Among those who write or blog on the topic of theology and the arts; the idea of artist as prophet comes up fairly regularly. This seems to point to a larger issue concerning vocation. Given his (or her) unique gifts, what is the role of the artist? One who speaksContinue Reading
“Michelangelo worked with a sense of urgency as if he were afraid he would not have time to explore all that he saw of God’s beauty in the work he created.” The old that is strong does not whither, deep roots are not reached by the frost.” – J.R.R. TolkienContinue Reading
The Herald In our hero stories there is usually a character that calls the hero out of his ordinary world with the promise of dreams fulfilled and enemies subdued. The Herald is not necessarily a person, it can be an event or an object that sets in motion a seriesContinue Reading
“Man is a creative being, as “sub-creator,” he shares in the creative power of God.” Man as Sub-Creator J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, “Man, Sub-creator, the refracted light through whom is splintered from a single White to many hues, and endlessly combined in living shapes that move from mind to mind. ThoughContinue Reading
“We are made in the image and likeness of the Creator of all things and as such, we share in His creative power. Man is, in effect, as J.R.R. Tolkien put it, a sub-creator.” The Parable of the Painter There was once an artist, a painter of consummate skill whoContinue Reading
“in this ordinary, everyday existence, there is a sense that something is not right, the world is incomplete.” The Fields We Know We first meet Luke Skywalker, from Star Wars part IV, in his ordinary world. He is the extraterrestrial equivalent of a farm-boy, working for his Aunt and UncleContinue Reading
What is the purpose of artistic talent? I am sure most, if not all of us, are familiar with the opening of a movie produced by MGM Studios. It depicts a roaring lion surrounded by the words “Ars Gratia Artis.” This is the Latin translation of the phrase “art forContinue Reading
In his 1999 “Letter to Artists,” Pope Saint John Paul II said this. “Not all are called to be artists in the specific sense of the term. Yet, as Genesis has it, all men and women are entrusted with the task of crafting their own life: in a certain sense,Continue Reading
If God has a plan for each of us, what does it mean to have free will? It is fairly common now for a television series, especially a drama, to have a main story arc that runs through all of its individual episodes. One of the first television shows toContinue Reading