What Is Religious Art?

Last updated on: August 25, 2017 at 11:08 am by Chase Padusniak

What Is Religious Art? 2017-08-25T11:08:45-04:00 Chase Padusniak

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Here we can see something of the problem with contemporary Christian art, especially Christian rock (though not just Christian rock, and we ought keep that in mind). It takes as its content something religious, but it is directed outward (even if mostly at Christians, one imagines it is also intended evangelically). Formally, however, it adopts the kitschiest of contemporary tropes without attempting to understand what actually makes something attractive to someone in a given historical moment, i.e. how beauty is manifesting itself. By merely appropriate kitsch, it fails to innovate, reverse trends, or in any meaningful sense play with what it has been given; as such it is unlikely to endure (let alone seize anyone’s attention now).

The culture is no longer Christian in the way it once was; as a result, the Lydgate approach simply is not very effective. If it worked for Lydgate, that’s because he was speaking to a largely, if not nearly entirely, Catholic community that couldn’t get enough of what he was doing. Yet now he’s rarely heard about, because his work does not transcend its own moment (though one must give him credit for speaking to the tastes of the day). In sum, such art retains too much of the overt didacticism of church art without realizing that the context for contemporary reception is very different than it once was.

The other form of “religious” art, however, helps to bridge this gap. On the one hand, Bacon’s piece (available above) does the important work of continuing to explore a tradition. By looking at earlier form and playing with it (specifically the form of a pope’s body and head) he (implicitly) keeps religious symbolism in the popular consciousness even as he seeks ways to (for his own purposes) transform existing generic conventions. On the other, Tolkien and Warhol are doing the important work of showcasing a Christian worldview through their art; formally (and even in terms of content) there is nothing overtly didactic going on. The symbols in use do not require knowledge of the entire tradition; rather, symbols from the popular consciousness are appropriated, retouched, and, in a sense, baptized, allowing for limitless commentary on the state of things, and, one hopes, a revitalization of artistic evangelism.

To be clear: I don’t promise to be absolutely correct about any of the above. Tolkien and Warhol have been chosen because of my familiarity with them—I’d need to flesh my point out further (and think about it more deeply) before I could make stronger, more specific claims. But it seems to me that the point is simple: part of the function of the religious artist today is to bring the lessons of the Faith to the world outside. It’s a meaningful form of evangelism that allows for a deeper exploration of artistic traditions within a next context. Even the hallowed religious forms of yesteryear (many of which are still central to the Faith; don’t get me wrong—I don’t want horrid, plain cathedrals) came into existence within specific social conditions, social conditions now dominated by nonbelievers. Should we then be afraid to create religious art that can speak to a secular world?

Previous Post

August 22, 2017

For Those Considering Leaving the Church

Next Post

September 5, 2017 A Meditation on the “Our Father”

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Academia Culture Politics Reviews Theology Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 July 2021 December 2020 November 2020 July 2020 May 2020 April 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 August 2019 July 2019 April 2019 March 2019 December 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How did Jesus die?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Hanging Spearing Stoning Crucifixion