Another Person’s Outlook

I received this comment on my Facebook page just today. Kathy and I went to West Covina High School together.

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“Humm interesting you and your friends thought I was strange. I confess that I don’t remember you at all. I saw your post on another WCHS alumna, so clicked and added you.

“In regards to what art is, my rep Bob Hogge of Monkdogz Urban Art in… New York, has a wonderful UTube on it. It’s posted on one of my websites: http://www.kathyostman-magnusen.com/Kathy_Ostman-Magnusen_Art/Bob_Hogge_About_Art_Video.html

“I have always contended that art is whatever the artist perceives it to be. I have noted that It is somewhat characteristic of Evangelical Christians to feel the need to put god in there somewhere, be it in their explanation of why they created what they did, to a fish by their signature on a tangible work. My personal belief is that god IS creativity and that everything we eat, drink, smell, touch, and see, becomes the dream we breathe, that ultimately must be shared in some way. Art is an expression, mingled with a cultivated imagination, that simply cannot help itself. It must speak in some way. It can be as simple as setting a table for dinner, to as complex as a symphony.

“Thank you for your compliment of my art and BE STRANGE Wayne Tilden, it creates an interesting journey”

by – Kathy Ostman-Magnusson,
Used with permission

 

A Brand-New Emphasis

Up until just a short time ago I believed that my interests had changed and I was going to endeavor to make a living little extra ca$h doing editing and proofreading. In the mean time I would try to concentrate “a little” on my writing.

As I soon learned, as I “discovered” the correlation between Art and Faith, I found a new concentration. I am now looking in depth at Christians in the Arts. Even with my particular background in theatre and in fiction writing – both prose and drama – I began to realize that the Arts are Gifts from God. He created us like Himself. He is a creator, so a part of who we are is “creative” beings.

I do, now solicit your feedback on what I have just written, and look forward to any and all discussion which those may bring up.

Blessings,
~ Wayne ~

New “LinkedIn” Group

There is a brand new – August 12 –  Arts group on LinkedIn, “Christians in the Arts“. This is a group for all Christians involved in any of the Arts. I will be glad to have you become a part of this new “Community”.

Art Defined … or Not

I keep wanting to ask what Art is. The term gets used so loosely that one person’s definition of Art is not the same as another’s. For some, art is only painting or sculpture, for others only music or dance. For others, still, Art and literature are synonymous, and very often we see Arts and leisure paired up.

I want to look at each of the pairs separately. We use them very casually – even as Artists – but I don’t know if we really know what we’re saying when we do. Let me see if I can shed a little light on it from my point of view. And remember, my word is not the final word on anything.

First; painting and sculpture. There is a similarity there because each creates a tangible form. There is little guess – until recently – what the Artist had in mind when he created that piece. His emotions and his very soul are laid out right in the open for everyone to see.

This is an obvious form of Art from the beginnings of time. Whether a painted image of the last hunt, or a sculpted shrine to their god, they created what they loved and what met with their souls.

Second; music and dance (also theatre.) These are as old as painting and sculpture. They are visual and emotional. They create feelings in their observers. They are probably the most basic of all Art. However, that doesn’t make them any less Art than any other expression. Some, like me, would be hard-pressed to make Art out of dance. These two genre are complementary so are often combined and enjoyed together, yet each still has a life of its own.

Music and dance have probably changed the least over the centuries even as styles have changed. There is a certain carnality to them both which fills and instills both the performer and his audience with an almost unbridled set of emotions.

I should say more about theatre since it is my venue and expression. However, to save time and space, I will go into that at another time.

Third; Art[s] and Literature. There is really no reason that “art” and “literature” need to be separated as though literature is not Art. The printed page is every bit as much Art as the painted canvas or the echo of a horn. Literature is not performance Art, it’s presentational. An Artist worked over the creation of this story, poem, or novel as much as any other Artist slaves to perfect his Art form. I’m not sure who first thought that literature was not Art, so chose to pair them. My guess it was someone in the “humanities” department of some college or university. It fits.

Fourth; Arts and leisure. I’m not sure I can really get a handle on what’s going on here. They don’t really seem to have much to do with each other directly. My guess, right now, is that the enjoyment of painting, sculpture, music, dance, literature, cinema, and others not mentioned here demands a certain amount of leisure time. (To me “leisure time” is like “spare change.”)

Since there seems to be no true understanding of the word “Art,”  then Art defies definition. Each person’s Art is defined by what it does to him as the Artist or to another who experiences it. If it touches you or another in the  “Art Appreciation” spot, it is Art.

Greetings “Artists”

There is not a lot to say beyond “greetings” at the present time. I just want to make sure that there is something on the beginning of this blog. Keep watching for more about the Arts and add your own comments as well.

Pax, Shalom, Peace