Subscribe by email
Subscribe by RSS feed
On Faith & Art
July 27th, 2009
I’ve had a couple questions come my way lately asking me about my faith and my photography. Usually it’s a short question: “does your faith, or God, affect your photography?” I trust many of you have read my book, Within The Frame, or are long-term readers who know I’m not about to turn this into a pulpit. I preach often, but usually about gear and vision and the trappings of our craft. When I do speak on matters of faith it is not often about my own, so I trust you’ll read the rest of this without worrying that I’m about to step off into the deep end of propaganda.
Fact is, faith is a profound part of the human experience, and while we’ve an unusual taboo about discussing such things in the west, I’m never quite sure why. I mean, other than the fact that it draws such strong feelings from us that we’re ready to kill and plunder over the matter, even when what we feel so strongly about seems to include fairly unambiguous commands to love and not kill (no, not even when the infidel/heretic/insert-favourite-bad-guy-here really pushes your hallowed buttons.) Given how profoundly important our beliefs are – theistic or otherwise – I’m surprised we don’t discuss the connection between faith and art more openly. I mean, if it does stir such strong feelings, isn’t this a source we ought to explore, or at very least inform our art? Poets for centuries, and most particularily the bad ones, have allowed their love and lust to inform their poetry, so why not allow faith, or more broadly, allow your beliefs in general,to consciously inform your photography?
I was chatting with my friend Jeffrey Chapman in NYC, debating the issue of art vs. craft. He said something that caught me as profound. Art must have something of the artist within. It’s an act of expression, of self-revelation, and as such what is on the inside comes out on the outside. Honest art – and all art is honest or it’s propaganda or kitsch – reveals something of the artist, whether others see it or not. To return to what Jeffrey was saying, not everyone likes or understands Jackson Pollock’s work, but that doesn’t make it any less an act of revelation or expression.
And so of course faith comes into play. It must. It’s so inextricably part of our deepest being it should inform what we shoot, how we shoot it and why. We might not be aware of it. it might not seem overly spiritual, but what we create comes from the things we believe about life, ourselves, others, and God’s presence – or absence. What is the history of western art without the crucifixion, a symbol of both God’s presence and His absence?
So what? Well for people who identify themselves as people of faith, and those who do not, it’s an appeal to tend to your deepest places. We create from the inside out, and how you perceive the world, what you want to show to the rest of us, and how you want to do that, is connected to the inside. Neglecting the inner life in favour of memorizing the B&H catalog, is bound to lead to work that is less inspired than the work you create when you are engaged in life, and filling the creative, spiritual, and emotional well constantly.
For me, my deeply held faith shapes who I am, and is the prime mover in my life. It’s why I work with the people I do and tell the stories I tell. It’s why I advocate for respect and kindness, why I feel stories about the poor and excluded not only can be told, but must be told. It’s why much of my work centers around the two primal hungers of man – hunger of the body and hunger of spirit. I like to think that the light of this comes through in my images, that because I believe, like St. Paul wrote: now abideth these three things, faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love, my work looks toward hope and is created, I trust, be the effect of all three.
If art is to have something of the artist within, then the things we think and believe are not trifling details, they are the starting place for any act of expression.
Thoughts? Stories? Given the subject matter, let’s keep this passionate but inclusive. Anyone using this chance to evangelize my readers will find their comments removed. It’s my blog and any evangelism, crusades or inquisitions get done by me alone. Get your own blog and find your own readers to abuse. No, seriously. Also, this is my 700th post. Where does the time go? They grow up so fast…
Really great post! Thank you!
Thank you!
I was born and given baptism, some years later after some teachings I was ready for my First Holy Communion. Years later while in High School I was Confirmed and a few years back I became an Atheist. I believe any kind of supernatural training hurts little minds. There’s not God that watches over us and no God that will judge us and teaching these things to young kids should be banned.
I understand that you and your family probably have a “deep connection” to your faith but if you were born a Hindu or a Muslim or another faith wouldn’t you live by and protect that faith blindly? wouldn’t you have the same talents? its not a logical thought to bind faith to your work unless you work for your church.
I believe in the natural, I believe in this planet that we’re abusing and mistreating and maybe if a few more people would focus their wills on the Natural and forget the Supernatural this world might start healing.
