From the book For Glory and For Beauty: Practical Perspectives on Christianity and the Visual Arts. Published by The Newington-Cropsey Foundation, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. Copyright © 2002 by Kirk Richards and Stephen Gjertson.

hristian artists have a holy calling. As we portray the incomparable truths of God's Word and world, employ harmonious design, strive for beauty, and craft our work with loving skill, our work communicates to others aspects of God's character. We are to exercise our liberty in Christ with wisdom and discernment, not using it as a license for unbridled creativity. The imagination, so prone to visualize what is evil, must be humbly placed on the altar of grace. There it will be transformed and renewed into a tool fit for service to the Master.

Portrait of Katy Long by Stephen Gjertson Oil on canvas, 76 x 45 inches.

Our desire for autonomy and freedom from restraint, born of rebellion against God, must be relinquished in favor of submission to His loving and revealed will. Visual artists must seek to know God and what He requires of us-the general nature and character of our body of work. We can then, by His grace, fashion our work correspondingly. Great sacred art is the product of a sincere and sacred life combined with artistic standards of the highest order.

Christian artists are called by God to engage and influence our culture for good, but not in forms established and dictated by a world view that is opposed to God. Christian artists often challenge the content of the world's message, but seldom the form of that message. The form, however, is the result of the message.

The distortion of creation, the juxtaposition of discontinuous elements, the contempt for beauty, and the eschewing of technical skill are all forms of expression that grew out of Modernism's rejection of Biblical revelation. Yet much artwork by professing Christians is as disjointed, distorted, and ugly as the artwork of Modernism. The form expresses little or nothing about the character of God. There should be no such disunity between the appearance and content of a work. Christian artists must avoid separating conception from execution; content from aesthetics and craft. Such a separation results in the acceptance and proliferation of visual art that distorts the character of the One to Whom it is supposed to bear witness.

For centuries academic theory ranked the genres of art in a hierarchy. Religious and historical painting were at the top and still life painting was at the bottom. But there is no hierarchy in God's kingdom. All genres of art, when crafted with integrity and skill, can communicate truth and enrich our lives. None need be considered higher or lower than others. It must be acknowledged and appreciated, however, that a complex figure painting requires a broader range of specialized expertise than a simple still life and is capable of a greater range of expression. Nevertheless, every genre requires specific aptitudes and skills and has something positive to offer the discerning viewer. A portrait by Van Dyck can be as ennobling as an allegory by Andrea Pozzo. A still life by Chardin shows us the beauty and worth of everyday things; a mother and child by Bouguereau celebrates the blessings of children; Herter's Signing of the Magna Carta declares the necessity of law and justice in restraining tyranny.

Paintings can express an almost limitless range of ideas and emotions. The Romans of the Decadence by Couture is a powerful indictment of the debauchery of deteriorating civilizations. Shuffleton's Barbershop by Norman Rockwell is a delightful glimpse into the sophistication of small town cultural life. From the magnificent The Pesaro Madonna by Titian to the stinging, satirical barbs at religious hypocrisy by Vibert; from Veronese's grand The Family of Darius at the Feet of Alexander to Fantin-Latour's delicate Chrysanthemums, all fine work can glorify God and edify our neighbor.

There is no need to artificially justify excellent work with Scripture or quotes by Christian authors or poets. Their excellence is ample justification. Works such as Albert Bierstadt's Mount Whitney declare the glory of God without the 23rd Psalm beneath it. Fantin-Latour's Still Life with Flowers and Fruit speaks just as eloquently of the ravishing beauty of God's creation without a verse attached. From paintings with monumental, tragic, or comic messages to paintings done for the sheer joy of capturing the fleeting beauty of sunlight and shadow, all fine work manifests to some degree the nature of God and is worthy of appreciation and enjoyment.