SELF-DEFINED PROJECT - Essay Example

Art as a Spiritual Activity Unlike most artists, Doug Craft learned about art through his intensive study of philosophy, science and spirituality. Though his studies, he has learned the connection between these bodies of knowledge and how art serves to tie everything up into one expression. His artworks are influenced by the “philosophical…[based on his] ongoing study of form in nature, sacred and fractal geometry, physics and complexity” (Craft). Meanwhile another artist, Darlene defines art as “a flower that blooms from spirituality…like Footprints in the Sand, [its] what’s left from Experiencing the Divine…an expression of the artist’s spiritual nature in the material world…[it] is the portal to the soul” (Darlene).

According to Andrej Tisma art allowed man to discover “deep secrets penetrating the source of things”. In primitive society, when religion was held central to the community, the priest was the same as the artist. He created prayers and hymns that allowed man to connect wit the divine. As society modernizes and beliefs become secular, the artist has finally risen up to assert his individuality and his interpretation of what the world is. This new form is called mental art. Unlike the earlier forms of art which tried to depict reality, or make a statement about the imagined reality, mental art allows the artist to communicate using his own concepts.

In Rudolf Steiner’s words, “The basis of artistic creation is not what is, but what might be; not the real, but the possible”. This new form allows the artist to bring forth the “knowledge” that is burning alive inside him. For some people this “burning” is the seed of the divine, man’s ultimate connection to the being called God, the Source, the Creator. Because creativity is of divine nature, often the artist cannot recognize an artwork when he/she is done with it. Some would say “I can’t believe I did this” - an indication of the “other” which lives inside a person.

The nature of this other is no longer within the bounds of this paper, what is sure, however, is that art is the medium of communication between the “other” and the physical man. Creativity is its highest manifestation – man may deny revealing it, but such denial cannot last forever. When it reaches its peak, it will strive to break all barriers in the same way that mental art is now breaking social norms. This idea is supported by this quote from the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas, “If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you.

If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you" (Pagels). Creating art is a form of prayer. It is a spiritual activity in that in order to produce it, one must reach a state of peace which is commonly described of prayer. Because of this, art can heal emotional trauma, it can lead man to a better state of mind – the same effects reported of meditation and prayer. Creativity is man’s window to the “higher being”. Doug Craft discovered that the most beautiful art he can make are those which uses the Golden Ratio and Sacred Geometry which means that art is a universal language.

It is spoken not only by man’s creation but by God’s creations as well. Meanwhile Darlene says that art is a gift of the spirit. For Rudolf Steiner, art should not be made in order to amaze to other, but rather to express what wants to be expressed. All three of them have the idea: the art is a spiritual activity, and it is important in order for man to continue his evolution.Works CitedCraft, Doug. “Infrequently Asked Questions.” Doug Craft Fine Arts 2011. Web. 4 Dec 2011.Darlene. “The Relationship Between Art and Spirituality.

” Darlene the Artist 2007 : n. pag. Print.Pagels, Elaine. “From Jesus to Christ.” PBS Frontline 1998. Web. 2 Dec 2011.