Creativity and Art
Artists, scientists and inventors take after the creativity of God. The universe was created beginning with an idea in the divine Mind, followed by the expenditure of energy to make that idea a reality. Likewise, artists and scientists give all their heart and effort to create a new existence that manifests the images and thoughts in their mind.
This section focuses on the arts, and so includes alongside scripture some selected passages from famous artists reflecting on the meaning of their art. Yet, creativity is not the sole possession of these elite personages; we find creativity in the athlete who plays exuberantly for the love of sport, in the merchant who finds better ways to market his wares, and in children as they dance and sing. Father Moon, who has established ballet companies and art schools and who himself loves to sing duets with his wife, is cognizant of the role the arts can play in creating a God-centered culture.
Topics include: art as harmony of opposites, art’s emotional core and emotional power; the muse, or spirituality of art; and the problem of art and values.
1. The Spirituality of Art
Religious scriptures
All art is concerned with coming into being. Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics 6.4 (Hellenism)
Life is art. The whole life of man is Self-Expression. The individual is an expression of God. We suffer if we do not express ourselves. Precepts 1-4 (Perfect Liberty Kyodan)
We composers are projectors of the infinite into the finite. Edvard Grieg
The sole and end aim of figured bass should be nothing else than God’s glory and the recreation of the mind. Johann Sebastian Bach
True art is made noble and religious by the mind producing it… the endeavor to create something perfect; for God is perfection, and whoever strives after perfection is striving for something divine. Michelangelo
Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart. Ephesians 5.18-19
And whenever the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand; so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him. 1 Samuel 16.23
Men can be evil—more evil than their animal brothers can ever be—but they can also rise in the ecstasy of creation. The cathedrals of England stand as monuments to man’s worship of what is above himself. One does feel proud to belong to the human race when one sees the wonderful things human beings have fashioned with their hands. They have been creators—they must share a little the holiness of the Creator, who made the world and all that was in it, and saw that it was good. But He left more to be made. Agatha Cristie
In eloquence there is magic, in knowledge ignorance; in poetry wisdom, and in speech weariness. Hadith of Abu Dawud (Islam)
If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing. Marc Chagall
Let our artists be those who are gifted to discern the true nature of the beautiful and graceful; then will our youth dwell in a land of health, amid fair sights and sounds, and receive the good in everything; and beauty, the effluence of fair works, shall flow into the eye and ear, like a health-giving breeze from a purer region, and insensibly draw the soul from earliest years into likeness and sympathy with the beauty of reason. Musical training is a more potent instrument than any other, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul, on which they mightily fasten, imparting grace, and making the soul of him who is rightly educated graceful. Plato, The Republic (Hellenism)
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
Human beings are meant to inherit the creative nature of God and participate with God in His great work of creation. (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Creation 5.2.2)
A culture develops from words. It begins with speech; then the words are written down to become literature. Then they are expressed in paintings and other works of art. Art and culture are thus expressions of the invisible word. This is the principle of creation through the Word, emerging as visible form and substantial existence. (107:317, June 8, 1980)
Songs, dancing and art are ways that human beings respond to God’s joy and laughter. On the other hand, without love, singing, dancing and art are to no purpose. The core of art is love. For the love of the world God comes down and resonates with us through singing, dancing and art. (225:128-29, January 5, 1992)
When professionals in the art world seek for something profound and need inspiration, they fall back on their religious background. That is why the culture of art developed centered on religion. Take Christian culture, for example. If you have a chance to travel in Europe, visit the Vatican. You will see the essence of European culture in each work of art. (198:281; February 5, 1990)
Art is worthless unless there is profound emotion in the background. A great work of art should be capable of arousing deep emotion, whether one views it today or a thousand years from now. A painting that can stimulate such a feeling deep in our hearts is called a masterpiece. (142:274-75, March 13, 1986)
To be an artist is to make one’s life a work of art. Children’s education should be imbued with art. A wife should be an artist of the emotions in the way she honors and shows appreciation to her husband. I believe that it is a greater art than the paintings that hang in museums. The greatest value of art is to beautify and elevate love in the family. (100:139, October 9, 1978)
Human beings value love more than anything. Have you ever heard of animals creating art or literature? The theme of great literature is simple: the joys and sorrows of love relationships. Great literature is good at describing love—in history, in society, in ordinary life and in the future. Next, great literature is good at using metaphors, for instance, a majestic river evokes love flowing into eternity… What better way of describing the beauty of love than using nature’s metaphors? God created all things in nature to stimulate our sense of love. All creatures are woven together with love. A masterpiece of literature has as its central theme a love which connects all of the beauty and wonder of nature—the heavenly bodies, the beauty of rivers, mountains, trees and flowers—all of which come together to stimulate the expression of human love. A novel may be well written, but unless it expresses the beauty of love, the reader easily loses interest. The central theme of literature is always how to manifest the human passion of love. Poetry is no exception; poems just use fewer words. Young people in particular are sensitive to poetic feelings and are readily intoxicated by the emotions evoked in poetry and literature. They are responding to the universal human desire to relate to love. (94:60, July 3, 1977)
How can peoples from diverse nations and languages share their feelings in a short time? It cannot be done with literature or fine arts. It can be done only through song. A song, though short, can express all kinds of feelings and capture anyone’s heart. What songs make us the happiest? Songs that praise the most precious Central Being of the universe. They attract the greatest attention of all beings, including all things in nature. When we sing God’s praises in the evening under the setting sun, we can move God’s heart to empathize with our emotions. Therefore, when you sing, do not sing casually, but place yourself in the positions of the composer and lyricist and feel their emotions. Then sing with a heart to praise God. Some songs are joyful and some songs are sad. When you sing joyful songs with a joyful heart, you harmonize with Heaven and rejoice alongside nature in the garden of joy. When you sing sad songs, you should open your chest as wide as possible and sing loudly in order to melt the world’s griefs and clean up the world’s sorrows. (270:11, May 3, 1995) |