What Is True Art?
True art is always at the service of beauty.
True art is simply beautiful and rooted in God who is a sole Divine Creator & ultimate source of beauty. He is the Supreme Artist Who - by His words alone and out of nothing - created grandiose splendor of all things - visible and invisible.
He gave birth to the vast universe and nature with its endless lights, shapes, colors, textures, sounds, movements and dimensions.
He created man and woman in His own image - entrusting them with dominion of the earth and equipping them with ability to be inventive and to create out of existing things.
Although not all people are called to be artists, but all are called to make their lives a work of art that is in-tune with God's design and purpose. Therefore, true work of art raises us up and inspires us to fulfill our purpose of life in truth and beauty.
Artistic vocation carries in its core, deep moral responsibility for conceived creative ideas and its fruition through the forms of art. Artists are called to be not only imaginative but also moral and responsible thinkers. This is why, work of art speak much of its author and source of an artist's inspiration.
Whatever artists are absorbing to their souls; and to whatever source they are reaching out to develop their artistic ideas - will reflect in their artwork. Places and people that sunk in ugliness and are filled with darkness will never produce life-giving beauty – the same way as rotten trees will never produce good fruits.
Artists are placed in certain time of the history, culture and situation - reflecting in their works of art surrounding world in which they are placed. Therefore, art history is not just a story of particular artistic styles and its artists. It is a story of people - how they lived their lives and shaped their culture in the relation to the truth and goodness.
At any given time in the history of humankind, artists will always be called by God Himself to be at the "service of beauty."
True art is illuminated
by God's light
True art will never be associated with darkness and destruction as everything that God created was good and that means that God always creates with the
virtuous purpose.
"God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (John 1:5)
Before God created the first people out of His infinite Love, He created heaven and earth.
In the beginning, “the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
Then, God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light. God saw that light was good, and God divided light from darkness. “(Genessis 1:4).
From that moment on, every day, sun illuminates earth and departs us from the darkness of the night.
But even at night sun illuminates the moon and the stars are sparkling at the far distance – spreading lights across the vast firmament.
God who Himself is the Light of the world, knew that light is essential for our existence, and He couldn’t place us in the abyss of darkness as there is no darkness in Him.
We wouldn’t be able to survive without life-giving sunlight. How much more our souls can’t survive without God – Who Is the only Giver of Life and the source of true Light.
Therefore, artists who are such essential contributors of the world's cultural development, can’t turn themselves into the forces of darkness and create works that are promoting moral decay and desolation.
Artists are called to create works of art which are wholesome and reflected by God’s light.
True art is when the inner beauty becomes visible in the works of an artist.
All people received from God great gift of free will to choose; and clear directions of how to recognize what is morally right, truthful and beautiful.
But especially with artists, God shared very deep ability to know Him as Creator of Beauty.
Therefore, artists should have much deeper understanding of the difference between
light and darkness,
good and evil, life and death.
When the clouds of moral decay were so dense that Light of God could no longer penetrate through it, God came to the earth and made Himself visible. Word, that created all things with infinitely splendid and grandiose artistry, “became flesh and dwelt amongst us” in the Presence of Jesus Christ - second Person of the Holy Trinity.
“Light came to the world” (John 12:44-50) because people became blind, and they were no longer able to see Path to Beauty.
Invisible God becoming visible - first in His creation and then in human body - is essential to our knowledge and understanding of who He is as the Supreme Artist and Author of Life, Light, Truth, Goodness and Beauty.
Likewise, artists' work will always show who they are inside of their souls, hearts and minds.
Their artistic choices of subject matters, techniques, styles, mediums - convey the core essence of their being and sources of their inspiration.
Therefore, true art is always rooted in God - His design and purpose for all creation.
Otherwise, art becomes disconnected from all that is truly good and beautiful.
God made Himself visible to us and artists are equipped with sensitivity and ability to show through their works - Who He Is.
Artists are only fulfilling their artistic vocation to which they were called, when they are showing in their works inner beauty that is in-tune with
God as their source of inspiration.
(personal reflection based on St. John Paul II’s Letter to the Artists published in 1999).
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