Art and God

Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills.”

Exodus 31:1-3

Who is art for?

Is art for the artist? If so, then whatever they say goes. If the artist likes it and decides it is good, then the art is good. By contrast, if the artist hates it, then it is probably bad. It doesn’t matter what the public think, because art is for you, the creator.

There is some logic to this. After all, the artist seems to make most of the creative decisions. They decide what to include, what to remove, what to emphasize, and whether they even want to share the work in the first place. If art is for the artist, there is no real reason to share the art at all. But we know that at least part of the purpose of art is to be shared.

Could art then be for the public? If so, then whatever the people say goes. If a work of art is popular, then it is good. By contrast, if people hate it, then it is probably bad. It doesn’t matter what the creators and critics think, because art is for you, the consumers.

There is some logic to this position as well. Art kept hidden is only a hobby; it might be beautiful, but it benefits no-one but its creator if it remains unseen. If the purpose of art is to benefit the consumers of it, then it makes sense that their desires should determine what that art becomes.

To say art is for the critics is an unpopular opinion, but is there a chance that it is true? If so, then whatever the critics say goes. If a work of art experiences good reviews, then it is good. By contrast, if it receives bad reviews, then it is probably bad.

There is a bit of logic to this perspective as well. Critics, after all, have studied art for years – often a very specific medium and genre of art, like contemporary paintings or action movies. They have experienced far more artistic expression than the average person, and have a much broader perspective on any work of art than a layperson might have. Of course, few people want to think the art experts might be the keepers of artistic truth and knowledge – especially when art critics are often “wrong,” and predict financial failure when the true outcome is significant success.

Most cynically: is art really just for the people with money? Crafting a masterpiece, after all, is a lot of work, and someone needs to fund it. In the book, music and film industry, art is funded by large organizations that make money by retailing the art to the public at large. In a practical sense, these organizations have huge financial clout in deciding what art looks like. The organizations, in turn, feel pressure from the public to provide art ordinary people will buy.

Or is art for God?

If so, then God should have the final say on what goes into a piece of art. If a piece of art is something God would like, then it is good. If it is something that displeases Him, then it is bad. It doesn’t matter what ordinary people think, so long as it pleases God.

But what pleases God? If “every good and perfect gift is from above,” then God is pleased to give us good things. Jesus also makes it clear when He says, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” God’s desire is for us to “Love our neighbor as ourselves.” In terms of art, this means we should produce art that benefits others.

However, the “golden rule” is actually secondary to the greatest commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Loving our neighbor is certainly important: after all, when asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus made sure to add on the “golden rule” as well. Nevertheless, God’s greatest command to all human beings is for us to love God with everything we’ve got. While creating art to serve our fellow people is certainly noble, it should always come second to glorifying and praising God.