I said in my Blue Like Jazz (the movie) review that I dissect art with the “all truth is God’s truth” mentality. I believe the true difference between good art and bad art is whether it draws us closer to something beyond us or not. For me, this something beyond is God.
The best art draws us closer to God, allowing us to see His face a little bit clearer, a little bit nearer than before.
The best art moves us from one place to another.
The best art changes us by giving us a new lens in which we can engage with the world.
Over the past few months I’ve engaged in several different types of art that have moved me in a significant way. Some of the pieces I’ve talked about on this blog or other social media outlets, some I haven’t talked much about it. Certainly there is no universal piece of art that moves each and every one of us, but I hope this short list will encourage you to make time and space for engaging with great art, the kind of art that moves you.
I read this book as I was finishing my own book manuscript, as a challenge to write with more descriptive and emotive language. I didn’t grow up reading a lot (I played sports and chased after girls) so I’m not the best gauge of this, but with that said I have never read a better word-picture writer than Ann Voskamp. This offering of hers is a beautiful portrait of faith in the midst of a shattered life.
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This is the true story of Trappist monks living in a remote area of Algeria in the 1990s. Serving the neighboring communities of primarily Muslims, the monks choose to stay in the midst of extreme war going on around them for the sake of the people who would die without the help of the monks. It’s a heartbreaking and challenging movie to watch. The conversations they have around the table as they make decisions as a group are profound. The movie shows a different level of neighborly love than I find myself willing to give.
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Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art
I have just recently been introduced to Madeleine L’Engle’s writing, but this book was a blessing to me. Here’s a few of many, many quotes I took away from reading this book:
“The unending paradox is that we learn through pain.”
“God must be very great to have created a world which carries so many arguments against his existence.”
“I have a point of view. You have a point of view. But God has a view.”
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All Sons and Daughters
I love the simplicity of their music and yet the tenacity it has in the midst of the simplicity. I love the honesty. I think you will love those things too.
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What art has moved you lately?
