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Thinking About theThinking About theArtsArts
Michael GoheenMichael Goheen
Erin GoheenErin Goheen
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Jean-Baptiste-Simon Chardin(!""-##"$% &itchen Maid
Jan 'ermeer (!)-
!#*$% Milkmaid
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E+plore ,our Areas .hat is the source o/ the artisticimpulse0
.hat is 1art20 .hat is the role o/ the arts in God2s
3orld0
Battle /or the arts
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4 Source o/ Artistic
5mpulse Grounded in the creati6e andimaginati6e impulse that is part o/
image o/ God
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As image-bearer o/ God7 manpossesses the possibilit8 both tocreate something beauti/ul7 and todelight in it2 (Abraham &u8per$4
9eople 3ere created b8 God asaesthetic creatures possessed o/ acapacit8 /or beaut87 cra6ing the
e+pression o/ their e+periences andinsights (:eland ;8ken$4
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be said toresemble God0 5s it his immortal soul7 his
rationalit87 his sel/-consciousness7 his /ree3ill7 or 3hat7 that gi6es him a claim to thisrather startling distinction0 A case ma8 beargued /or all these elements in the
comple+ nature o/ man4 But had the authoro/ Genesis an8thing particular in mind0 4 4 4The characteristic common to God and manis apparentl8 that% the desire and abilit8
to make things (?oroth8 Sa8ers$4
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4 Source o/ Artistic
5mpulse Grounded in the creati6e andimaginati6e impulse that is part o/
image o/ God Grounded in the task God has gi6en
to be good ste3ards and de6elop our
and 3orld2s potential
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)4 .hat is art0
Create a 3orld in 3hich%
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)4 .hat is art0
Create a 3orld in 3hich%
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Stor8 or painting is a simpli/ied 3orld in3hich all the irrele6ant details are
remo6ed /ocus on subect to see 3ithheightened clarit84
1The 3orld o/ the literar8 imagination is
a highl8 organied 6ersion o/ the real3orld4 5t is a 3orld in 3hich images7characters7 and stor8 patterns arepresented stripped o/ distracting
comple+ities2 (;8ken$4
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1.e all kno3 that Art is not truth4 Art
is the lie that makes us realie thetruth42 (9icasso$
1The imagination 4 4 4 pla8s the game o/make-belie6e4 5t simpli/ies andheightens realit84 4 4 4 The artisticimagination is a 3indo3 to realit842
(:eland ;8ken$
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)4 .hat is art0
Create a 3orld in 3hich%
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1To tell a stor8 is to create a 3orld7adopt an attitude7 suggest a
beha6iour42 (John Shea$1All great artists ha6e a theme7 an idea
o/ li/e pro/oundl8 /elt and /ounded in
some personal and compellinge+perience4 4 4 4 A no6elist7 there/ore7can gi6e onl8 4 4 4 truth 3ith an angle4
(Jo8ce Car8$
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1Artists aim to make the audienceshare their 6ision@to see 3hat the8
see7 /eel 3hat the8 /eel7 andinterpret li/e as the8 do42 (;8ken$
1The artists 4 4 4 can transmute 4 4 4
realit8 into the order o/ signi/icant/orm onl8 in accordance 3ith 3hatare his most /undamental belie/s
about 3hat is radicall8 signi/icant inli/e42 (Dathan Scott$
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1:iterar8 realit8 is a care/ull8 /ramedand controlled kind o/ actualit87 3ithe6er8 element displa8ing the artist2so3n belie/s7 his o3n 6alues4
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)4 .hat is art0
Create a 3orld%
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1Art takes real li/e as its subect7 but theimagination o/ the artist trans/ormsthose materials in keeping 3ith the
con6entions o/ art42
1Art does not tr8 to gi6e a photographiccop8 o/ li/e it rearranges the materials
o/ li/e in order to gi6e us a heightenedperception o/ its ualities4 Art is li/e atthe remo6e o/ imaginati6e /orm42
1Method o/ art is to incarnate meaning inconcrete /orm7 signs7 images7 s8mbols4.e enter the 3orld o/ our imaginations42
