I feel that Kuyper's expression of art reflected that art is a fruit of God's gifts to humanity. The inclination that a person acquires with art normally produces something intended and unintended. I believe that God has blessed everyone with a gift in life in this instance the endowment to be an artist. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10 NIV). I perceive that people are galvanized when they contrive something creative. Considering the connotation of Exodus 25:9 I perceive that when God spoke to Moses pertaining to the “pattern of the tabernacle”, God gave them insight on how to construct it precisely to his depiction. This to me is an example of
Chuck Klosterman is renown because of his unique style in writing. This author takes risks in what he writes and he does not follow a template that is commonly used as he really tries to make his writing one-of-a-kind by being very open minded and making assertions that are non-conforming to what people want to hear. This style of writing embodies a type of man that is not afraid to take risks and gets his ideas across in a very unique and interesting way.
In one section of “Men and Women’s Studies: Premises, Perils, and Promise,” Michael Kimmel discusses how men have helped women to gain equal rights within the educational system (Kimmel, 26). He explains that as pro-feminists, men who made efforts to understand feminism and support women, as well as implement equal rights for women, realized the importance of women’s education (Kimmel, 26). According to his essay, many American men, as well as women, helped to create an educational system for women, which was seen as a “revolt” against inequality and the subordination of women (Kimmel, 26-27). Kimmel argues that pro-feminists tried to provide an opportunity for every woman to study; one such example is Henry Durant, an American pro-feminism activist, who established Wellesley College for
(1) Kellner distinguishes between “functional” and “critical oppositional public intellectuals. What are the major distinctions? Which of the two styles of theorizing most appeals to you? Why?
used to communicate with God and to become a part of His wide universe. In short, it was not capability but mastery of art that helped man establish a direct link with the world around him and art was the person’s way of showing appreciation for God’s universe. This is why Reverend Maclean tells Norman ...
Art educates. This education can be both positive and negative but art can function as an educational tool that has lasting effects. A 2009 article in the New York Times titled: “Schools Adopt Art as Building Block of Education” indicates the growing acceptance of art functioning in education. In this article, the unique architecture of the building was used practically by students “measuring whimsical figures of hot-air balloons, paper airplanes and pinwheels built right into the walls of their school” (par. 1). The architecture also functioned as inspiration for further learning. In addition, the article documented the perspective of a four-year old child who proclaimed that “When you look at it, it helps you learn.” (par. 20) When Jeremiah looked at the image of heaven and hell he learned significant life lessons. This picture that was presented in residential school ...
The Tale of Kieu is the most popular and adored Vietnamese literary work to date. It is a beautiful epic poem composed by Nguyen Du. The epic tells a breathtaking story of the woes of a young girl named Kieu. Through the life of Kieu, Du explores the concept of how much of our lives are preordained by fate or the cosmos, and how much is free will. From beginning to end, readers are captivated by the main character’s misfortune, resilience, and strong moral character. The Tale of Kieu is a riveting read that will challenge readers to think deeper about concepts such as fate, destiny, and karma.
It is of no surprise to anyone that people in general, particularly Americans, tend to be overly-enticed by materialistic things and ridiculous ideals, placing more emphasis on them than things of sentiment. In “On Dumpster Diving,” author Lars Eighner develops on his experiences as a homeless man not in an attempt to defend the art of Dumpster diving, but instead to build upon the idea that a majority of people spend too much time and money on things that will not matter in a few years—they should instead focus on things that will never lose their value. Throughout the essay, he is attempting to persuade his audience that they should change their regular way of thinking and let go of materialistic things in order to live a better, more sound, and overall healthier life. To develop this purpose, Eighner utilizes juxtaposition, exemplification, and definition.
The Industrial Age brought much hunger, poverty, and despair with its many technological innovations aimed to make man’s life better. Although Kuyper and Marx agreed that social conditions in the Industrial Age were not acceptable, they differed on the cause and solution to the poverty and despair in the modern world. Kuyper’s approach to the problem of poverty is like minimally invasive surgery, less damaging but more time-intensive. Marx’s approach, however, is like amputation with no cauterization, quick but with little chance of recovery. Marx seeks to heal a wound by creating another; Kuyper seeks to heal through correcting the heart of his age.
