Tag Archives for art

The Structure of Storytelling

I’ve been a huge fan of fiction the greater portion of my life. What started as my interest in the simple charm of the characters in the Hundred Acre Wood (Winnie the Pooh books and cartoons) and the heroic spirit of Superman (Christopher Reeve’s first two Superman movies) grew into the full fledged and ever swelling compulsion to find another great story. Life is great, and man’s ability to mimic life in imaginative worlds of his own is one tremendously valuable gift that God has exclusively bestowed to mankind. After all, to be more like God (made in His image) I think He wants us to scratch our imagination with stories of our own that reflect the nature of His own [His]story.

What you’ll find from being a part of the story’s audience is a good story is seemingly simple and natural. A good story doesn’t usually seem forced or contrived by a gifted (or well-trained) storyteller. This is an art and a method. Usually art in general is accused and confused of being random. However, storytelling is a prime example that contrary to modern popular opinion, storytelling is much more like a science then an accident. The fascinating detail that makes all good stories great art is that the method of the telling is in sync with a quality of human emotion which appears to be random. Emotions—seemingly random to the average observer—breath life into the science of a well-plotted story. The composition of the story becomes art thanks to the harmony it shares with expression from the spirit (where emotions come from). Interestingly, man’s spirit, being much more dynamic and sophisticated than that of animals, is another attribute that makes us more like God’s image (persona).

In light of these characteristics of the storyteller and story, one can see clearly that the art of a story is not dictated by human standards and whims of change, but a Higher more consistent power dictates the qualities that always drive a good story home. There is never a story that can brake the bonds of God’s storytelling structure and principles. The better we understand God’s nature the better storytellers we can be, and the more we learn from stories the better we may understand the nature of God.

Art for Commercialization

As I was saying yesterday, art is primarily used commercially. You may take this for granted, or flat out object. Some artists like to defend their work as purely inspirational—as if to say, it doesn’t mean anything, but it is intended to get you thinking and inspire you to draw your own conclusions… And on the gobble-dee-gook goes. This is all sweet-sounding empty-thinking. All art has a definitive purpose/use. One way or the other, that always involves something commercial, unless the art is good for nothing. Continue reading →

Art for Commercialization

As I was saying yesterday, art is primarily used commercially. You may take this for granted, or flat out object. Some artists like to defend their work as purely inspirational—as if to say, it doesn’t mean anything, but it is intended to get you thinking and inspire you to draw your own conclusions… And on the gobble-dee-gook goes. This is all sweet-sounding empty-thinking. All art has a definitive purpose/use. One way or the other, that always involves something commercial, unless the art is good for nothing. Continue reading →

The Art of Reality – Part 2

So, if God’s creation, and all that the physical realm encompasses is God’s own masterpiece, what is the masterpiece communicating? What do I mean? Think—if the physical (material) world is God’s own work of art, and art is simply an illustration of something else (usually art is an imaginary fabrication that portrays reality) then what is God “masterpiece” illustrating? Continue reading →

The Art of Reality – Part 1

Christians give credit to God as the Creator of all things, and remark on the wonder and beauty of His majestic feats. Pagans too acknowledge the beauty of the universe in everything from its rich simplicity to its mind-boggling complexity. The world around us, and every characteristic of it, is remarkable—that it only took one individual to make it all, and make it functional for all time. God get’s credit for a lot of roles (the First and the Last, the Chief Physician, The Creator, The Savior, etc.), but rarely do we look to God as the Master Artist. Continue reading →

Message and Meaning

I came across this excellent article written by my boss, Eric Rauch. I thought it would be quite appropriate for my reading audience, so here it is.

The very first verse of the Bible tells us that “God created.” Twenty-six verses later we also learn that man was created in God’s image: “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). The implications and ramifications of this simple truth have sparked debate and discussion about what it really means to be “in God’s image,” but one thing is certain: man creates because God created first. “Being in the image of the Creator, we are called upon to have creativity. In fact, it is part of the image of God to be creative, or to have creativity. We never find an animal, non-man, making a work of art. On the other hand, we never find men anywhere in the world or in any culture in the world who do not produce art…Creativity is intrinsic to our ‘mannishness.’”1 Continue reading →

Symbolism All Around Us

I’ve been listening to this teacher James Jordan’s series called How to Read the Bible (Again) for the First Time. Actually, I heard it the firs time a couple of months ago, but once wasn’t nearly enough to absorb all of his ideas, let alone to see if I agree with them. It’s roughly six hours long. The good thing about my job is that from time to time I have work that doesn’t inhibit me from taking a listen to teaching during the work day, and since everyone that works in my department was gone on to a work related conference last week, but for myself, I took the opportunity to listen to the audio series again. In fact, it was so good, I proceeded to listen to all six parts Monday through Friday, and each time continued to pick different stuff up from Jordan’s messages. Continue reading →

What’s Real and What’s Not? – Part 1

Many artists and their work have tried to illustrate what is real. They’ve been inspired by the well-known philosophers, religions, their own set of values, and the issues of their day, to form a fictional representation of what “could” be real, or illustrate a truth about reality in the non-fictional world through their art. Examples of this are probably most familiar to us in the movies, second, literature, since it is harder to distinguish from a painting or piece of music (without lyrics). I thinking of movies like Stars Wars, The Matrix, Lord of the Rings… but it is not limited to fantasies. I think that films in general try to tap into “what is real,” everything from Casino Royale to Silence of the Lambs. Continue reading →

Art for Commercialization

As I was saying yesterday, art is primarily used commercially. You may take this for granted, or flat out object. Some artists like to defend their work as purely inspirational—as if to say, it doesn’t mean anything, but it is intended to get you thinking and inspire you to draw your own conclusions… And on the gobble-dee-gook goes. This is all sweet-sounding empty-thinking. All art has a definitive purpose/use. One way or the other, that always involves something commercial, unless the art is good for nothing. Continue reading →

Commercial Art vs. Pure Art

I work full-time in the art and video department of American Vision, a for profit company/publisher/ministry. Even before I worked there, most of my previous work involved a great deal of graphic design. This work has always appealed to me because artistry runs in the family. I have several cousins that are full-time in marketing and the arts. One of my uncles was the cartoonist at Six Flags Over Georgia when he was out of college. In keeping up with the family and my own goals, I do my best to add to my experience and knowledge of the arts from time to time. Here are some of my observations. Continue reading →