Grace & Necessity Ch. 3

This chapter of Grace & Necessity talks about Flannery O'Connor and her philosophies and ideas. O'Connor has written many novels, "Wise Blood"(1952) for example, which includes four short stories. Her novels and stories are peopled mostly with characters who are the result of O'Connor's view of the world. Williams speaking about O'Connor: "She is always taking taking for granted that God is possible - thinkable or accessible or even manifest - in the most grotesque and empty or cruel situations; she pursues the unacceptable in the ironic faith that the pursuit will vindicate God, at least the extent that God is intrinsic to whatever is uncovered in the work of writing." (Williams, 100) I believe that God should be intrinsic to whatever is uncovered in a work of Christian art. How should artists go about creating artwork with such intrinsic value?

O'Connor also talks about how you can't put truth into a form. The truth creates its own form. Another way of looking at this is from the concept point of view. Before you even begin a project you have to have a concept, and if the concept is strong enough, the form will be created by that concept to communicate its message, while the artwork doesn't necessarily portray Truth. As a Christian artist, there are pieces of art that aren't intended to be religious, but the concept (Truth) dictates how the piece of art is created because certain combinations of symbols, objects, colors, lines, shapes, blobs of paint, etc. that are filled with meaning eventually uncover the Truth (concept) about that piece of art. 

"One of the things that has been alleged to be the purpose of art is its cognitive function: art as a means

to the acquisition of truth. Art has even been called the avenue to the highest knowledge available to humans and to a kind of knowledge impossible of attainment by any other means." [3]

Albert Bierstadt, Mount Hood, Oregon 1869, Portland Art Museum.

An interesting quote I found on page 129, is Williams talking about how O'Connor's irony depends on something like this; "People are bound together in both seeking for God and the rejection of God and their acknowledgement of the reality of being together in rejection can trigger a sense of the other solidarity." All the more reason to not be afraid to show we are Christians, in my opinion. 

References:

[1]Williams, "Grace & Necessity"

[2]http://salempress.com/store/samples/survey_american_lit/survey_american_lit_flannery.htm

[3]http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/36433/art-philosophy-of/36285/Art-as-a-means-to-truth-or-knowledge

Grace & Necessity Ch. 2

Eric Gill's philosophy basically says that art that isn't propaganda, has an "art for art's sake" label. The art is what society believes and that it has intelligence and purpose. I believe that art needs to have a purpose, but there are artworks that aren't specifically propaganda yet they still have purpose and a message, not necessarily a biased message or concept. Although, that is the case most of the time when an artist wants to get a point across to an audience.
On page 90, I love how Williams describes art in this phrase: "It is a faith consistently tested to the extreme of failure and frustration ... endless development and ingenuity and can take on a million different forms." This phrase made me look at art as an intelligent test of our faith, ultimately our faith in our art or our ability. Art can drive a man mad and a madman insane, but artists continue to fight through the tests of failure and frustration to search for the inner truth of art that brings us closer to God.   On page 82, it says "Art is an uncovering of what is uniquely human." and what is uniquely human speaks for the maker of all things. If art uncovers God, how close are we to uncovering just enough or too much?
Artists create whatever is in their heart or mind, like God creates. God has given us the power and gift of art. To be able to create as He has created. Almost..


References:

Grace & Necessity

Grace And Necessity Ch.1

Several of Williams' ideas within the first chapter grabbed my attention. One of them was the idea that "Beauty should not be the goal of the artist. If it is well and honestly made it will tend towards beauty." (p.14) This stood out to me because I have had experiences making artwork that I wasn't intending to make great, but I invested a lot of research and time into the pieces of art I call great and beautiful. Williams goes on to say to not let our ego's take over and become victim to what Maritain calls the magical fallacy, when artists believe their calling is to change the world according to their visions. (p.16) I have divided thoughts on this idea because on one hand, I believe that the people who think they can change the world, while making art through honest and true work, have a higher chance of actually doing so. On the other hand, I also believe most of those people have fallen victim to the magical fallacy. I believe if the artwork is truly beautifully, it will change the world, but a process, built from integrity is vital.

"Charmeur de serpent", Abdel Aziz Haounati

Another idea of Williams that was significant to me was that God blessed the ones who have wounds or have been wounded. The purpose of these wounds is to help guide and shape us into the people God has called us to be. Fortunately, as an artist, this mold from God resonates in my artwork. Throughout my artistic career, I have experienced many obstacles thrown my way and those obstacles have changed the way I view the world, therefore changing the way I view, think about, and create art. The artists who have faith in their work, I believe are the ones who succeed greatly. 

The idea that stuck with me the most, Williams wrote, "The issue is always and only about the integrity of the work. The artist first listens and looks for the pulse or rhythm that is not evident; but the she cannot do any sort of job if she refuses to work with these pulses." I agree that there are 'pulses' in the beginning of the process of making a piece, and that once you feel these pulses that is when we pull the trigger and begin creating. I also agree with the statement that the issue is always and only about the integrity of the art. Artwork lacking the integrity necessary to create a beautiful piece, stand out in a different light than the way a beautiful piece stands out. When you stop and stare at a painting for a long period of time, usually it is because that artists has invested so much time into the concept, detailing, and everything else that goes into a piece. In graphic design, a beautiful piece in my opinion, would have reasons for every detail in the artwork. Everything in the piece has a conceptual origin and reason to be there. 

References:

Williams, Rowan. "Grace And Necessity: Reflections on Art and Love"