Objectives:
- Become familiar with ways in which spirituality influences artists
- Discuss the differences between spirituality and religion
- Examine spirituality as a generative force and a well spring for creativity
Artifact:
While reading Art as Spiritual Practice by A. Grey I was struck by a concept that I have heard before and wholeheartedly agree with. I read about how “there is a vast difference between looking and seeing” (Grey 3). This is one of the most important concepts that people grasp in life. The fact that people can be present in the physical but not completely be present from a mental or connection standpoint. When we understand this point we can discern better why some people react one way but others react a completely different way to the same thing. In art this can be a huge determinate of how someone reacts to a piece.
“To see deeply and understand are different from mere looking or observation” (Grey 5). So when a person goes to a gallery and looks at a painting and does not “see deeply” or understand the intention of the painting or the underlying stresses in the brushstrokes that person has a skewed view of the painting. They may think the painting is shallow or not have a good view of it, but this is not because they have not looked deep enough into the piece.
This brings me to a passage in the Bible in Mathew 13:13 when Jesus is talking and he says, “They look, but they do not see. They listen, but they do not hear or understand.” He is speaking of the way he talks in stories and that those stories have so much more depth than just the story at hand. Instead the stories convey a point that he is trying to get across. This is the same with artwork. A picture of a boat could be so much more important than just the boat itself, but instead about the troubled seas that surround the artist and the steady navigation of the captain.
Reflection:
When I was reading A. Grey’s article Art as Spiritual Practice I was enamored by a familiar yet important idea. Looking but not seeing and listening but not hearing. For me this is one of the most important ideas that anyone can understand regardless of subject. The fact that people look at things, but many times they are not truly seeing. We can look at anything but that does not by any means say that we understand what is going on in even some of these situations.
People either do not pay enough attention or they just do not have the capacity to understand some things, and that can completely change that way that people perceive what is happening in some situations. When we understand this we can change the way we react to their reactions. The way things are intended and the way they are received are relative to the person who is viewing it.
Future:
Going forward this helps my ability to discern what is going on tremendously. By looking at the way that the situation is intended and taking more time to pay attention can help me to “see” and not only just “look.” This can help me to better understand the ways in which spirituality influences artists.