Art Qualities & Theological Significance
Art Qualities & Their Theological Significance
Art communicates in a wide variety of ways. This list combines pairs of opposites to make it easier to tell how close to one quality or the other a particular artwork might be. The theological indications listed are tendencies and should not be taken as always present when the quality is.
| Pair of Qualities | Possible Theological Indications |
|---|---|
| Balanced - Unstable | Balance tends to be of God; instability tends to be of the temporal realm or of Evil. |
| Transparent - Opaque | Opacity is a quality of that which is solid or created or earthly. |
| Consistent - Varied | Consistency tends to reflect God’s role in relationship; variation tends to reflect God’s creative abilities. |
| Accurate - Distorted | Accuracy tends to reflect truth; distortion untruth. The challenge here is to discern which untruth the distortion reflects. |
| Simple - Complex | Each can reflect different aspects of God. |
| Unified - Fragmented | Unity is of God; fragmentation is generally not. |
| Understated - Exaggerated | These are each sometimes used to evade censure as in apocalyptic literature. |
| Sequential - Random | Order and chaos. Order is of God and Church. Chaos traditionally is not. |
| Predictable - Spontaneous | This is important but the context will change the conclusions. God is infinite so not predictable but God’s constancy for us is important. |
| Active - Static | These tend to reflect times of stability or change in the Church. |
| Subtle - Bold | Each can reflect different aspects of God. |
| Clear - Paradoxical | Clarity tends to reflect the certainty of Church teaching; paradox tends to reflect the challenge of living an authentic human life in authentic relationship with God. |
