Toward a Philosophy of Art: Wise Influences
As I’ve said, the foundation for doing what I do comes primarily from the Bible, where God commissions artistic work for the purpose of glorifying Him and displaying His beauty to others. Along my journey, I’ve also come across wise influences to help direct me in my art career so that my work is never purely for money, vain imitation, or people-pleasing. Two primary influences that have been helpful to me are Harlan Hubbard, a Kentucky painter, and Hans Rookmaaker, a Dutch art historian and critic.
Harlan Hubbard is one of the most beautiful non-conformists I’ve ever heard of in the history of art. He and his wife, Ann, spent a good deal of their lives on a shanty boat they’d built. Once the US Census screwed up their lifestyles and forced them to settle somewhere (and pay taxes), they built a home, where Halan drew and painted the Kentucky countryside. He wrote, "I do not paint with any idea of expressing my emotions, that would seem to me in bad taste. One should paint to express his joy in what he sees and his thanks for that joy." That statement struck deep in my heart; it resonated with me and put words to what I’d felt my whole life, ever since I fell in love with the landscape work of Albert Bierstadt and the Impressionists. I paint because I am thankful for the joy at the beauty that surrounds me wherever I live.
Harlan Hubbard also wrote, "Painting is an act of love." I agree with that sentiment. And I’ve striven to make every work of art that I do an act of love, if not for the subject or the medium, at least as an act of loving service to my neighbor who has asked me to bring their artistic vision to life.
Likewise, Hans Rookmaaker, who had significant influence on apologist Francis Schaeffer, has taught me a great deal about how to think about art, in general. Art should speak to every part of life. Art depicts a worldview. It is never neutral. He writes, "Art shows our mentality, the way we look at things, how we approach life and reality."
Rookmaaker also had something to say about the ultimate reason a Christian strives to make art. Many artists want to be great, just like athletes or musicians. But the Christian artist serves to glorify his own Creator, the Ultimate Artist. He writes, "In the last resort art is anonymous. Who knows the names of the great sculptors of the Gothic cathedrals? Who knows the names of the architects of even the building that has been made quite recently? Everybody knows that a good performance is never the work of one person alone but that he or she needed the help of many others. The one person was in a way the brand name, the trademark. The paintings, the songs, the good designs of cars and other industrial products are anonymous. It is good that way. We have only added to the world God gave us to develop, to beautify. We have added to the lives of many, loving our neighbors. That should be the greatest achievement."
What a summary: to add beauty to the world God gave us and to add to the lives of others. That would indeed be my greatest achievement, and the greatest achievement of any artist.
