Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Inspiring people

I have had the privilege over this last year to make the acquaintances of a few artists that inspire me toward greater excellence in my own work. Each of the three Dallas artists that I will highlight in this post are people of faith who know all too well the no-man's-land of being a Christian visual artist (being too artsy for the church and too churchy for the arts community). And yet they persist and continue to create thought provoking work that is of the highest artistic merit. As an act of faithfulness they create and utilize the tools God has granted to them. May their tribe increase and may the church do well and support these artists who are laboring among us.

James Michael Starr

As a poignant demonstration of recreation and redemption, James Michael Starr takes throw away objects and refashions them into hauntingly beautiful sculptures and 2 dimensional images. Below are his works "Dad" and "Going to Heaven".




You can see more of James Michael Starr's work at http://www.jamesmichaelstarr.com/



Billy Keen

Billy Keen is a prolific artist who employs painting, sculpture and woodworking in his large and impressive works. Themes of creation, redemption, renewal, spiritual rebirth, and the mysteries of being human are all close to Keen's heart. Below are "Lone Rider" and "Cactus Wren".


You can find out more about Billy Keen at http://www.billykeenart.com/


Kimberly Alexander
Kim's art is directly influenced by her full-time "day job" as a teacher of international high school students. Her work is filled with both the heart breaking as well as the inspirational stories of these immigrant teens. Her large scale works are carefully planned out and meticulously executed. Below are "Self portrait as a teacher" and "Two Bullets".


It is artists like these that encourage me to keep painting and to tell the stories God has given me to tell.

7 comments:

The Bullhorn said...

Greg-
Interesting pieces, but sometime I'd like to hear your thoughts on whether a Christian should do non-realist, modernistic type art. Since we believe in a good God, a moral order to the universe, and a providential purpose for all things, it makes me wonder whether we should follow modern artistic trends, or whether "Christian modern art" is something of a contradiction in terms, like "Christian punk rock."

Greg said...

Joe,
I think the issue is more complex than you are making it sound. Yes, we serve a God of order, but our lives are chaotic. The spiritual life is esecially difficult to understand and cannot be reduced to a clear picture to a simple didactic formula. How do we deal with such issues in a spirit if truth? For, oversimplification is not being truthful.

There are multiple issues that are brought up in this discussion. What is art? What is Christian art? Does Christian art need to be overtly "Christian" or is it enought that it is birthed out of a redeemed heart? (Do we need to add a Bible verse to the bottome of that landscape painting to make it something Christians can enjoy?)What is abstraction? How much abstraction is "ok"? Is "fiction" an abstraction of reality? What about science fiction? I have heard believers argue that since our God is a god of reality, Christians should not write (or read) fiction since it is a departure from reality.

It's all on a continium. Who gets to decide the answers to these questions?

I think it is much better to speak of the philosophical underpinnings of the artist and the reasons behind their methods. As long as the methods (or the product) are not clearly immoral, I think we need to allow grace and creative freedom. I would much rather wrestle over these issues than seek the clear line in the sand that dictates what kind of art Christians should or should not be a part of.

The Bullhorn said...

Greg-

These things you mention in your post are precisely why I would like to hear your thoughts on this subject. I already know my own mind, and NO, I don't believe Christian art means a Bible verse at the bottom (don't oversimplify, old friend). What I'm hoping to hear from you is what you think the answers to this complicated wad of questions about what makes art Christian are.

What I am wondering is whether the modern trend toward meaningless art (or at least highly subjective meaning, if any) in art is something Christians should embrace. A great deal of modern art (from Picasso and Duchamp to Pollack and Warhol) is produced on nihilistic or existential premises and worldview.

By contrast, if you look at Rembrandt's etchings of the crucifixion for example, there is a beauty, a fineness of execution and technique, and a very specific meaning present which it doesn't take a degree in art or a lot of explanation by the artist to understand. In them, as just one example, I find a recognition of the chaotic, even ugly side of life, but still a recognition that Christ is redeemer. Obviously, this is more difficult with other subjects, but even Rembrandt's portraiture has beauty and some sense of emotion and feeling (esp. his self-portraits), of a larger meaning to the work than a studio photograph conveys. A surrealistic picture of a reptile with things growing out of it? Well, meaning and appreciation is a bit more subjective to say the least. Even a non-Christian can appreciate what's going in with Rembrandt. But even a committed Christian can't necessarily appreciate the reptile painting.

Does any of that make sense? I guess what I'm arguing for is for more impact of the Christian worldview and the Christian artist's redeemed heart on the kind of art he or she makes. I'm not saying the Thomas Kinkade view of the world is the only one that is Christian. What I am saying is that since we Christians believe that life has meaning, value, order, providential plans, a loving God, AND fallenness, that both sides of the coin need to have a presence in what a Christian artist does in his/her art. And so when I say "realism" I am using that as shorthand for works which reflect these dual realities, not simply that Christians shouldn't do sci-fi, or fantasy, or whatever.