I also know that religion hurts/sidelines people. There are representatives of your faith that go to third world countries and give people trinkets and inject their faith into them just like it has been done in south america. Those indigenous people had their gods too but I guess they weren’t as important as yours.
Sorry to be so negative (realist). I think people should think logically and not follow blindly what they’re were injected as little children.
There are more of us out there
http://www.the-brights.net
I think David is talking about faith and not religion. I agree religion can hurt people. Everyone believes in something even if it’s in “the natural” as you call it or a belief that there is no God.
I think David is talking about sharing our faith through art and giving it a perspective that others can see. It’s not about forcing our beliefs on someone else……
Just my opinion……
I think that perhaps we avoid discussions of faith because such discussions could be potentially divisive, and at our core we all really do want to get along. There can be no doubt however that one’s faith will influence one’s photography. I don’t mean to imply that one has to have a particular faith in order to create a particular type of image. I don’t believe that. But I do believe that one’s worldview and beliefs will show in one’s photography, particularly as one battles to craft one’s vision.
I could no more separate my faith from my photography than I could separate my faith from any other aspect of my life. My faith inspires me. It strengthens me. It enlightens me. It fills my soul with a purpose and a meaning. My faith in God grants me the courage to explore my craft in ways I never thought possible. My faith allows me to fail in my art, over and over again without losing my love for the journey. It allows me to learn and to teach. It grants me peace.
To answer your question, yes my faith in God profoundly affects my photography. For that I am eternally grateful.
Our Faith will have a big impact on choosing What and How we photograph a subject/theme. It affects how we approach and relate to those we photograph, how we filter information, how/where we find inspiration, etc.. It shapes our World View.
There’s no avoiding it…
Yes, even for the person whose “faith” and confidence is founded entirely on one’s own self, intellect or material things. This will have an impact on who they are, their “World View” and their photographic, creative decision making process. –– every area of their life.
For me my photography is both worship and participation in the ongoing creative love of God. Without faith my work is “uninformed” and, while no less worship or participation, it was “uninformed” until God broke into my life and woke my faith. Now it is fully conscious and I go about with camera in hand and a continously thankful, worshipful heart. We see not by the light without but by the light within.
Boy, Al, I don’t think you could have missed the point more if you intentionally tried. I’ve left your post intact even though it borders on picking a fight. My prupose here was to say that whatever your worldview, it affects and should affect your photography. Someone like you who has a purely naturalistic worldview will photograph out of that worldview and to be more conscious of that worldview and how it gets expressed in your photography will make your photography more uniquely expressive. I didn’t for a moment put down your faith/anti-faith or whatever but your diatribe comes close to intolerance.
You’re welcome here, please allow others to feel that too. Further conversation on this thread should be limited to the discussion at hand, please. I very much don’t want this to turn into further negativity and another adventure in missing the point. We could talk long and hard about the horrors commited in the name if theism, atheism, and any other ism you chose, but that’s not the point of this thread. Please respect me on this or I’ll get out the delete button.
I think what Al has written really misses the point of what David was talking about. He’s not discussing religion here, but rather a more universal outlook on faith – what we believe in, what drives us. What Al writes also has no relevance whatsoever to photography or being creative and I think that’s really the point of this post, to see what drives you from within to create your art, in fact the comment looks a bit “generic” rather than an actual reply to this post, but anyway…
I don’t believe in God in the sense that any of the major religions believe in God. In fact, I don’t know if I believe at all that there is a God, I don’t know who he or she is and don’t pretend to know. However, my personal views, regardless of how right I may feel they are give me no right to push them onto others. I don’t appreciate when someone tries to “save me” and so I don’t try to “open people’s eyes” to my “truth”.
There are such things as subjective truths. If a God exists in the mind of a particular person or a culture and shapes everything in his/her life, then that God is definitely present in some form, at least in one life or one culture. Are these beliefs limiting? They can be, but they are also empowering to many and that has to be considered too. Can anyone say with certainty that without “Gods” and religions there would be no wars and eternal peace on earth? First of all, it’s hard to find an atheist civilization throughout history, all had Gods or beliefs in a higher power of some kind, but even if you “rid” the world of religions – to say that there’d peace is pretty naive. Anyhow, that’s not the point here and the topic is much more complex and deserves more attention that a reply on a blog post.
