between comedy and tragedy

"Maudlin emotions, those merely tender stirrings, belong to the domain of what is agreeable, and fine art has nothing to do with this domain. These emotions simply gratify the senses through a kind of diffusion or lulling, and they refer solely to the outer, not to the inner state of the human being. Many of our novels and tragedies, especially the so-called dramas (something between a comedy and a tragedy) and the beloved family portrait, belong to this class. Their only effect is to empty the tear ducts and pleasurably alleviate the vascular system. but the spirit goes away empty and the nobler power inside the human being is in no way fortified by all this."

My response to this in regards to Christian art is as follows:

Christian art typically succumbs to the sensuous in that it desires to express the connection of the human to the divine. To express that connection however will forever turn up inadequate due to its mere agreeable nature. As many sermons attend to our sensuous nature, so also does our understanding of God. And when we subject our understanding of God into an object form, it has little to do with our actual relation to the divine. Hence, Christian art often falls under the category of kitsch when its aim is transcendence.

This note refers specifically to our discussion on Tusday (June 9, 2009) about our ability to "explain" God. Our art ought to be punctums, entry points, windows, platforms, and stairs into the realm of the supernatural. Too many times, we make work that acts as mirrors back into society. They only move people closer the the natural, material realm, even if it is an attempt to depict the supernatural. God imitated, depicted, reproduced is no God at all- what have we done to the name of our Lord? Forgive us of our vanity and may we extend our beings through our art rather than continue in our vain attempts to create something new. We do not need to make you look attractive, we merely need to make ourselves and our work available for you to work through. (e.g. platforms for potential).