Exodus 31:1-5 ESV
The LORD said to Moses, 2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, 4 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, 5 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft.
Have you ever been listening to the radio and a song comes on, and it has a great beat, the guitar plays, adding just the right amount of variety; and you are really into the song, then the lyrics start happening? You may or may not even understand what is being said, but for some reason you really like the song. Afterwards, you may read the lyrics, and they bring a greater appreciation for the song, or you wonder why you would ever like a song that has such a horrible meaning? What I want to do is answer this question and others through a series of short articles that explore and demystify artwork for the believer. This article will give us an understanding of abstract and representational art, both found in the Bible.
Think of representational art as a picture of fruit or a painting of your Aunt Gertrude. It can also be thought of as the lyrics to music. This tells us what the music or painting represents, and through the skill of the painter or lyricist, it may strike us as moving or quickly forgotten (but who could ever forget Gertrude?). This is also where we can get into trouble as Christians, and must be mindful of what we see or hear, because the instruments and formal elements of art are good, but how we use them in our fallen nature may not be. However, let’s not be fearful, but walk by faith.
Abstract art often gets a lot of flack because we don’t trust ourselves to understand what it is. We often have other people tell us what it represents (usually someone selling something), and they seem so much more informed than us. A painting with paint splattered all over it comes to mind. I would like you to think about classical music as abstract art, composed of notes, not telling you what it means…. at least not in a lyrical sense. Maybe a better way is to think of a film without the musical score. It doesn’t quite feel the same; and in some cases, it may even ruin the entire film, especially one that has suspense. In the same way, abstract paintings, tell us exactly what they are without depicting images. So, a painting with paint splattered on it, is a painting with paint splattered on it. A painting that has circles and shapes or lines of color is exactly that. We can talk about the color of the shapes and how they are arranged, much like a meal that has too little or not enough salt. These are the formal elements, and vocalizing what you see explains the meaning that isn’t as open to interpretation as some might think.
Both abstract and representational art are conveyed by God to Moses in the building of the ark of the covenant (remember Raiders of the Lost Ark?). However, after the above scripture, the people made a golden calf to worship. This gives us pause to consider that as christians, we are redeemed, but still have our fallen nature to contend. Let us be sober minded when dealing with music or painting or any kind of art that may glorify God, but let’s not bring shame.
1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.