How religious expression in art can open up new possibilities

The art world has always been an open forum of rich discussion for expression, in theory, and in practice. I have always believed in it’s genuine place in the world to give the voiceless a chance to be heard. I still believe this. In religious expression, there is a beautiful and truly elevated experience that all art lovers can appreciate. Unfortunately, I’ve noticed trends that I feel are declining the overall experience and economy of the modern art world and I feel religious art can rejuvenate it on all spectrums, plain and simple.

Rich in egg yolks(The Birth Of Venus, Botticelli), leveled by the developed muscle only the seasoned artist can conjure, the rich history of the art world is one the young and old can get lost in without even stepping into a museum nowadays. With the way the internet super highway has broadened our ability to share media of all forms, art lovers can enjoy the mysterious building street paintings of late night artist Banksy and newer impressionist artists such as Carla Jay Harris.

Sharing the love of art as a religious expression

I will share my humble take on art, as I see it. When I look at Vermeer’s Girl With A Pearl Earring it evokes a timeless sensation, an intimacy you feel without words. I love the nostalgic, lonely feeling of looking at the big sweeping landscape of Christina’s World, the longing of something better, however intangible it is. With the ever changing landscape of the modern art world, how can we keep religious art and the experience of that expression relevant?

Even in Caravaggio’s Beheading of Holofernes, the dark casting shadows depicting such a violent act can inspire many to appreciate the story behind the savagery. The Book of Judith, the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christian Old Testament of the Bible is where the origins lie. If it wasn’t for these types of works, people who had never picked up a Bible may not ever be aware of such histories, or be interested in finding out. That’s why religious art is so imperative and important, it showcases religious expression and spirituality in a way all of us can relate to. It can help others understand their own estrangement to faith and take that leap into religion once again, and even have them be inspired to create other great works.

The story of the modern art world has shifted in many ways since the era of Renaissance and baroque, from Pop art, Banksy, to even an Italian artist who sells invisible sculptures made of nothing to the cool tune of $18,300. My negative feelings on the way modern art is shaped by societal values and how much it allows for regression in curated pieces for price points. The economy of it is important to us and how we feel it is “priceless,” therefore it can be an expression of anything or nothing. We trust critics and curators to give us the cost of these priceless works of art. This is not how art, particularly faith driven art, has been done in the past. Before 100 CE, Christians were a persecuted minority, so the history of art curations of a religious nature are hard to concretely lay down. Churches were the source of the majority of commissions, as the clergy would decide the subject matter. The artist would have some autonomy over their projects, however, the clergymen and church that commissioned it would have to approve it.

The modern curation which is the statue of “nothing” was driven to such a high price yet the explanation was given for the exorbitant amount is so unsatisfactory: The lucky buyer went home with a certificate of authenticity and a set of instructions: the work, per Garau, must be exhibited in a private house in a roughly five-by-five-foot space free of obstruction. “When I decide to ‘exhibit’ an immaterial sculpture in a given space, that space will concentrate a certain amount and density of thoughts at a precise point, creating a sculpture that, from my title, will only take the most varied forms,” the artist went on. “After all, don’t we shape a God we’ve never seen?” he added.

This nebulous and almost whimsical view on God is a strong view that many would find hard to swallow. The difficulty of it being the way the art is delivered is not on par with how most people see art. There is nothing to feel, nothing to look at, nothing to project or showcase. The absurdity of spending money on a piece of paper that declares you bought “nothing,” for the sake of a poignant idea or a surreal mindset is something many people feel is an insane venture. It is difficult to retain this so called “spiritual” message as a part of faith especially when the price of such a definition is reached at a totality most would consider absurd, alas, this is how the modernist art world mindset wills to shapes the economy even in its smallest form.

The message of spending a large sum of money on what is essentially nothing for sake of art is not new. In 1958, the trend seems to have started with Yves Klein, a French artist who opened up an exhibition called “The Void,” which was a large cabinet in an empty room. The show was a huge success in Paris and proved to be a pricey end for what was a surrealistic career for the artist. An eight inch wide receipt written and signed by the artist in the amount of 1.06 million euros ($1.16 million) was created at the Sotheby’s auction house in Paris, on December 7, 1959. To add more flair to the concept, Klein burned his own receipt and dumped half the gold he was paid into the Seine river, a poetic piece of  “performance art”. Without reproach or approval, to deign with these acts as something we would truly appreciate as fellow art lovers, is this an act we as fellow art lovers, common and modern, something we can truly enjoy?

We look at works of absolute beauty that can reach you with an emotional connection such as The Agony in the Garden by Bellini, representing the night before Jesus was arrested and crucified and other such works and the absolutely stunning Pieta by Michelangelo, all of which inspire beauty and grace in the eyes of mortality and humanity.

The Agony in the Garden

The Agony in the Garden is a painting of painful malaise, intense prayer and dealing with the betrayal of Judas. Pieta, or pity, is a statue that is made of marble, but looks alive and breathing almost… of mother Mary cradling Jesus, and it is truly a inspiring sight to behold.

As an avid art lover, to see the outlying decay of how the modern art world chooses to determine worthwhile exhibitions and installations, such as the selling of invisible art, I see that the expression of abstract art and general passion in the world post covid can be rejuvenated through religious expression.

As a critic had put it quite bluntly, Jonathan Jones, remarking in another piece for The Guardian: “Atheism has never come up with anything like the art of 17th-century painter Francisco de Zurbarán, who created a pure and intense religious visual language. I find his images uniquely appealing at Easter – even though I don’t believe in his, or any other, god.”

This sort of religious perspective and narrative with respect to modern art can rejuvenate our own relationships with faith, even to understand the stories in the Bible and to appreciate the historical aspects of it. This has been shown time and time again by critics, patrons and art fans around the world. I find that through all the ways we share information and support each other through these platforms, melding the innovation of the modern art installations with the old techniques of religious art such as The Agony in the Garden or the statue of Pieta, we can open up a bigger audience that can renew life into what’s usually a trendy and very inclusive group.

To learn more about Christian art and it’s history  follow this link.

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