Art Seeking Understanding

Fides quaerens intellectum, or "living faith seeking a more complete understanding of God," has inspired Christian education since the beginning. Ars quaerens intellectum, or "art seeking understanding," is a modern counterpart to this. Contributors to Art Seeking Understanding argue that art is typically born of a desire for understanding, whether of the potential in the medium, an aspect of the external world, or the artist's own compulsion to create. They suggest that art-making has a tacit if not explicit theological dimension that reveals itself in religious art and works that may have no such conscious motivation. This volume invites readers to consider how God speaks and the influence of that voice on our knowledge of the holy.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 277 pages
Publication date: 01 December 2023
Publisher: Baylor University Press

Fides quaerens intellectum, which translates to "living faith seeking a more complete understanding of God in relation to his creation," has served as a guiding principle in Christian education since its inception. While Ars quaerens intellectum, meaning "art seeking understanding," may be a more modern term, it shares a parallel meaning within the Christian context of this volume. In this context, "art" encompasses the human creative process associated with various crafts, with a particular focus on the "fine" arts such as poetry, painting, sculpture, and musical composition.

The contributors to Art Seeking Understanding argue that art is typically driven by a desire for understanding, whether it be about the potential of the medium, the external world, or the artist's own creative compulsion. An artwork can be inspired by a longing for a deeper understanding of transcendent realities.

A distinctive value of this collaboration is the juxtaposition of artists' insights alongside the perspectives of philosophers, theologians, literary critics, art historians, and musicologists. Together, these authors contend that art-making possesses a tacit, if not explicit, theological dimension that becomes evident in religious art as well as in works that may not have a conscious religious intention.

The artist, like all human beings, is created in the image of God (imago Dei), but as Scripture and tradition suggest, they may possess a more profound realization of the divine Maker than others. Those who appreciate art have the opportunity to indirectly gain an understanding of the nature of the Original Artist through allowing the works of gifted artists to ignite their imaginative reflection. In this way, art serves as a means of bridging the gap between the human and divine, fostering a deeper understanding of the world and our place within it.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781481320436