Some Perspectives on Art: Part IV
I hope you had a lovely, love-filled weekend. My blog hiatus was fueled by romance and the NBA All-Star game.
And so we continue on the journey of Francis Schaeffer’s perspectives from which Christians can evaluate art, from his book Art and the Bible. You can read about the first four perspectives here, here, and here. Today’s perspective is meaty …
Perspective Five: Four Standards of Judgement
Simply put, Schaeffer proposes four basic standards one can apply to a work of art: 1) technical excellence, 2) validity, 3) intellectual content, the world view which comes through, and 4) the integration of content and vehicle. It is using these four standards that Schaeffer proposes we judge a work of art. Keep in mind that these are subjective standards, and they are not meant to be used as some sort of scale. They build on each other. It’s a good idea to consider all four when evaluating a work of art, and I think it is in their relationship that we can argue something is a truly great work of art.
1) Technical Excellence: A great work of art demonstrates a great level of technical execution, what I like to call the “craft” that is associated with any art form. You have to master the technique before you can create art that is truly excellent. If I were to pick up a violin and try to play Mozart, it would be pretty atrocious, even if I had a lot of raw musical talent. I would need someone to show me how to hold the instrument, how to move the bow across the strings, and how to position my fingers before I could play “Twinkle, Twinkle”, much less tackle a classical composer.
It is in this area that Christian artists — especially Christian filmmakers — often falter. The material is great, but they don’t know the basics of storytelling, writing dialogue, and directing actors. This must be addressed before great Christian films can be made.
It is also in this area that Christians can also learn to appreciate art that doesn’t support our worldview. We can be, as Schaeffer puts it, “true to the artist as a man”. I feel this is very important if we seek to show Christ’s love to all, since great artists feel a “soul connection” to their art. When I hear a song that is offensive, I can still appreciate the artist’s mastery of writing and performance. I don’t have to agree with what they are saying, but I can appreciate that they are very good at saying it. This affirms the artist and their God-given abilities. If I am quick to label art as “smut” or “filth” without acknowledging its artistic merit, then I am not acknowledging the artist’s worth as a man. How can I then tell them about God’s love if I am not showing my appreciation of them as an individual? Jesus loved us while we were still lost in sin. We should extend that same love.
2) Validity: Art is best when the artist is honest with himself and to his worldview, vs. art that is created only for acceptance and/or cash. This concept is best illustrated by what I call the “sophomore album effect”. How many times have I been blown away by an amazing, first album by an exciting new band, only to be let down by the band’s second album? That’s the sophomore album effect.
One of the key contributors to this letdown is the fact that the band is now creating art that is more mindful of its result rather than being mindful of the artist’s voice. They are trying to recreate the experience from their first album to please their audience, or they are trying to impress the critics, or they are giving the record execs what they want, or they are trying to do something “bigger and better” and more mainstream to get on the best tours. Whatever it is they are trying to do, they are not trying to just sit down and write from their guts. And that’s where the great first album came from.
Across the board, I think Christian artists really struggle with validity. They find themselves trying to create a great gospel tool, or something family friendly, or something useful in church, etc. etc. They forget to create something that comes from their heart, and not their intellectual desire to see results. Instead of trying to simply tell their own story, and let the images appear inexplicably and naturally, they force feed it. The result is lame metaphors, weak imagery, and sloppy characterizations.
3) Intellectual Content: In other words, judge the world view, and for the Christian, whether or not it is a Godly worldview, or a worldview that rejects God. I think it is important to note that, as I brought up earlier, it is okay for a Christian to acknowledge that a work of art is great even if they feel that a work of art is weak by this standard. If a work of art is technically excellent and valid, it is therefore a great work of art. In fact, Schaeffer contends that we must first judge a work of art by the first two criteria before we can acknowledge whether or not this criteria is satisfied. Schaeffer says it this way:
“If we stand as Christians before a man’s canvas and recognize that he is a great artist in technical excellence and validity — if in fact he is — if we have been fair with him as a man and as an artist, then we can say that his world view is wrong. We can judge this view on the same basis as we judge the views of anybody else — philosopher, common man, laborer, businessman or whatever.”
In other words, to be fair, we have to take the first two criteria into consideration before we comment on the worldview. In doing so, we acknowledge the artist as an individual, and we recognize that the worldview is enhanced and communicated by the artist’s technical ability and validity. If those two are missing, then what concern is the worldview?
This should be applied to Christian art, and sadly, it is often forgotten. We ignore the first two criteria and rush to judge the work on this criteria, especially if it’s “Christian”. What we fail to realize is that the street goes both ways. If the art is lacking technically and is not valid, then questions of it’s worldview are pointless. As Madeleine L’Engle says, “Bad art is bad religion”. We are not serving the gospel with poor execution and dishonest motivations.
One last thought on this point: Schaeffer proposes that it is possible for someone to create art that presents a Christian worldview, even if they aren’t a Christian. We have all encountered music, movies, or poetry that reflects God even though the artist does not profess a Christian faith. The worldview presented by the work of art is not dependent on the artist’s stated worldview. All I can say to that is “the Lord moves in mysterious ways.”
4) The Integration of Content and Vehicle: Does the style of the art match it’s content? The best works of art accomplish this. It’s the icing on the cake, and it takes the work of art into the upper echelon. When Nirvana combined the power chords of punk with the pure adrenaline of metal, and used it to express the disaffectedness of Generation X, a new sub-genre was born. It is considered by many to be the greatest albums of the 90s, and one of the greatest rock records ever produced, in large part due to the way the music so effectively matched the message. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” became an anthem. There are many who lamented that Grunge never had a voice, but who needs a voice when the music does such a great job of communicating the message in a way that can be felt as much as it is heard?
These four standards are useful tools Christians can use to evaluate art, but they are also a great place for the Christian artist to start when creating. While they are not meant to be a measuring stick, they can provide some fantastic questions:
Have I mastered the craft necessary for my art?
Is this ‘me’, or am I just trying to make an impression? Am I success driven, or driven by my heart?
Am I spending enough time listening and talking to God? Is He using me as an artist, or is my art coming from somewhere else?
What’s the best way to express what I am feeling?
It’s a good place to start.
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We’re trucking. I swear I’ll write about something else soon.
February 17th, 2009 at 11:48 pm
[...] « Some Perspectives on Art: Part IV [...]
February 21st, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Very good. It is fair to look at art for art’s sake along with what message the art is sending.