Aesthetics

Aesthetics: A Christian Philosophy of Art (3/3)

November 12, 2020 Mark Stanley Podcast Comments Off on Aesthetics: A Christian Philosophy of Art (3/3)

What is the difference between art and propaganda? What makes some painters better than others? A Christian philosophy of art is desperately needed in our ugly and twisted culture. Francis Schaeffer, the Christian thinker of the 20th century, has valuable insights on how to judge art, as well as practical advise for art appreciation and Christian artists today. In this final installment, we bring together the final pieces of a Christian philosophy of art.

Aesthetics: C. S. Lewis on Judging & Enjoying Art (2/3)

October 8, 2020 Mark Stanley Podcast Comments Off on Aesthetics: C. S. Lewis on Judging & Enjoying Art (2/3)

In his book, An Experiment in Criticism (1961), C. S. Lewis suggests that instead of judging a book by how it was written, we should judge it on the kind of reading it inspires. If readers are deepened, continually drawn back to the work, only to find they love it more and more, then it is a good book. If not, then it is merely a book fit for entertainment, not a true piece of art. On Lewis’ view, beauty is transcendent, but art is personal. But what is Lewis’ view on the role that art fills in our lives? Is art something which helps develop us, or merely provide a kind of escape?

Beauty in The Picture of Dorian Gray

September 24, 2020 Abby Petree Literature Comments Off on Beauty in The Picture of Dorian Gray

Humans have always been drawn to beauty. Of course, beauty standards change all the time. What one culture considers beautiful, another might consider ugly. What our own culture considered beautiful 200 years ago, or even 50, isn’t beautiful to us anymore. But that hasn’t changed the fact that we love to look at beautiful things, and even more than that, we wish to be beautiful ourselves.

Aesthetics: Art, Beauty, and the Good Life (1/3)

September 10, 2020 Mark Stanley Podcast Comments Off on Aesthetics: Art, Beauty, and the Good Life (1/3)

If The Odyssey is so good that it is still in print after thousands of years, don’t you think it might be worth a read? If Bach is still treasured 250 years after his death, would you consider that there is something you’re missing? The question of art and beauty is not abstract and philosophical, it immediately concerns what it means to live a good life and enjoy the best possible experiences. The postmodern axiom, that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, turns out to threaten your happiness! The Christian impulse, which sees beauty in the universe, grounded in the nature of God, once again matches our deepest intuitions and our critical conclusions about art, beauty and the good life.