Photo credit: http://www-scf.usc.edu/~ciccone/html/symbolism.htm
“…even abstract art depends on what God has made. No artist can invent a color. Every geometric from, every phenomenon of light, every texture, no matter how it is arranged, falls within the circle of God’s original creation. We speak of artists creating, but that is something of a misnomer. Only God creates. Human beings can make things too, since God graciously multiplies His creativity and His creatures, but human beings are not autonomous. We can only make use, in our faint and halting way, of what God has first given us.” (Veith 154)
I am brushing up on my art history knowledge this morning. I’ve read, State of the Arts, from Bezalel to Mappelthorpe before, but this morning, this passage particularly struck a chord with me. I love to create things with my hands. I wish I carved out more time to do it! There’s nothing like the joy of taking raw materials and molding them into something beautiful, if not useful. It blows my mind to think about the above statement. There is nothing that we create brand new, really. Everything we create is an imitation of something that God already designed. Colors, shapes, patterns, textures, if God hadn’t created it all, we wouldn’t be able to use it.
I look at the Biblical story of creation in a new perspective. God not only separated dark from light, land from water, and turned shapeless to form, he gave us all the essential elements needed to create art; light, form, and unity. We cannot create anything of an intelligible form without these factors. Imagine the intricacy of forest. He didn’t just pour out some green, gooey, fertilizer with some random sampling of seeds (although he could have). He created an entire eco-system, complete with innumerable variations of species, each intricately designed. Stable in the soil, soaking up and synthesizing solar energy, and providing oxygen. Can I make even one leaf?
The universe isn’t merely functional, it is beautiful. All things are created by God – Created from nothing, not just shaped. We are created in His image and given the ability to perceive and imitate the beauty of our Creator. We are created in His divine image, and therefore, cannot escape our natural desire to create.
What type of creative activity brings you joy? I hope you’ll take time to meditate on this and intentionally allow creation to bring you joy.
Veith, Gene Edward. “Chapter 9, Creation and Imitation.” State of the Arts: From Bezalel to Mapplethorpe. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1991. N. pag. Print.
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