinction between book illustrations, decorative murals and paintings is quite clear. Similar differences in function can be noted in literature and the dramatic arts. In each genre we discover various levels. Each kind requires a different programme. Thus, varying levels of understanding – depending upon knowledge, experience, education and other factors – give rise to various kinds of art.

Art thus has many facets. And that which one is seeking or presenting must be selected with tact and insight into the demands made by the particular function and level. This, too, is a norm.

Function of art

Art or entertainment (both are fundamentally the same, although the words perhaps denote different levels and functions) bring us into contact with reality in two ways. In the first place every piece of art reveals to us some portion of reality of which we were perhaps ignorant. It opens our eyes to beauties and peculiarities not experienced before. A landscape painting, for instance, may show the beauty of certain clouds or colours; a song may evoke new emotions. In the second place, any work of art has a reality of its own that may have considerable impact on our lives. ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever.’

Considering these two facets of art, it is evident that the view of life which is incorporated into a specific work of art will be of great importance. If it is borne by a kindred spirit it can be enjoyed without many obstacles (e.g. seventeenth-century Dutch art, the music of Schütz or Bach, real Christian literature). But if it expresses another world and life view there will be a kind of conversation between us and the author (not to be considered as an individual but as a member of some group or the advocate of a tendency). Even this may be an enrichment of life and may deepen one’s view of reality, spiritual as well as visual. If the work of art seems to be a curse, or leads thought and imagination in a sinful direction, then we may cease the conversation by turning away. In general it can also be stated that here the word of our Lord is valid, that not what goes into people defiles them but what comes out of them (Matthew 15:11). Reading a book of an obviously non-Christian character, for example, is not sinful in itself and does not necessarily distract us from the Lord. Sometimes such reading may even deepen our faith. Christians need only guard their own thoughts, words and deeds.  

Christian liberty

The Lord has given us freedom in the realm of art. This is not humanistic freedom, in which people seek to be either godless or godlike, but it is the freedom of Romans 8 and Galatians, a holy freedom to read, look at and listen to art as it speaks to us. It has often been darkened because Christians undertook to guard the children of the Lord against evil by their own means or strength, not trusting in the Lord with all their hearts. At such times they thought it proper to introduce many commandments and regulations of their own, with the result that the love due to the Lord waxed cold. But the Lord has told us to trust him and, because we are ‘perfect in Jesus Christ’, who has delivered us from the power of darkness and in whom our sins are forgiven, we must not enslave ourselves to human ordinances. Paul’s words in Colossians 2:23-3:17 are especially important in this respect. For his argument clearly shows that Christian liberty in matters of art does not mean ungodliness or sinful engagement in the ways of the world. Although Christians are free, they are nevertheless in Christ and therefore will not want to engage in sinful things, even in the realm of art.

Non-Christian art

Does Scripture present any norms for art? Before answering this question it must be stressed that the Bible does not say that only believers can create good art. For instance, Solomon received assistance from a heathen king and his artists in building the Temple. As long as a person abides by the rules of art, respects nature, i.e. the structures of God’s creation, his or her art can be sound. (Picasso’s art, for example, is often not sound in that he pictures many parts of the body in a wrong place, i.e. in a place contrary to God’s created order.) The observation that unbelievers are able to produce sound art is not contradicted by the fact that frequently their art reveals their disobedience to God’s laws and their lack of love for him and their neighbours, especially in our times when artists have gained a deep consciousness of their own standpoint. The consciousness of the modern artist has been excellently described as ‘the courage and honesty of a mind valiantly beating itself to destruction against the locked and barred door of an unknown and perhaps non-existing reality’. The final consequence of such a viewpoint is that artists take their stand against God and his creation. Their art reveals their antipathy towards the divinely created order of nature (observe the defilement of this order in many modern works of art) and against human being (a revolutionary spirit that takes pleasure in degrading traditional or human values). But, on the other hand, even in our time the most modern of the modern, such as Picasso, sometimes produce beautiful works of art, although these works may not always follow from the artist’s own world and life view. In general one can say that in art the critic must always exercise care to criticize the work of art as it offers itself to her or his perception and to define the spirit which it represents and not to judge the artist personally, since that [judgment] is reserved for God himself.

