The Renewal of Christian Art

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Ernest Thompson Seton explains "The Gospel of the Redman"

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The Perennial Philosophy Series

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Slideshows


Introduction

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Can Christian art be reborn?

"The character of Christian painting is essentially, and not accidentally, figurative. This means that it can never dispense with the traditional prototypes that safeguard it from arbitrariness. These prototypes always leave a fairly wide margin for the exercise of creative genius, as well as for the special needs of times and places, in so far as these may be legitimate...The success of any such enterprise is dependent above all on intuitive wisdom; as for originality, charm, and freshness, these will come of their own accord.

"Christian art will not be reborn unless it completely frees itself from individualistic relativism, and returns to the sources of its inspiration, which by definition are situated in the 'timeless.'"

Icon painting from the Danilov-Kloster, Moscow, 20th century