Art Can Be a Doxology

"The arts and the sciences do have a place in the Christian life - they are not peripheral. For a Christian, redeemed by the work of Christ and living within the norms of Scripture and under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, the Lordship of Christ should include an interest in the arts. A Christian should use these arts to the glory of God - not just as tracts, but as things of beauty to the praise of God. And art work can be a doxology in itself." - Francis Schaeffer, Art and the Bible

Robert Bateman

"For subject matter reference, I avoid the spectacular and obviously beautiful. This is a question of taste. I leave that department to post cards. I have no need to paint it. Nowadays, I will deliberately seek out the opposite to the glorious . . . a scruffy bit of bush, some dead twigs or dead grasses. These slide references are like gold to me in capturing the particularity of an ordinary piece."

This was said by one of my favorite wildlife artists ever, Robert Bateman, a man who emerged from the culture of abstract art and has done a great deal (perhaps more than any other artist) to reestablish Realism in our day. He has some excellent thoughts and tips on painting on his website, which are well worth reading.

Here are some of Robert Bateman's paintings. Many more can be found on his website, or on this online gallery. (If your browser is anything like mine, you'll need to right click and select "View Image" after opening it to see it full size.)

Thomas Cole: The Course of Empire

Several years ago I wrote a research paper entitled "A Ray of Light," in which I traced the history of my all-time favorite group of American painters, the Hudson River School. From the introduction:

These days, artists, especially non-Christians are not mindful of the primary reason we create art, that is, to glorify God. Since they don’t believe in God, they don’t believe in order, and that ignorance is reflected in their “art.” Over the centuries, Christians have let the extraordinary power, beauty and purpose of art slip through their fingers, and now it has become what it is. Today, we must work hard to recover the great blessing of the arts, and restore its lofty purpose. Americans have a basis upon which the restoration of art may take place, namely, the religious roots of our country and an artistic movement which occurred in the 19th century—the Hudson River School of Art. This society of artists was primarily Christian, and painted magnificent landscapes which exalted God through his majestic Creation. The artwork of the Hudson River School is the most significant landmark in American art because it incorporated a proper biblical worldview into the arts—something which is rarely seen in our country today.

Click here if you want to read the entire paper.

One of the painters I discuss in the paper is Thomas Cole, one the HRS's founders and an artist who more or less defined the character and ideals of the entire group. Cole was a very poetic artist. Take, for example, his remarkable 5-painting series "The Course of Empire,"(1834-36) in which Cole pictures 5 figurative stages in the life of a great civilization, all from the same vantage point (notice the mountain in the background is always there). Here are the 5 paintings in sequential order.

"The Savage State"

"The Pastorial or Arcadian Age"

"The Consummation of Empire"

"Destruction"

"Desolation"

A landmark in Thomas Cole’s career was his completion of the five painting series The Course of Empire, which traced the history of an archetypical civilization from its roots to its ultimate demise. This could be an allusion to the artist’s belief that America would take this same course, but he most likely painted it to satisfy his lifelong desire to integrate symbolism, pictorial poetry and history into his art. The whole series could be yet another illustration of the fall—man lives in a peaceful, joyful environment until the enemy invades and man’s former relationship with God is cut off, leaving him in a desolate wasteland of sin. Whatever the overall meaning, it is most definitely an exhibition of Cole’s mastery not only of paint on a canvas, but of the poetic, romantic style which characterized the Hudson River School.

Wikipedia has an article on the HRS, as well as links to more information on the leading artists in the movement. You can also read my paper for a more detailed summary of the worldview behind their art.

Tim Wootton, a really fantastic artist

Tim Wootton is a UK artist from Orkney. I would describe his style as "impressionistic realism," a very tasteful balance between the two styles. I love the depth of color and atmosphere he achieves in his work. There's no doubt he's very talented!

From his website (www.tim-wootton.com):

"Hi there – a brief introduction is, I think, required. My name is Tim Wootton and I live in Orkney. I work as a full-time artist, gaining inspiration from the birds and landscape with which I share this wonderful environment. Whenever possible, I try to make each piece of work directly from observational drawings and fieldwork in colour. I rarely complete a piece in the field, but take drawings and snapshots (plus the sounds, sights and smells of 'outside') back to the studio and work at a painting until completion."

Some of his superb artwork:

All images borrowed from www.tim-wootton.com

A Collection of My Artwork

Many of the images I've posted here have been of my unfinished artwork, so I've decided to post some finished pieces.

"Flash of Gold"
acrylic on foam board

"Poised for the Kill"
Peregrine Falcon
pen & ink on foam board

"Pier Pressure"
White Pelicans
acrylic on crescent board

"Soaring"
Osprey
acrylic on crescent board

"Lewis and Clark"
Lewis' Woodpecker, and Clarke's Nutcracker
watercolor on watercolor paper

"Defiance"

Golden Eagle

acrylic on canvas paper

"Three Teaspoons of Cinnamon"
Cinnamon Teal
acrylic on masonite

"Safe Haven"
Greater Scaup
acrylic on crescent board

"Out For An Evening Paddle"
Bufflehead
acrylic on masonite

"Beartooth Mountains"
oil on canvas

"Brer Big-eyes"
Western Screech Owl
pen & ink on foam board

"Fishin' for a Fish"
Belted Kingfisher
pen & ink on drawing paper

"On the Wings of the Storm"
Barn Owl
acrylic on crescent board

"A Matter of Life and Death"
Western Kingbird
pencil on watercolor paper

"Freedom"
Bald Eagle
pencil on drawing paper

A redesign is no good unless you post...

So, I guess it's about time I posted here again. Glad you agree. :)

My evening is running out, but in the time I have left before I go do the laundry and make a recon. mission to Walmart, let's consider the topic of Christian art.

This is a tricky subject, so I will narrow it down a bit and discuss a very basic definition of "Christian art" - what it is, and what it isn't.

I'll be drawing a lot from a recent Generations broadcast done by Kevin Swanson and Dave Beuhner, called What's Hanging on the Walls of Your Home? One of the things that they bring out in the program is the fact that Christian art should be very real. I'm sure you've seen the simplified depictions of Noah's ark, with pudgy little Noah and his cute animal friends aboard an absurdly unseaworthy "bathtub boat" floating around in the sun. I certainly hope you don't think that's what the Flood was actually like. That picture might be "cute" in a sense, but it's entirely unrealistic and in no way does it reinforce the fear of Almighty God, but instead it completely ignores the very reason God brought the Flood in the first place!

Now am I saying that you shouldn't buy your kids Noah's Ark plush toys? No, I'm just using this as an example of the shallowness of "Biblical" imagery today. Art, as a tool for Christian dominion has taken 100 steps backwards into the realm of the utopian, the surreal and the rapturistic.

It's time we got a healthy dose of reality in our art. Later on I'll expand more on this, but feel free to comment if you have any thoughts or disagreement.

All Three of My Blogs Have Been Redesigned!

It Sure has Been a While

By now you've probably noticed my new template. Are you excited?

No? Is it because I never post?

That's going to change. The new look is just the first step in the process of reviving this blog, and I hope you're behind me in this effort.

I won't make any promises because, judging from past experience, you probably won't believe me...but I WILL be posting (more) often, so please check in every now and then!