What is good art?

What is good art? The definition of art itself is exhaustive and exhaustingly varied, winging from those who recognize only framed, finished, and viewable pieces of art as acceptable to those who welcome with wide arms every act of man as a work of art. ( That is certainly a fascinating discussion, but for now, we will pass it up.)
Let us assume for the present that it is indeed a finished work of art( fine art, specifically, as I cannot claim any expertise in other areas. Well, not really in this area, either. But here we go.)


What is good art? Simply put, good art is art that glorifies God. Gene Edward Veith, Jr. states in his fabulous book State of the Arts, "Art that does not glorify God -through immorality or idolatry-can be thought of as bad art."(p.xviii)


A great piece of art must have these three qualities: Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.
Truth
This causes us to pause and ask another question. What is Truth? Pilate didn't stop to listen. John phrases the question differently. Who is the truth? And Jesus answers,"I am the truth."
Truth, crucified by liars..."I find no charge against him."...executed between criminals. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this ...while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. There is no one who does good, not even one.
It is absolutely certain that every human being, born blinded with sin, is incapable of completely and correctly grasping truth, without the intervention of God in his life. No artist, however talented a compositionalist or accurate a realist can share painted truth on his own. When we who were moribund in sin are resurrected to new life in Christ, we are given the ability to see the world as He sees it. Paintings made with opened eyes are like prisms, reflecting the light of truth into a darkened world.


What, then, of paintings created by those who have not woken up from their sin? Many Christians assume that only believers can create meaningful works of art. However, life is not so black and white as that. Some non Christians may produce great art and some Christians may produce "art" as worthless as rat toenails.( Unless lab technicians use them.) But anyway...
Although the unbeliever is lost and his righteous deeds are like filthy rags, still, the grace of God gives rain to just and unjust alike and He makes the sun shine upon them both. In the same way, He sprinkles little bits of truth on the hearts of of the lost and gives them a peephole on the world through the lens of truth.And although they wander in darkness, the light yet shines upon them. Thus some of their creations may glow with reflections of truth.
"The reason, Augustine might say, is that somehow in their quest for aesthetic excellence and intellectual integrity, these artists unknowingly stumbled upon some aspect of the divine logos that underlies all beauty and all truth." (p. 43, State of the Arts)

(see "Living Water" by C. Michael Dudash)

Goodness
A quote attributed to Mary Ann Pietzker is often repeated in these words: "Let whatever you say be true, necessary, and kind." Words can be perfectly veracious and perhaps absolutely necessary-" Look, your fiancé's a jerk. Why don't you ditch him?"- but kindness must be employed in order for your friend to listen. Similarly, a work of art that portrays only truth can be unbalanced.To use another exaample, while Christians are commanded to preach theGospel boldly, they are also told plainly to live good lives so that people would not have a reason to slander them. Often leaving Goodness out has the effect of not, actually, telling the whole truth or portraying a world too hopeless for redemption.

(see "Family Traditions" by Morgan Weistling)

Beauty
Thirdly, it is imperative that a great work of art displays beauty. Not that every one ought to be a painting of Helen of Troy, certainly. It might be necessary to define the word a little more broadly than we use it in everyday life. A quick definition could be "something that is pleasing* to the eye." Whether it be light falling across ripples twinklingly, or the elegant arch of a small building, or a rich composition of complementary colors, we can usually agree that the painting has a touch of beauty.
I think this absolutely possible for every artist. The world we live in, though in bondage to corruption and death, is still the place declared by its Maker "very good."


(see "Into the Sun" by Terry Isaac)

Other notes
1 Corinthians 10:31 teaches us that everything we do - even eating and drinking, the basic acts of life-should be done to glorify GOd. The same is true of painting. It is nowhere taught in the Bible that Christians must only paint representations of parables or portraits of saints in order to glorify God. Claiming that it does or that art not portraying Biblical characters is unchristian or even unbiblical is, sadly, puffed up legalism. Legalism is happiest when cramming behaviors and actions into categorized and controllable spaces. Whereas, on the contrary, the Christian life is actually based on the "perfect law that gives liberty". Christianity is not complicated, but easily summed up in this: Love God with all you heart, soul , mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. So that pretty much leaves the field open for your subjects!


Having said that, there is a certain subject which should remain off limits for Christian artists to portray.


No believer should paint nude works in which the intent is to arouse the viewer. In doing so, you are dehumanizing your model. There is no excuse for that. Every human being is made in the image of God and deserves respect. Anything that does harm to our fellow man is not love(e.g. hate). No one who calls himself a follower of Christ should degrade himself and another human being by doing such a thing. And if you do, please don't call yourself a Christian.
However, some exceptions may exist. Nude representations of poverty, as in The Christmas Carol, of Adam and Eve (usually considered unnecessary), although I would say that Masaccio's and Michelangelo's paintings of the flight from Eden, although Biblically inaccurate, are more spiritually powerful than others of the forbidden fruit, etc.., as they render the emotional effects of the curse. Death also can be shown similarly, as in the painting "Three Ages of Man" by Hans Baldung.
I think that the result will depend on the intent. Also, to clarify, even the above exceptions should never be painted from a model. That is what studying is for. Artists can paint dogs and horses from their head after studying their anatomy. Same for people. No excuse.


To sum up: In art and in life, love God and love your neighbor. You can't go wrong. Glorify God by excelling in your art. Be thoughtful of your fellow man in pricing, art shows, and anything else that may come up.


P.S. Don't be didactic in your paintings, but do realize that "in the fine arts, aesthetics and meaning are expressed in their most intense and powerful way"(State of the Arts, p.47) and use it accordingly to stand up to the evils of your age . . . abortion, sexual immorality, trafficking, and racism.


P.P.S. Many paintings do contain the above mentioned qualities of truth, goodness, and beauty, but in unequal measure. That's okay, as long as it has a bit of each. For example, a painting of flowers may focus more on Beauty, a portrait of two siblings on Goodness, and a painting of the Last Judgment on Truth. Few combine them in equal portions. Those that do are instantly recognizable...

(see "Before I formed you" by Ron diCianni)

*not sensually pleasing

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