Religion certainly doesn’t influence my art, but faith or rather, in my case – beliefs? Well they have everything to do with what and how I create. My beliefs are simple – respect yourself, treat others with the same respect you give yourself and appreciate the world you live in (don’t abuse the environment etc). I’m open, curious and have affinity and empathy for other people and their cultures. I think these beliefs give me infinite flexibility in my work and from a practical point of view, it gets me close to the people I photograph. No matter what religion a person is, he/she can feel if you give them respect or not, my work depends a heck of a lot on that respect.
In terms of the concepts behind my work, the same curiosity and beliefs drive me to learn, to know the world through photography, because in my mind a culture which is different from my own is just as interesting, maybe more so because I do not yet know as much about it. I think that ultimately my work reflects that curiosity and empathy for my subjects.
Interesting topic David, couldn’t resist posting something. Thanks for “stealing” all the time out of my life that it took to write the response.
Great, now B&H has become a false prophet and I’m back to worshiping at the altars of Hobby, Jarvis, Kelby and the apostle of vision; duChemin.
At least I can “buy” what you’re selling without getting in trouble at home.
Personally, I’m not particularly religious, I’m not sure if I have a lot of “faith” in things spiritual or the divine, but that doesn’t mean I’m not open to others who are, or want to express themselves with or through their faith.
Do you think that means that the spirituality others can draw on is equally “lacking” in my own photos (or maybe I need the 85mm f/1.2)?
So many people grew up with their religion as a large part of their life, how could it not influence them?
Maybe your own faith led to a better partnership with WVC – but that’s just synergy (or fate?). At the end of the day you’re a good person, doing great work for a worthy cause.
@Mitchell – Thanks. You hit the nail on the head.
@JVL – Really when I wrote this I was addressing the impact – or potential impact of faith and belief on one’s art. Taken in the broadest sense, everyone holds to something – they have beliefs about what the world is, what they wish it was, and how to go about changing that. Even our interlocutor at the top, Al, has beliefs – his comments are full of them – about these things. And those beliefs – theistic, deistic, pantheistic, or atheistic – all form part of our vision. There are those that would say they have beliefs, but that they don’t affect their life, or their art, in which case I would say those are closer to some form of “mental assent” than deeply held beliefs. Beliefs are those deepest things that motivate everything we do. Even the most scientific mind begins with a priori beliefs. So that’s the long way of saying that I don’t think you have to worry about not having a pool from which to draw. You do. It’s just different than the one from which I draw, and that too is my point – we draw from these deep, personal places, all of them unique, and the things we express through the lens will also be deep, personal, and unique. Or have the potential to be so. But take it from me, plenty of spiritual people create shallow art – or worse, propaganda. So art is not the domain of believers of a certain stripe.
I agree with David on all of the points that he has raised about faith or more specifically world view and how it will be an inherent part of our photography or art. It’s something that we often forget about and I’m now wishing I’d bought “Within The Frame” this summer while I was home in Canada. It’s nice to follow a professional photographer who has a strong belief system and allows it (and sometimes probably forces it) to come through in his work. Thanks David
.
I applaud you for how well you have stated the heart of the matter. Thank you!
I’ve been thinking about this similar topic for a while now. I definitely agree that we need to broaden the discussion to include how our beliefs and faith(s) impact the way in which we photograph and view the world. There’s no tip toeing around the topic, it happens and we need to accept it.
From my own personal journey in this, I’ve been at the point in the discussion (which could be the early stages) of who far will my faith and world view shape my photography. Where will it lead me and how can I interpret my faith into tangible evidences in my photographs.
I think the main premiss is, how can we let every aspect of who we are affect and impact are vision to show others our corner of humanity in a meaningful way.
@ Jordan, you said:
How can we let every aspect of who we are affect and impact our vision to show others our corner of humanity in a meaningful way?
Bingo. This hits the nail on the head and while the response we find to this question will differ from person to person I think it’s huge. As Jeffrey Chapman’s said to me before, the art must contain something of the artist. I think the more deeply we feel about something, the more deeply we can express it through our art, and that in turn has the potential to be perceived, and resonated with, more deeply too.
