Friday, May 23, 2008 • 5:24 am
“I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.”
- John Adams
The movement of the paint brush is one of God’s greatest talents and blessings to man. Brush strokes that evoke emotion and feeling when stared at long enough. Vivid colors that come together to form that which is familiar and recognizable. Behind every brush is an artist that has carefully thought through every swish of the bristles and color applied to the canvas.
My good friend Timothy Williams, a senior at the University of Louisville, has a talent that has been a great blessing to me. Timothy has been an inspiration to me in many areas of life but most especially in his painting. Timothy’s work follows in the impressionistic style with visible brush strokes, play with color and light, and personal interpretation of the subject matter.
He has recently finished a painting series entitled, Posterity. This series of 7 includes famous buildings and homes of the Revolutionary War period. From the spire of Independence Hall to the serenity of Peacefield, where John Adams spent his retirement years, Timothy has captured the essence of this period in every color. Out of my love for American history and desire to see Timothy’s work spread abroad, I would like to feature these 7 pieces in the sincere hope that you would receive as much joy from them as I have.
Independence Hall
Mount Vernon
Peacefield
Monticello
Carpenters’ Hall
First Senate Building
Virginia Governor’s Mansion
________
For more information about these and other pieces by Timothy Williams please leave a comment in the space provided below.
Filed under: Art
Wednesday, October 17, 2007 • 4:38 am
Timothy Williams, an artist and good friend of mine, suggested I write on the subject of Christian artistic inspiration and where it comes from. Where do Christians draw their inspiration and how does that translate into a masterpiece? Through the centuries Christians have created some of the most beautiful musical and artistic masterpieces in the history of the world. From the delicate intricacies of a flower to the splashes of color on a canvas, Christians have drawn their inspiration from the glory, beauty and majesty of a great and wonderful God.
In his timely book, Art for God’s Sake, Philip Graham Ryken, pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania defines the role of the best art as a means to “satisfy our deep longing for beauty and communicate profound spiritual, intellectual, and emotional truth about the world that God has made for his glory”. As such, he challenges the Church to consider the importance of art as a reflection of the character of God. “The question becomes, therefore, not whether as Christians we will aspire to high aesthetic standards. All too often we settle for something that is functional, but not beautiful. We gravitate toward what is familiar, popular, or commercial, with little regard for the enduring values of artistic excellence…Ultimately this kind of art dishonors God because it is not in keeping with the truth and beauty of his character.”
Ryken gives the example from Exodus 31 which outlines God’s call on the lives of Bezalel and 
Oholiab, the craftsmen of the tabernacle, and provides a great foundation for discussing the attributes of Godly art and artists. Too many artists struggle for a secular concept of originality, instead of biblical craftsmanship. Ryken also affirms God’s pleasure in a wide variety of art and art forms. A consistent element among all Christian artists must be a reliance on a biblical standard and the application of these objective, absolute standards of beauty, truth, and goodness. He adeptly points out that an over-reliance on any of these three creates warped art. Art that is primarily pretty fails to deal with the reality of the truth of the world. Art that seeks to show the world in its sin fails to consider God’s goodness. Untempered goodness denies the fallen state of life. True beauty, truth, and goodness reflect the nature and character of God and the reality of a fallen world but also the great hope of the redemptive, transforming gospel. Biblically grounded art has the power to depict this ultimate reality.
Not just on the canvas or paper or in a musical instrument, but in all areas of life the Christian must draw their inspiration from their personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Christian art flows from a brush that is driven by the desire and passion to see God’s glory displayed in a hurting and fallen world. Christian art flows from a brush that is driven with the objective reality of absolute truth, absolute beauty and biblical standards. It is in Christ’s beauty and loveliness that all of life shines and surely from Him we draw our true inspiration.
Filed under: Art, The Glory of God
