Souled Art : The Convergence of Art and Religion in Bahá'í Perspective
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TextProducer: Dallas : University of Texas at Dallas 2001Subject(s): Online resources: Abstract: Art and religion are now often seen as peripheral to existence. The rise of materialism, the quantifying bias of science, the focus on fields associated with the computer and data processing, and the expense and stress of contemporary life have all contributed to this view. Yet the arts are a testimony to the power of the spirit, to human creativity and resilience, and in every age offer essential metaphors. Religion, an instrument of order in the world that engenders high thoughts and addresses concerns of ultimacy and meaning, is also essential to the peace and progress of humankind. These two potent forces of civilization have had a long dynamic relationship, providing a fascinating field of study for those interested in either artistic dimensions of religion or religious dimensions of art. Art and religion have influenced and enhanced each other, while also providing arenas of contention. Religious communities and artists have had conflict over subject matter, style, review and endorsement, prohibitions, confirmity, and matters of power and rebellion. The relationshipo has undergone tremendous changes in the 20th century. Their historical connection emphasizes concepts of beauty and the sublime; through individual efforts and various reconstructive approaches, aspects of the sacred in art have continued in the context of modernism and post-modernism, with a focus on the problem of meaning at a time when meaninglessness is widely experienced and recognized. The Bahá’í Faith includes specific references to the arts in its sacred writings. It adds and will add to the interaction of art and religion in ways that are both similar to other forms of religion and decidedly different. Through Bahá’í artists and others sensitive to the themes and directions of this new revelation, art and religion are capable of convergence and transformation beyond their current meanings.
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Art and religion are now often seen as peripheral to existence. The rise of materialism, the quantifying bias of science, the focus on fields associated with the computer and data processing, and the expense and stress of contemporary life have all contributed to this view. Yet the arts are a testimony to the power of the spirit, to human creativity and resilience, and in every age offer essential metaphors. Religion, an instrument of order in the world that engenders high thoughts and addresses concerns of ultimacy and meaning, is also essential to the peace and progress of humankind. These two potent forces of civilization have had a long dynamic relationship, providing a fascinating field of study for those interested in either artistic dimensions of religion or religious dimensions of art. Art and religion have influenced and enhanced each other, while also providing arenas of contention. Religious communities and artists have had conflict over subject matter, style, review and endorsement, prohibitions, confirmity, and matters of power and rebellion. The relationshipo has undergone tremendous changes in the 20th century. Their historical connection emphasizes concepts of beauty and the sublime; through individual efforts and various reconstructive approaches, aspects of the sacred in art have continued in the context of modernism and post-modernism, with a focus on the problem of meaning at a time when meaninglessness is widely experienced and recognized. The Bahá’í Faith includes specific references to the arts in its sacred writings. It adds and will add to the interaction of art and religion in ways that are both similar to other forms of religion and decidedly different. Through Bahá’í artists and others sensitive to the themes and directions of this new revelation, art and religion are capable of convergence and transformation beyond their current meanings.