I await your thoughts with eagerness, my friend

Greg said...

Joe,
Thanks for your comments and questions. As a Christian and an artist, I have taken part in many of these discussions, and over the years my own thinking has broadened and developed in this area. Here are my two bits.

While it is true that at times certain artistic methods carry with it certain philosophical meaning, it is untrue that the individuals who pioneered those methods get to lay claim forever to those methods and the philosophical baggage that goes with them. An artist that is on the front edge of an artistic movement my choose certain methods out of a philosophical position that you or I may not agree with. (you or I may not agree with the philosophical positions of the early abstact expressionist, or the early surrealists, etc) In that case, part of the message is in the method. But, what happens when, over the course of time, that message slowly fades away? New artists incorporate and take their own work in new directions - often times for very different reasons than the early pioneers. The philosophical underpinning of abstract expressionism is not written in stone (or in scripture) - it is culturally defined and can (and should be allowed) to change with time.

In the 1950's the electic guitar and rock music carried with it certain philosophical baggage that many within the church found to be at odds with Biblical truth. Now, that philophical baggage has been lost and that "method" or style is widely accepted in contemporary Christian music. And that is ok.

What was once clear in visual art 50, 70, 100 years ago is certainly not clear today. The term "modern art" has all but lost its meaning. To try and lump these hundreds of threads and styles into one easy to manage definition of "meaninglessness" is... less than helpful.

You asked where I stand, here it is... I believe first and foremost we need to aproach these issues with an additude of grace and not a desire to find those out of line. I do not know of a single artistic movement within the visual arts that is so clearly defined (as anti Christian) among the public that it would be off limits for a Christian artist to employ.

That does not mean that artists are off the hook. They deserve (and need to be) challended as to their methods and their effectiveness in communication. But, if there is an artist who you do not understand or appreciate, that's fine, you don't have to buy their work - and you are also free to voice your dislike. But, understand that there may be others who are deeply touched by that artist's work. Grace my friend.

You made mention of Kim Alexander's painting "Two Bullets". As I said in my post, Kim works with immigrant teens who have some pretty tough stories. One of her students had a family member killed in a gang related execution style murder - two bullets to the head. There is an old folklore of a voracious allegator who in his greed and hunger kills itself by eating itself - starting with the tail. It is a great story of the cycle of self-destuction. This family that Kim worked with was living the cycle of self-destuction and despair and death and the sins of fathers being visited on the children. But even within that family there are encouraging stories of redemption, and renewal and new hope. So, even as the allegator eats it's own tail, there springs forth new life and new growth. I think it's wonderful.

Beverly said...

Wow! This is good food for thought. Thank you so much, Greg. My own thoughts on the matter of "Christian art" are are many and random. One thing I'd like to share, though, is that here lies the value of a Christian liberal arts education. This is what small church-based liberal arts colleges were, historically, so good at and now (in some cases) seem to be abandoning in order to become more marketable to students who want a specific "marketable" degree without a liberal arts education.

I think of the art professors I got to know in college. How significant their art has become for me even though I wasn't an art major; how they opened my eyes to the breadth and depth of what art can be.

I think you're on a great path and I wish you strength in continuing. To paraphrase advice Andrei Codrescu gave my husband about being a poet, "Always be a [painter]."

The Bullhorn said...

Greg-
I was merely trying to engage in discussion about the important issue of the worldview that every artist both brings to his/her art and reflects in it. If I have done so in an ungracious way, may both you and our Lord forgive me.

What I'm concerned about is not policing what's acceptable and what's not. Rather, my desire is to see Christian theology reflected in art made by Christians. I don't mean by this that every song needs to be about Jesus or every painting a biblical scene (or even that most should be), but I do mean that our core belief that God is at work even in the most horrific of circumstances should shine through. If God was doing the greatest of his works through the most despicable of circumstances (i.e., the Crucifixion), then it is surely the case that even in gangland slayings God has some purpose and in them there is hope and the possibility of redemption. When I don't see that possibility (at least) of the redemption of evil in Christian art, it bugs me. For in the Crucified God we do find the ultimate answer to all of our "Where was God when..." questions about the persistence and monstrosity of evil.

Perhaps I was too abrasive in how I addressed this concern. Obviously my own thoughts weren't clearly communicated or understood. And again, if I have been ungracious, I beg your forgiveness.

Mama Gail said...

I am an ignoramus when it comes to art but I think that we Christians can be all too eager to push Jesus off on people as the answer to questions they aren't even asking. Our message can be too easily dismissed when we fail to aknowledge the painful confusing realities of life as if we are immune to them. What if we communicated with more depth and honesty and lived lives that "provoke the question?" I think a Christian artist communicating this way might create some art like what you've shown here, art that is interesting and sparks curiousity and disussion - art that makes the observer want to ask what was on the artist's mind.