Mediaculture

While many of us tend to view our faith in terms of verbalized belief, we often experience faith in ways that transcend language or thought. Art in a broad sense (painting, sculpture, music, poetry and other forms) often affects our emotions, our bodies, our lives in ways we cannot describe.

Daniel A. Siedell, an art historian and critic, helps us explore this insight into faith in his book God in the Gallery: A Christian Embrace of Modern Art (BakerAcademic, 2008, $24.99). He seeks to follow Eastern Orthodox theologian Alexander Schmemann’s observation that “a Christian sees Christ everywhere.”

Siedell refers to Paul’s address to the Athenians (Acts 17:22-23) about their altar to “an unknown God.” Paul discerned that their culture’s worship of an unknown God was really a desire for the true God, revealed in Jesus Christ.

God in the Gallery looks at contemporary art in a similar vein—not, however, to find Christian messages. Instead it seeks to experience “the aesthetic presence of much of modern and contemporary art” and recognize that art is “a distinctive mode of cognition and knowledge about the world.” In other words, art is not a verbal communication of ideas but “requires contemplation that focuses attention on the viewer developing a relationship with the work of art.”

Siedell traces the origins of modern, abstract art to Christianity’s use of icons. Perhaps unknown to most Mennonites—and many other Christians —is that the Council of 787 in Nicaea, the last ecumenical council of the church, affirmed the use of icons in worship. Siedell writes: “Nicene Christianity does not merely tolerate images in the church. It requires them.”

Icons are not realistic portrayals of their subjects. Instead they are means of honoring the person imaged (“icon” means image). “Icons are a window through which the spiritual can be experienced in matter,” Siedell writes. “They discipline sight as we look at the world through the eyes of faith.”

All cultures employ art in some form. This signifies humanity’s desire for the transcendent, a reality beyond ourselves and our world. As humans, we desire communion with God, whether or not we call it that. Many who deny religious belief seek transcendence through art.

Siedell notes similarities of religion and art: “Christianity is not merely a doctrine, nor is art merely an object. Both are expansive practices that generate objects and doctrine but cannot be exclusively defined by them.”

He then examines examples of contemporary art, particularly Enrique Martinez Celaya’s Thing and Deception. The book includes illustrations of this and other works; unfortunately, they are reproduced in black and white. (Siedell recommends reading the book in conjunction with a good art history textbook with plenty of high-quality illustrations. That would be nice.)

Siedell defines art criticism as “an attempt to understand and articulate a particular experience with art in a particular way.” He laments that “most Christian commentators rarely address modern art on its own terms.” Such criticism requires time and effort.

This is true of other art forms as well, from film to fiction. We may experience certain reactions to a piece but fail to fully understand or appreciate that experience. “The challenge,” Siedell writes, “is to experience art’s transcendence, not simply to interpret it, decode it or define it.”

This is true for our worship as well. We want to experience, not define, God.

Art is neglected not only in our society but in our churches. In late April I attended an art show by Goshen (Ind.) College students. We have many Mennonite artists among us but too often ignore them. Such neglect may derive in part from our tendency to define our faith in our heads rather than experience it.