Discovering the sacred in secular art

Abstract

"Continuing the development of themes in theological aesthetics, the following article explores the relationship between art and theology from the unique perspective of artistic technique, that is, the manner in which an artwork is executed. It aims to arrive at conclusions about the capacity of a genuine figurative work of art, in particular the painting, to “speak of God”—put more technically: “how [all genuine pictorial] art can function as a source of and in theology.”2 The status quaestionis is that if the disciplines of art and religion are in conflict today, as many still claim, then theological discussion needs to articulate the nature of this conflict.3 To do so the theologian, or any creditable scholar interested in serious debate on matters of religion and art, must ask whether all instances of art “speak of God,” and if so, ascertain the criteria by which they do, and if not, consider the lack of such reference as the necessary cause of conflict"