The reading “Art as Spiritual Practice” mainly discussed the spirituality of art and how do we think when we see an object. As we discussed before, art could express and evoke emotion. Meanwhile, Grey suggested that art is a kind of spiritual practice so this opinion is really similar with our previous discussion that art could be an expression of emotion. This reading introduced a interesting theory that is Saint Bonaventure’s three eyes of knowing. As the article mentioned, the three eyes are “the eye of flesh sees the “outer” realm of material objects: the eye of reason sees symbolically, drawing distinctions and making conceptual relationships; and the mystic eye of contemplation sees the luminous transcendental realm” (Grey, 73). I think the most of us just can apply the eye of flesh and the eye of reason in our daily life. For me, when I look at an object, I almost just focus on its appearance and sometimes would think about the distinction of it with others.
Comparing with ordinary people, an artist must apply the third eye that is the mystic eye of contemplation. As Grey argued, “artists need to be able to see on each level in order to bring technical beauty, archetypal beauty, and spiritual beauty to their work” (Grey, 73). I believe this is a necessary requirement for an artist, and especially for the outstanding artists. An artist needs to explore the deeper meaning of objects so that they can express them well in art form. In addition, Grey think the third eye have the relationship with soul, as he explained, “only in the deepest art, a condition of the soul is revealed, one’s heart is opened, and spiritual insight is transmitted to the eye of contemplation” (Grey, 82).
Overall, I think applying the mystic eye of contemplation in our daily life is very difficult because most of us do not have the talent of art, and I believe applying the third need the talent of art.
Reference:
Grey, A. (2001). Art as Spiritual Practice. The Mission of Art (1st ed., pp. 205-233). Boston & London: Shambhala.
Hi Chan Shi, it is interesting to read your article. You said when you look at an object, and you just focus on its appearance and distinction with others. For me, I always think about the material of it. I think the eye that can see the spirit of subject is only the person who has some art view would have. Artist always think different from normal people. Sometimes they just have different view in their mind. This is why sometimes people do not understand the action of artist. In my mind, every people have their spirit, but it depends how deep they developed it. As an artist, I think they always look inside their mind. They keep digging the spirit in their mind. During they dig their mind, they still keep the analysis of themselves. This is hard for somebody to dig mind with self-analysis. I think some people developed their mind, and they do not do the self-analysis, he will become overconfidence and live in their own world. I think the self-analysis is very important for an artist. No matter for their artwork or their lives.
Great discussion post Chan. I agree with your point “An artist needs to explore the deeper meaning of objects so that they can express them well in art form.” As Grey mentioned in his article that “Every artist has his or her own unique process of inspiration. My wife and I have noticed in our workshops on visionary art that some people receive full-blown detailed images in a flash during the guided visualizations or shamanic drumming.”(P.80) I think inspiration is an interesting stage in the creative process. The quote above touches on the idea that a concept like spirituality can guide our work and inspire us. However, spirituality is a very strong force of inspiration. Many people live their lives in service of a certain higher power, and this drives them to greatness. Greatness can be an artist with an impressive ability, a writer that knows how to connect with a reader in a unique way, or any other way greatness can be portrayed. As Grey noted, every artist has their own way of finding inspiration, and that allows us to express our individuality in art.
Hi there! Great discussion! Since I am still confused about this topic, I learned a lot from your post, GOOD JOB!
Like I mentioned in my own discussion, I believe spirituality is a talent exsiting in everyone, it must therefore be a factor in creativity – as all values we hold, our personalities, modes of thought, and other factors also affect our creativity. An obvious example of how spirituality affects art would be how our values cause us to believe or subscribe to certain symbols, which, in turn, affect the art that we produce. However, I think everyone have their own understanding and style to create idea to approach creativity. Because people have different experiences, and there should not be a fixed standard to measure whether a person’s creativity is good or not. But in general, deeper observation is still a good way to help people to improve their creativity.
But in general, nice work!