What is Christian art?
Sometimes we define Christian art by the agent: like that produced by Christians; other times, we define it by its theme: as one that deals with “religious issues”. At other times, we define it for its utilitarian purpose: as one that lends itself to public worship and evangelization.
- However.
- It is not difficult to realize that these definitions are insufficient.
- The first criterion [agent] has such a level of subjectivity that it never allows to emphasize with conviction that a work of art would be truly Christian.
- At the same time.
- It starts from a distinction between the sacred and the profane.
- Which cannot be sustained in the light of biblical teaching.
- Since the Bible itself is full of “non-religious” terms considered by this tension.
- The third and last gives us a definition that it is not possible to emphasize a substantial distinction between Christian and non-Christian art.
Schematically, it can be said that Christian art has the following characteristics:
1. A Christian culture as a cradle. Art is a reflection of culture, this means that the production of Christian art presupposes the existence of a Christian culture, the impact of culture on an artist is so great that, contrary to what is often imagined, Schaeffer imagined the possibility of a non-Christian Artist who produces Christian art by cultural restriction; in fact, it distinguishes four types of artists, taking into account the relationship with culture: the coherent Christian, the coherent non-Christian, the incoherent Christian and the inconsistent non-Christian.
2. Reverberation of the Christian vision of the world. Art always takes place on a stage; Christian art is the Christian vision of the world: CREATION / AUTOMA / REDENTION. In this basic triad, we can distinguish between a larger theme and a minor theme. The greatest is the hope that comes from redemption, and the least is the imperfection of the rebellious world, existing under the fall. They’re defined as bigger?In the sense that one must triumph over the other?In this sense, the Christian artist is subject to two risks, in essence: emphasizing the major theme at the expense of the minor theme and producing romantic art and focusing on the minor theme at the expense of the minor theme. of the main theme and producing pessimistic art.
3. Choice of appropriate styles. Whereas styles are not neutral envelopes, Christian art must use styles appropriate, both to the internal theme of the work and to the worldview that functions as a framework; at this stage, it should be added that Christian art must be a contemporary art. “Can’t we assume that if a Christian painter becomes?Will he necessarily look more like Rembrandt?(Art and the Bible, p. 62). And that it must be cultural, that is, it must consider the traces of the beauty of God discovered by grace, in the context of the culture in which it occurs.