Art is not just about creating an image of what we see. Art is very much about communication. It is an effort by the artists to communicate their thoughts, ideas, and feeling to the people who view their work. Art therefore is as diverse as the people who create it.
When we talk about worship, what do you think of? Do you think of music, Sunday morning services, or that time before the pastor gives his sermon each week?
Edgar Degas the French impressionist preferred to be called a realist. Unlike Beuys, Degas had obviously well-developed artistic skills. He was an excellent draftsman, and his ability to handle color was exceptional. Much of his work was done in pastel, but oils and charcoal were employed as well. The problem is with his ballet paintings, the beautiful ballerina works that grace so many young girl’s rooms to this day. The problem comes from the knowledge that these ballet schools were not for wealthy French families to send their daughters to, but were for poorer children who often could not be supported by their families.
Complexity is an aspect of humanity that is universal. To remove that complexity from an individual’s story is to rob him of his humanity. It is also true that when an individual is cast as a villain, someone else is made a hero by implication. Storytellers often take advantage of the value of contrast. If a hero is to be made epically heroic, an epically evil villain helps make that point. The more evil the villain, the more heroic the hero. Storytellers fall into this trap when we overemphasize story value of the historical account. The story is entertaining, but it isn’t always true.
...But sometimes we think God doesn’t fulfill His end of the bargain.
The Cancel Culture has deep roots in American history and perhaps in human nature. American Gothic is an affirmation of American identity at the beginning of the cultural civil war between Americans and American art. Despite the many attacks on the work, it remains perhaps the most significant American painting.
...But sometimes we think God doesn’t fulfill His end of the bargain.