Norms

Although the Bible does not present any rules for art as such, a passage like Philippians 4:8 offers a clue to what the Lord desires art to be. This text concerns the Christian’s whole behaviour, art included. The following exegesis is focused on art, showing the norms of Scripture for art.

In the first place, the Christian must consider truth. This means that the artist must pay careful attention to the structures and possibilities that God laid down in nature. This is not a plea for a radical naturalism that injures reality by the exclusion of the human interpretative and normative aspects of life. Nor does this mean that fantasy must be shunned, or that everything must be rendered in perfect detail. But it does mean that fantasy and fiction are to be employed for the promotion of truth – not its debasement. Truth is bound to the Second great Commandment, the love of one’s neighbour, which may oblige us to clothe sin or to refrain from relating affairs which may lead others into sin. Truth in art involves praise of the beauties of creation, the beauty of good works and the greatness of God, who helps, guides and may chastise the person who does not heed his commands. There must also be due respect for the subjective truth that may be incorporated into a work of art: a person may believe an opinion to be true and when relating this must be respected for it since he or she did not attempt to lie. This respect is due also if the opinion is a lie when confronted with the truth of the Scriptures. For a forthright approach is always to be preferred to half-truths hidden under seemingly correct and justified words, which are much more dangerous since they imply a more or less hypocritical attitude on the part of the author in question.

The second standard mentioned in Philippians 4:8 is honesty. We may – and at times must – talk about sin. But this must be done in such a way that no one is misled by it. Sin can be related in a pure and honest manner, without pedantry. Honesty demands openheartedness and clarity in speech along with scriptural dignity and restraint. Paul further advises us in this passage that people must think about the things that are just [or right]. This does not mean that (in the work of art) the righteous always prosper while the sinners are unhappy. This is evident from scriptural passages such as Psalm 73. Nevertheless, a work of art should indicate what is right and wrong.

Whatsoever is pure is next. Purity does not mean neglect of sexual and erotic realities but rather avoidance of exhibitionism so often found especially in contemporary literature. In this respect also the Scriptures point the way to a simultaneity of realism and purity.

Art should also be characterized by loveliness. Artists must search for beauty and harmony. They should not unnecessarily subject their readers and interpreters to fright, fearful noise, terrifying tales, awful feelings, gruesome cruelties. In short, they may not violate the Second great Commandment by throwing their fellow human beings into a mental or psychic pit without any artistic catharsis. Fearful things need to be told sometimes, but they may never be a goal in themselves – and a dissonant passage must find a ‘lovely’ solution. Loveliness is a clear command, but it must not be misunderstood. For it is well possible that drama may be fine if it is truthful and reveals beauty, while comedy may be saddening if it serves sin or violates truth.

Last but not least, Paul advises attention to be focused on things of good report [praiseworthy]. Every artist who is conscientious endeavours to serve his or her neighbour, and whatever desires truth and justice deserves praise. This is true whether the artist is a Christian or not, but more so if the ways of life according to the Scriptures are observed.

Evaluation of art

These suggested principles must be employed in judging art, whether judging the work of a Christian or an unbeliever. Moreover, the observations made in the second section must be kept in mind: it may happen that a Christian has little understanding of reality and violates the law in this respect, and that an unbeliever is right. A work of art will be all the greater if the artist knows and fears the Lord, shows insight into God’s creation, and is sufficiently talented to make a real work of art.

The critic must judge with understanding, not mercilessly, and never with pride. The critic must be careful to do justice to whatever qualities a work of art may have. The remarks at the end of the section on non-Christian art are relevant here also.

Indispensability of art

Art is a gift of God. It means much in our lives, for it can give great joy and enhance the beauty of life. It may bring us into contact with reality in a variety of ways and, by means of modern art for instance, we can come to a better understanding of the spirit of our times and the strivings of our fellow human beings. Art may thus increase our faith. It can deepen our insight into reality as it exists in all its fullness – in its beauty, its God-given goodness, even in its sin and iniquity. In the awareness of the ways of our time and of the spiritual problems of our fellow human beings as these are revealed in their art, we may be able to give an answer to their specific questions, opening the Scriptures with an eye to their special needs. In this way we may not only help others to love the Lord but even aid our world in solving its problems. These problems are profound, so that a mere surface knowledge of them might make us hard in our judgment and superficial in our answers.