-;8ken
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4 .hat is the role o/
arts in God2s 3orld0 ?elight7 eno8ment7 entertainment
1That is ho3 it is 3ith poetr8% created andde6eloped to gi6e o8 to human hearts42(
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1Art needs no usti/ication42(;ookmaker$
As God2s image created to delight inand eno8 beaut87 harmon87 etc4
1A poem begins in delight and ends in3isdom4 4 4 4 5t begins in delight 4 4 4and ends in a clari/ication o/ li/e42
(;obert ,rost$
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4 .hat is the role o/
arts in God2s 3orld0 ?elight7 eno8ment7 entertainment ?eepens and broadens an
understanding o/ oursel6es7 3orld7others
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?eepens insight
1The /unction o/ the arts is to heightenour a3areness and perception o/ li/e
b8 making us 6icariousl8 li6e in it42(;8ken$
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1The grand po3er o/ poetr8 =also other arts>is its po3er o/ so dealing 3ith things as toa3aken in us a 3onder/ull8 /ull7 ne37 andintimate sense o/ them7 and o/ ourrelations 3ith them4 .hen this sense isa3akened in us7 4 4 4 3e /eel oursel6es to be
in contact 3ith the essential nature o/those obects 4 4 4 (Matthe3 Arnold$4
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5magination enables us to understand3orld in 3a8 reason does notF
1The 3orld o/ literature is a 3orld 3herethere is no realit8 e+cept that o/ the
imagination4 4 4 4 The constructs o/ theimagination tell us things about humanli/e that 3e don2t get in an8 other 3a842
(Dorthrop ,r8e$
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Also broadens insight
1.hen 3e are at pla87 or looking at apainting or a statue7 or reading a
stor87 the imaginar8 3ork must ha6esuch an e//ect on us that it enlargesour o3n sense o/ realit842 (Madelein:2Engle$
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1.e seek an enlargement o/ our being4.e 3ant to be more than oursel6es4 Each
o/ us b8 nature sees the 3hole 3orld/rom one point o/ 6ie3 3ith a perspecti6eand a selecti6eness peculiar to himsel/4 4 4.e 3ant to see 3ith other e8es7 toimagine 3ith other imaginations7 to /eel3ith other hearts7 as 3ell as 3ith ouro3n4 4 4 4 .e demand 3indo3s4 4 4 4 This7 so/ar as 5 can see7 is the speci/ic 6alue orgood o/ literature4 4 4 4 it admits us to
e+periences other than our o3n4 (C4S4:e3is$
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4 .hat is the role o/
arts in God2s 3orld0 ?elight7 eno8ment7 entertainment ?eepens and broadens an
understanding o/ oursel6es7 3orld7others
E+pression o/ creati6e impulse
Dourishes the imagination
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;ole o/ the Artist
To become an artist means that 8oubecome a pro/essional imaginator in orderto help 8our handicapped7 unimaginati6e
neighbour4 Hur artistic pro/ession is meantto gi6e 6oice7 e8es7 ears and tactile senseto those 3ho are underde6eloped to3ardsuch rich nuances o/ meaning in Gods
creation1 (Cal Seer6eld$4
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.e 3ill li6e out o/ our imaginations 4 4 4 sothe8 had better be nourished in a health83a8F
14 4 4 3e are /ar more image-making andimage-using creatures than 3e usuall8think oursel6es to be4 4 4 .e are guided b8
images in our minds 4 4 4 The human is abeing 3ho grasps and shapes realit8 4 4 43ith the aid o/ great images7 metaphors7and analogies42 (
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I4 Battle /or 5magination
and Arts1Hur leisure7 e6en our pla87 is amatter o/ serious concern4 There is
no neutral ground in the uni6ersee6er8 suare inch7 e6er8 split second7is claimed b8 God and counterclaimedb8 Satan4 4 4 4 5t is a serious matter to
choose 3holesome recreations42 (C4S4:e3is$
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1Hne o/ the great tragedies o/ our da8 isthat people do not kno3 ho3 to use theirleisure time in enriching 3a8s42 (;8ken$
Much leisure time% boredom7 search /ordistraction7 /ear o/ spending time b8onesel/7 sensualit87 escape into comed87
6iolence7 and the appeal o/ horror4 (9aulElmen$