Along the trend of Beauty….
By Admin | August 20, 2008
When many people wonder why starting an arts college is so important, the answer is simple: we need beauty to survive. The problem is that many art schools are not producing beauty any longer because it is one of the most misunderstood phenomena of the century.
We have all heard the saying: Stop and smell the roses. Beauty is a naturally assumed opportunity; it’s always there, you just have to make time for it. But what if it becomes harder and harder to find? Then it’s not just a missed opportunity; it’s a much greater tragedy that we have to prevent.
Stop and smell the roses. We often don’t reflect on why that momentary reprieve from the 9 to 5 world is so essential for us. That is, until we take it. Our bodies and souls are not meant to be run to a pulp within each work week; a good perspective is always needed to keep the attitude positive. And what better way to keep perspective then to make time to have time to stop the hustle and breathe. Or smell. Or see. Michelangelo once said, “A beautiful thing never gives so much pain as does failing to hear and see it.” Take the time. (Even if it’s by supporting a nascent Fine Arts College…) You won’t regret it.
For an excellent 10-minute “beauty opportunity,” read the article: “Beauty Goes Underground,” by John Murphy. Find it here: http://www.godspy.com/magazine/beauty-goes-underground/
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Christian art is a rational form of art
By Admin | August 12, 2008
Every summer Benedict XVI meets with priests of the area where he is spending his vacation and holds an open question-and-answer discussion. This year that meeting took place on the morning of Wednesday, August 6, in the cathedral of Brixen, at the foot of the Alps, a few miles from the Austrian border. The pope replied to six questions, speaking partly in German and partly in Italian, the two official languages of the region. One of the questions, asked by a Franciscan, concerned the relationship between great works of art and the “proof” of Christianity. Here is the question and part of the Holy Father’s answer:
Q: Holy Father, my name is Willibald Hopfgartner, and I am a Franciscan. In your address in Regensburg, you emphasized the substantial connection between the divine Spirit and human reason. On the other hand, you have also always emphasized the importance of art and beauty. So then, together with conceptual dialogue about God in theology, should there not always be a new presentation of the aesthetic experience of the faith within the Church, through proclamation and the liturgy?
Holy Father: Christian art is a rational form of art – we think of Gothic art, great music, or the Baroque art right here – but this is the artistic expression of a much broader form of reason, in which the heart and reason come together. This is the point. This, I think, is in some way the proof of the truth of Christianity: the heart and reason come together, beauty and truth touch. And to the extent that we are able to live in the beauty of truth, so much more will faith again be able to be creative, in our own time as well, and to express itself in a convincing artistic form.
Read the full article in Chiessa: http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/206168?eng=y
Topics: Christian Art, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Solzhenitsyn Is Dead
By Admin | August 8, 2008
Alexander Solzhenitsyn Is Dead
Alexander Solzhenitsyn died this weekend last at the age of 89. Solzhenitsyn was, without question, the greatest Russian author of the twentieth century. Once an ardent Marxist (he carried a copy of Karl Marx’s Das Capital on his honeymoon) he was arrested in 1945 for writing disrespectful remarks about Stalin in private letters and received a “mild” sentence for his offense — eight years hard labor. In the course of his sufferings and imprisonment he came to a deep Christian faith and was an Orthodox believer. While living in the United States he warned that if America and the free West could not face down the universal anti-Christian phenomenon of state atheism that it would succumb to “the Communist contagion,” which “has infected the whole world with the belief in the relativity of good and evil.” Solzhenitsyn asked “what will come of us once we are deprived of the concepts of good and evil.., what will be left? Nothing but the manipulation of one another. We will decline to the status of animals.”
Rejoice all of you who fought for the front row seats on Calvary. A great foe has gone on to his reward.
Topics: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Inaugural Program - Summer 2009
By Admin | August 7, 2008
A Tide in the Affairs of Men…
As you may have noticed on the Living Water Website, we have officially announced the opening of the application process for the Inaugural Program 2009, entitled The Mind and Faith of William Shakespeare. No summer camp here. Beginning at 18 years and up, with mature students very welcome, the applicants should be prepared for a 6-week course which will take them from opening the script to on stage for an adoring public.
For a day beginning at 7:30 and working into the evening, the normal routine promises to be intriguing, concentrated and a whole lot of real fun for the resolute artist. An intermingling of performing art classes, classic studies, discussion and spirituality will provide a fast-paced mix to the program. The goal is to truly delve into the meanings of these things, not just to produce yet another rendition of a Shakespeare play. Macbeth? So it’s been done before. But did the actors have the opportunity to begin their rehearsals with a look into Sophocles’ poetry and plays, to examine the historical context of Shakespeare’s life and work? And could these actors do this before and during their casting, their memorization of lines and their struggles to set themselves within the character’s soul?
Perhaps. But now, very often not.
If this sort of “toil and trouble” interests you, give us a call soon. The program starts in the summer of 2009 but applications begin now.
Contact: Nicole Dunn, (780) 741-2488 or nicole@livingwatercollege.com, to receive an application packet or for more information.
Topics: Inaugural Program | No Comments »
Reason D’être
By Admin | July 14, 2008
“The creation awaits the revelation of the children of God… through art and in art. This is your task. Humanity in every age, and even today, looks to works of art to shed light upon its path and its destiny.” (John Paul II, Letter to Artists)
How do you achieve the task? Good question. Proclaim it from the rooftops. The Catholic Media Convention 2008 which met in Toronto had the right idea for a theme this year. They knew that the media, the Internet, the radio, modern communication in totum is the current stage from whence come the players who actually get heard. Traditional education will create these same players. Living Water College will do both.
Therefore, welcome to the Living Water College of the Arts Blog. The college is not fully open but we decided we couldn’t wait any longer for the “proclaim it from the rooftops” part. The purpose of this blog is to create a community of like-minded individuals who care about what is going on in the Art World today - the good, the bad, the ugly and yes, the beautiful and true. Great art is out there and we need to see more of it. Hence the creation of Living Water College.
In this blog we will keep you abreast of the living and vibrant Catholic Arts community taking shape all over the world. Although quiet at present, this community is growing in size and volume, carrying forward the “Second Springtime” of our faith. You’ll hear it loud and clear on this blog. Additionally, we’ll keep you posted about the needs in the arts; the need for action against the profane, the ludicrous, the skeptics and the untruthful.
In this blog we hope to begin, in a way, the education offered by Living Water College. “As Genesis has it, all men and women are entrusted with the task of crafting their own life: in a certain sense, they are to make of it a work of art, a masterpiece.” (John Paul II) May the knowledge you find here help you with your crafting.
Blessings,
LWC
Topics: Living Water College | 2 Comments »