Art.

This is going to be the title track of AP’s forthcoming record. See his fascinating, postpartum thoughts here.

“I am not of the opinion that all the arts shall be crushed to earth and perish through the gospel as some bigoted persons pretend, but would willingly see all and especially music, servants of Him who gave and created them.”

Martin Luther

“The artist committing himself to his calling has volunteered for hell, whether he knows it or not. He will be dining for the duration on a diet of isolation, rejection, self-doubt, despair, ridicule, contempt, and humiliation.”

Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

HT: Ron Block

Andrew Mackay has some excellent thoughts (and chats up the cool film: Primer) answering the question: What should the quality of a movie that reflects/supports/advocates/illustrates a Christian world view be like?

“…You see this in Christian movies, too. If you look across the bulk of the movies made, they are shallow, filled with superficial “tragedy” that in every case resolves perfectly, helping the protagonist to more exciting faith.

This is why so many believers who are artists choose to do art outside of the community of faith — or on the outskirts of it. You can communicate harder things, deeper things, if you’re not constrained by an industry that doesn’t want depth, preferring an easy sell. So, you get a movie like Primer, made by a Believer, that explores hard questions about man’s nature and does it interestingly (time travel and the relationship dynamic between best friends). This movie would be a hard sale into the Christian art buying community (Christian bookstores, web stores, etc). But, ironically, it found an audience with thinking people in the general industry. And it was better done than any Christian movie I’ve ever seen.

So, one thing that Christian art must have is depth.”

Read the whole post.

Here are some images from a photoblog by Justin Fox. Go and see the rest of his pictures.

Lovely stuff, and full of memories for me. My adopted home country of South Africa, and especially Kwa-Zulu Natal, is a beautiful place.

For some reason we’ve been praying for orphans in Africa for the last month or so. I know everyone is focused on the suffering in Haiti, and properly so. But keep on praying, and giving, to Africa.

“The marks of a man’s creativity show his worldview; his worldview almost always shows through.”

Francis Schaeffer

“It is clear that to say that the Reformation depreciated art and culture or that it did not produce art and culture is either total nonsense or dishonest.”

Francis Schaeffer

What makes for great art? I won’t say I have no idea, but I am certainly on the shallow end of the pool, treading slowly and carefully deepward. One thing that does appear essential to me is the idea of limits. Without limits, and maybe more importantly, contrast, we don’t have much to show that will harmonize with reality on any level. Nevermind delight.

When I had the rare chance to learn from the brilliant Orson Scott Card, one thing he emphasized in world creation was this idea of limits. Our group had a long, involved, discussion that he directed on the limits of magic in stories. He emphasized that characters who can do anything and are not opposed by evil, even strong evil, are not memorable, or worthwhile.

He pointed out that Superman, at one point, had blown out a sun with his breath (like a candle). Boring. Good job Superman, but what now? Can this be the least bit interesting from here on? He said that shortly after that kryptonite was introduced, saving the character. This is why, perhaps, Batman is so much easier (seems to me) to tell a good story about than Superman.

Give me a limited, even a self-limited, character any day.

Limits are essential; cost is essential. Pain, suffering, and struggle are central to all worthwhile storytelling.

And so it is with the life of man.

We are, after all, art.

“Fairy tales do not give the child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey.”

G.K. Chesterton

Kevin DeYoung has some good thoughts about art and the church’s thinking about art. I have set out his main points, but you should really read the post if you’re interested in this kind of thing. It’s good.  

The Church and the Arts: Some Common Ground and Some Common Sense

1. We must allow art to be art.

2. Art is valuable, but so are a lot of other things.

3. Art can do some things, and it can’t do some other things.

4. Our worship should strive for artistic excellence, but our worship will inevitably be “popular” and propositional.

5. Churches can learn to welcome artists, but artists should not expect the church to be an art gallery.

6. Artists can help us see our idols, and artists have idols of their own too.