In what ways might a contemporary theology of the arts be grounded in a doctrine of creation and new creation?
Theology and the Arts, Q. 1
This piece is part of a series in which I share the short essays I wrote for my doctoral comps. To read the intro, click here.
Any historical survey of the arts will undoubtedly need to grapple with what Nicholas Wolterstorff calls “the early modern revolution of the arts.”1 As the aftermath of the Enlightenment, perspectives on the arts will uphold different attitudes to physical materials out of which art is made and an approach to engaging art (the so-called disinterested contemplation) which will make art as “socially other and transcendent.”2 By contrast, this short essay will engage to these two approaches in order to present how a Christian theology of the arts will be grounded in the doctrine of creation and new creation.
Notwithstanding the early modern distinction between fine art and crafts, physicality remains the main medium of artistic creation.3 Different artists will approach different attitudes towards materiality that will influence their work. John Cage’s 4’ 17’’ approach towards materiality, for example, is that of total subservience to materials. By contrast, Marcel Duchamp’s The Fountain approach will be characterized by complete abstraction from materials – the artistic idea resides primarily in the mind.
A Christian theology of the arts, however, will ground the artist’s work in the doctrine of creation. This means upholding the goodness of creation which then informs the work of the artist as one which responsibly stewards creation. According to Wolterstorff, the work of the artist will be characterized by increasing in knowledge of his materials, gradually developing skill to use it to meet a particular purpose, and developing respect for it – which means there’s a limit to the extent the artist can impose his will upon creation.4 A Christian theology of the arts will be grounded in the inherent worth of creation as a gift-given,5 presenting God as the one who calls the artist to responsible stewarding of materials.
A second effect of Enlightenment’s philosophy of the arts has to do with art mainly as a product for aesthetic, or disinterested, contemplation. By and large, Christian theologians of art hold the disinterested contemplation model as a negative thing. Disinterested contemplation is about attending to form, shape, and arrangement of the artwork itself, being free from the desire to possess it. This makes art socially other and therefore separates it from the matters of everyday life being upheld as a window into ultimate reality (Kant, Nietzche). This becomes problematic, for if the revelation of God is found uniquely and chiefly in the person of Christ, upholding disinterested contemplation might make art a surrogate of religion (Barth). The art world then becomes plagued with claims of ultimacy that compete with Christianity.
However, some theologians, though still retaining a negative approach to disinterested contemplation, do not fail to underline its positives. Natalie Carnes, for example, argues that there is some utility to the disinterested contemplation model. She argues that a disinterested contemplation model (1) helps us see the surplus of meaning of creation – that creation is characterized by excess and abundance, and (2) disinterestedness helps us guard against self-interestedness.6 A more theological account of the benefits of the disinterestedness model comes, oddly enough, from Wolterstorff himself. He argues that appreciating art through contemplation (1) pushes back against the effects of sin, and (2) provides us with a taste of the coming shalom.7 Here, I think, is where it is possible to ground a Christian theology of art in new creation.
New creation, of course, cannot be understood apart from the action of God in Christ – the being “in Christ” entails new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). Moreover, within the New Testament witness, the Spirit is understood as the agent who brings about this new creation, the agent of the future breaking in, the one who leads us into the future promised by God. What we see in art, according to Patrick Sherry, is that the Spirit, by his affinity to both natural beauty and artistic beauty, provides us with a glimpse of the final transfiguration of the cosmos.8 Like Wolterstorff argues, artistic beauty is a testament to coming shalom. Art can be understood along the lines of new creation by the action of the Spirit.
A contemporary theology of the arts can be, therefore, grounded in the doctrine of creation by upholding the inherent goodness of creation and acknowledging the work of the artist as responding to God, to neighbor, and the created world in a responsible manner. A contemporary theology of the arts can also be grounded in the doctrine of new creation by acknowledging the positive angle of the disinterested contemplation model – that creation is marked by excess, and that the Spirit is continually at work in the world, using art to give us a glimpse of new creation.
Art Rethought
Ibid.
Even music, as Begbie establishes, is grounded and embodied in the sonic integrities of the God-given world. See Resounding Truth.
Art in Action
Wirzba, Agrarian Spirit
Beauty
Art in Action
Spirit and Beauty