It is said that art is like a mirror to the soul, a way to see what
We do tend to expect certain things when we enter a place of worship, or peruse an active ministry, and truthfully, when taking in Christian oriented art. There are a couple reoccurring emblems, symbols, well-worn themes, and subjects which have been deemed safe, coming under overuse, carrying the weight of a saltine in the impact it makes on people, including us. While intentions are almost always well meaning, these conventions appear to the secular as a genre of its own in culture and art, quite often ringing with an unsavory note of incompetence. That’s already an unpleasant attribution to a faith that has changed the world, having built the infrastructure of empathy that has survived ages and permeates the social development of our western culture. It speaks to a deeper issue within the Church itself, which is a woeful lack of inspiration.
Craftsmanship is the quality of design and work shown in something made by hand, also known as artistry. One cannot judge a piece of artwork by its meaning if one cannot recognize the message. This is especially true in the art of literature. If a writer writes something that is supposed to have a message, but their writing is so full of grammatical, syntax and spelling errors, then no one is able to decipher what the true message is. The same is true in artwork. Good craftsmanship is often required to convey a message in artwork. If their are messy splotches of paint on the canvas this can distract the viewer from the meaning of the piece. Often it is difficult for artists to translate an image in their minds into a work of art. If an artist is trying to make a painting where the subject is supposed to be a sad person, and the artist paints the face and instead it looks like an angry face, then the painting has taken on a different meaning than the painter originally intended. It takes skill for the artist to create their intended message in their work. Even prolific artists like Michelangelo Buonarroti have made mistakes in their art that distract from the intended meaning. On the wall of the Sistine Chapel, painted in the early 16th century, there is a depiction of Adam and Eve (Image 15). Or at least it’s supposed to be Adam and Eve, but Eve has the muscular build of
All due respect, I found the foreword and apologetic style of chapter 1 tedious. I have never doubted the whole person nature of our Redemption, and was raised to praise Him for all things bright and beautiful (Genesis 1:31; Ecclesiastes 3:11). I can appreciate the specific examples of Art in the Bible- the temple and the tabernacle, Hebrew poetry, references to singing and dancing - for building the author’s case. (The citation regarding drama on p.44 was new to me.) For its part- I applaud that chapter 1 highlights Art’s Divine origin. Made in His image, He creates from His Divinity, we create from our divine gift of humanity.
During the ancient times in Greece, Plato was the first human to document and criticize the existence of art and artists. He mentioned that human art was always in a form of a representation of something else. In one of Plato’s famous works, he demonstrates the idea of art is like an “imitation of nature” (Blocker 3). In other words, the purpose of art was to represent nature and nothing else. Art was not created for the sake of its own self nor was it created to appreciate its own beauty by any means. Instead, art, usually in forms of writings, paintings, or sculptures, was created to only to represent nature, Gods, emperors, families, or other important individuals. Furthermore, Plato had a very critical view towards the existence art in our society because art makes us more emotional, and our emotions lead to many errors about life. He believed it is our rational thinking, not our emotions or senses, which helps us und...
The most influential theme in art for centuries was that of religion. There have been many things that have influenced art over the generations. Nothing has had the impact on the art world that religions has. Many of the ancient art works were dedicated to the gods or other religious figures. The statues of the Ancient Egyptians were not just for beauty. Instead, they were representations of the gods and were meant to have significant meaning to the people who saw them. The people of the time knew the meaning of every reed, flower, bird, or animal that was depicted in the art. The same is true of the Greeks and Romans. Most of the art was inspired by the gods and the mythology of the region. Art as a way of imparting a message dominates the art world. For most of history, art had a meaning that was often connected to the religion of the region. This is fitting since art has a sense of permanence that most other mediums do not possess.
Art through the ages has been a powerful voice for both secular and religious ideas, and the treasury of Christian art should not be relegated to museum viewing. The art should be displayed in the church were it is meant to be. Its richness can be brought to people in schools and adult study groups. This, in turn, can help to bring art up to the level, that the faith deserves. Churches should fill the walls with art to show what happened throughout the bible. Art creates connections and associations between what we see and what we sense happened. Both ritual and art challenge us to take us beyond the immediate, if they are to bring about true insight and transformation in our lives.