If we seek to banish art and beauty from our lives, we not only miss very much and render our ears and eyes barren but we are also ungrateful to God and, even worse, we offend him by calling unworthy what he made for the sake of humankind. This is true even though the realm of art presents its problems and pains to the Christian, who is a stranger in this world that is still touched by unholiness.  

Structure of art

It is not possible here to develop a complete theory of the structure of art. Instead, some remarks on the visual arts will be offered which are also valid mutatis mutandis for the other arts.  

A picture consists basically of materials (paints on canvas, lines, etc.) which have an objective psychological function, i.e. they can be seen and they make certain impressions. But these lines, colours and forms denote something, be it a head or a landscape or a story. They compose the iconical facet of art, and this facet can be compared to language since it also has its ‘syntax’ and ways of ‘speech’, in short, its own laws and positive forms which make it possible for us to understand what is expressed. In the study of ancient art one must always be careful not to misunderstand it, for we are not familiar with its ‘language’. For example, a common misinterpretation occurs in dealing with fifteenth-century art when people are led by the apparent naturalism of the paintings to interpret them as portraying a given reality. Therefore one wonders at the naïve way in which the old masters interpreted Bible stories, as if they supposed that in biblical times people wore clothes like those of the painter’s own day and lived in the same type of environment. But the truth is that there is here no question of any portrayal of a historical reality, reporting things as they appeared e.g. in AD 30. These paintings really present homiletically a theological truth in formulations which can be compared to creedal statements in their rigidity and unalterableness. And because these truths are eternal and not restricted to a certain moment of history, the painters attempted to make clothes and environment as irrelevant as possible by merely giving them the forms of their own world. In short, painting also has its figures of speech and a changing language. Perspective and naturalism or non-naturalism in its different forms are means of expression, and these means change with the times. Here the norm is – as for language – clarity. When a picture expresses itself clearly in the pictorial language of its time, it is good in an iconical sense.  

This is the first critical examination we have to make. The next step in riticism concerns what is said and the truth of this message. This iconical element is present also in other visual objects of human making, e.g. in maps, picture statistics, sign boards, etc. In a work of art these iconical elements are organized in such a way that they form a harmonious whole, a composition that has its rhythmic and relational qualities. Beauty in visuality (in human artefacts) is also found outside of the visual arts – in ornaments, ceramics, silverware, proportion in buildings. But in a pictorial work of art this compositional beauty is directed towards the organization of the iconical elements, which in themselves are arranged in such a way that they can be bearers of beauty in that respect.

Theoretically it would be true to say that if the content of a work of art is expressed clearly but is a lie as such, its beauty will also be intrinsically impaired, since sin cannot be beautiful. But we live in an abnormal world (i.e. between the Fall and the Second Coming of Christ) and sometimes beauty exists when ungodly things are expressed. And it may happen that beauty is lacking even when the contents of the work of art are truthful in the deepest sense. For beauty is debased because of an ungodly starting point. This is true in many instances in modern art, where artists seek for ugliness just in order to express their hatred against traditional values, and in the deepest sense, against the God whose creation they knowingly detest. But these are extremes. In the main, one can say that even unbelievers will obey the laws of beauty given in creation. And they will often look at reality and tell about the things they have seen, for otherwise they will not be understood since they would be creating mere incomprehensible phantoms. So even when one does not agree with the Mariolatrous exposition given in a certain painting by van Eyck or Raphael, one may see truth in the observation of the reality of womanhood, the beauty of precious stones, or the peculiarities of a landscape.  

We mention all these matters only to draw attention to the fact that the evaluation of a certain picture according to the principles discussed in the section on evaluation may be relatively easy, but that the analysis of the picture with regard to its elements will not always be so easy. The problems are complex, and the study of them is still at its very beginning.

Originally published in The Encyclopedia of Christianity, Wilmington – Delaware, 1964.

Also published in M. Hengelaar-Rookmaaker (ed.): H.R. Rookmaaker: The Complete Works 4, Piquant – Carlisle, 2003. Also obtainable as a CD-Rom. http://piquanteditions.com