The hardest thing about being a creative

• Tweet
• Email

• Tweet
• Email

One of my favorite essays on aesthetics comes from French Philosopher and thinker Jacques Maritain on Christian Art. In this essay Maritain explains that what makes art distinctly “Christian” is not that there is an obvious cross somewhere in the painting, but that the art bears within it the character of Christianity.  He explains that what makes art distinctly “Christian” is that it is made from a Christian and this art necessarily flows out of his being.  One of my favorite parts about this essay is that Maritain explains the difficulty a Christian artists must face.  The role of the “Christian artist” Maritain would explain is doubly difficult because he must try and master being a Christian at the same time he is mastering being a really good artist.

Maritain writes, “Do not make the absurd attempt to dissociate in yourself the artist and the Christian. They are one, if you are truly Christian, and if your art is not isolated from your soul by some system of aesthetics. But apply only the artist to the work; precisely because the artist and the Christian are one, the work will derive wholly from each of them.”

This past week I was at a conference… passion 2010 to be exact.  One of the speakers, Andy Stanley (pastor at NPCC) said something that hit home on a number of levels.  Stanley said that it is a mistake to determine what you want to do before you determine who you want to be.  I think this would resonate with Maritain in his quest to challenge the Christian artist to first focus on being a really good Christian and out of that let what he must do “his art” flow from a life that is rich in Christ and not in self.  Yes we can produce “Christian art” as decent Christians, however the best “Christian art” will always come from the artists who is attempting to master the Christian life and draws from the most inspiring source of all the Holy Spirit.

Related posts:

1. Art and the formation of the soul In college I dabbled in philosophy and ended up taking...
2. Forming creative communities One of the things I have noticed that is difficult...
3. Why pastors should be artists and artists should be pastors Last year I had the opportunity to attend a symposium...