Cup of Thoughts #1: Art and Nature Point to Something
The Opening Sip of Thoughts - Look, a Cool Creature!
Have you ever walked around and see a cool beetle that you can't help but gaze on? Maybe it has such an interesting form that our eyes and mind can't help but ponder on. Maybe it has such beautiful vibrant colors that we can't help but have our interest piqued by it. Maybe not even a bug, since some people are grossed out by those. Say you spot flowers somewhere along your way to work. A fragrant, white lily, letting its pleasant presence known to us as a delight. Or maybe you saw a cute cat on the way home from school as it rubbed its scent to your leg.
Look at that fennec fox! What adorable thing! (Source: Zoo New England)
Regardless, nature has thousands upon thousands of ways to catch our interest and maybe give us a sense of joy or peace as we gaze on it. The blue sky, the nice puffy clouds in the sky, and many things alike. Marvel at the beauty of God's creations, people! This, too, is part of God's intricate design, something He sees as good!
What do you do when you see something outside that 'wow's you? Sometimes we just move with our day without thinking about it again. That is fine. I do that too, a lot, being someone whose social media is filled with animals and alike. But have we ever tried stopping for one moment and think, what are these things for? Why did God create such and such things, for what purpose do they exist?
The Art and The Artist
Man, this face used to be so funni back in the day...
I am a beginner, partly self-taught, partly- okay, the point is, I count as an artist. I make art with the artstyle of a mix of western-cartoon and japanese animation style. Naturally, I am interested in the community of artists out there. A decent amount of similar art from fellow artists pops up in my social media once in a while, and a lot of them are pretty delightful to look at. Some have great sense of character design, some have a good taste for color palettes, some has great choreography.
When these kind of art appears in my feed, my thought first goes to "Hey, this is a nice piece!". I assume most people would have these thoughts too when seeing a nice piece of art that they like. But what is next, usually? Personally, the second thought that came to my mind is about the artist. A piece of art tells us something about the artist.
First, the content of that art itself. When someone makes a fanart of, say, Kasane Teto (yeah there's a lot of those, goodness these people like Teto), it tells us that this artist might just be a fan of Kasane Teto or the entirety of the popular Vocaloid models (if you don't know what that is, don't worry about it). A masterpiece from the Renaissance tells us something about the place and time that they live in, what were the buildings like at their time, and things alike. It also tells us something about their minds. What kind of insight did they have to make such a piece? What idea strike them, how did they think, yadda yadda.
Second, and one that becomes very relevant for this Cup of Thoughts, is the quality and the goodness of the piece. When a piece of art strikes us with its beauty, or its deliberate artistic choices here and there that creates such a comprehensive piece, what do we think of? Personally, I go, as I said before, complimenting the piece. But after that, we give our compliments to the artist. I personally would ponder on the artist's capabilities and prefered style, since it can also be educational for someone that does make art themselves. "Woah, this artist can make great art!", or "This artist is talented!", something along the lines of that.
Art, Nature, and Us
Taken from the anime Violet Evergarden
The art is a piece of the artist put into a canvas. A showcase of their God-given talent, fruits of their hard-work, and their thoughts put in a way we can comprehend, whether it be true a piece of music, a painting, hand-crafts, and things alike. Nature, in itself, is a massive piece of art. The same way a book like Lord of The Rings showcase the capabilities of J.R.R. Tolkien (my hero) in telling a story that has meaning and truth, so does creation show us God's creativity, the fountain which endlessly flows and the source from which all good human creativity comes from.
My feeble mind has concluded from my thoughts, that nature exists to showcase God's creativity, and as a way we can appreciate and glorify Him. It could very well be that this is not the only reason it exists. Very much possible, most likely, even. But at least one of its purpose is to showcase what our God is capable of, His love towards beauty, and His endless creativity! This, too, is then reflected to us, His image-bearers, His masterpieces, so much so that even the act and capabilities of creation itself is
One of the biggest encouragement I've ever received in creating (aside from the Love of Christ Himself of course), is a letter from Pope St. John Paul II, with the title Letter to Artists. I encourage artist, and even non-artists, to give this short yet impactful letter a read. In it, this is mentioned:
God therefore called man into existence, committing to him the craftsman's task. Through his “artistic creativity” man appears more than ever “in the image of God”, and he accomplishes this task above all in shaping the wondrous “material” of his own humanity and then exercising creative dominion over the universe which surrounds him. With loving regard, the divine Artist passes on to the human artist a spark of his own surpassing wisdom, calling him to share in his creative power. Obviously, this is a sharing which leaves intact the infinite distance between the Creator and the creature, as Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa made clear: “Creative art, which it is the soul's good fortune to entertain, is not to be identified with that essential art which is God himself, but is only a communication of it and a share in it”.(1)
That is why artists, the more conscious they are of their “gift”, are led all the more to see themselves and the whole of creation with eyes able to contemplate and give thanks, and to raise to God a hymn of praise. This is the only way for them to come to a full understanding of themselves, their vocation and their mission.
- Pope St. John Paul II, Letter to Artists (1999)
Beautiful, isn't it? How God's creations in all its beauty, point back to Him? Next time we look at a part of nature that piques our interest and put awe into us, let us point our minds to God and give just a few seconds praising Him.
Now, I got more stuff to do today. Until next time, hope you enjoyed today's Cup of Thoughts. God love you.
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