I think the phrase Chris uses is a good one for this discussion, and that is “belief system”. Unfortunately, when ever we mention the word “faith” it comes with a whole bunch of connotations some cannot get past. My Art certainly reflects my belief system. I photograph mountain scenes because it moves me emotionally. I believe these are places of great beauty and value and so I try to express that.
Most of my life I have been a motorcyclist and spent some years racing. Eventually I dropped out of racing because, among other reasons, I could not reconcile the apparent waste of motorsports with the destruction of the wilderness that I am so emotionally tied to. So, along with that choice, motorsports and auto events are not part of my art. It is a choice I have made based on my belief system.
This, in my view, is what David is trying to discuss. Our values and beliefs are inherently tied to our art and influence the vision we have. Thanks for hitting on this David. It reminds us that photography is not just a technical exercise.
Once again you have put words to my jumbled thoughts.
Photographically speaking…If I fill my mind with the ideas and teachings of things I am passionate about, I cannot help the effects that they will have on my vision. If I am a visual story teller, I will retell the stories that grip me. If I am an evangelist I hope that what I am selling is meaningful to me. We are all evangelist weather we know it or not and the good ones are passionate about what they are saying. Allowing that passion to influence art and craft is a process that takes a while and is constantly refined.
Stepping outside photographic terms, it is interesting to note that the same ideas can be applied to religious evangelism, corporate evangelism or whatever other idea you are passionate about. If passion feeds vision…what is fueling passion?
Andrew nailed exactly what my comment was going to be – “faith” is a word loaded with meanings, and when you start to unpack them, that’s where lots of the differences lie, especially for those who fall into the realm of atheism, or in my case, Unitarian Universalism; two belief systems against which the word “faith” has been used as a weapon. There’s an important reason why we can’t get past that particular word.
But if by “faith” you mean simply “worldview”, or “what we believe in, what drives us,” then I’m in total agreement. There is something you see that motivates you to press the button and preserve the image that appears both in your reality and in your mind’s eye. Something moved you, and you were moved to capture it to show to others.
David,
Props to you for throwing something out that would be like raw meat into a S. American river…
I would only echo many who have see the drive of your post (I’d call it fruits of the spirit, or the reflection of what’s in you that guides or directs you) and not been sidetracked onto a soap box…
As you said above, a deep internal passion will yield passionate work. Faith aside, I love my family, some of my best work is of them. To some just another portrait, but to me. SO much more. My faith just reinforces the passion I take into shooting those who mean the most to me.
Thank you for your transparency, your honesty is clear, in your work and your words.
All the best! – Adam
Ahhh David, i’d love a good in-depth discussion about this with you! It’s a wonderfully interesting subject.
I’ll try to be brief although I rarely manage it. I think you hit the nail on the head with “whatever your worldview, it affects and should affect your photography”. My religious views border on the devout in one sense, and the downright blasphemous on the other. It depends which angle you come at it from and I tend to come at things from more angles than one of Shane Warne’s overs.
First up, I tend not to use the word faith because I think that pigeonholes things before we even start. I prefer more abstract terms like belief or understanding. In that context, and because as you so rightly say, religion can be an emotively charged subject at the best of times, I look at it this way. If I don’t believe in God, I die, and I go to heaven/hell, then that’s really going to mess with my head. In fact, it’d probably send me crazy. If I do believe in God, I die, and there’s nothing there, then again, my life on this world is going to have been pretty fundamentally messed up.
For that reason I tend to think that belief and lack of belief in God are pretty much the same thing in the sense that each perspective allows us to perceive the world and make sense of it in a way that enables us to get through life. There’s no right or wrong, since neither option can be proved to the others satisfaction, but what there is within all of us, is exactly what you say; a worldview that affects and should affect our photography.
I have my devout opinions and I have those blasphemous ones too, but I don’t wake up in the morning thinking “I must go out and convert the world to my beliefs!!”. In fact, i’m more likely to wake up wondering “who hid the teabags?” and “I hope I put that milk in the fridge last night”.
We are all the product of our unique lives and hatred for something is as powerful a motivator as love. The bits in-between? Yep, they motivate us to, whether we like it or not. We are who we are, and we do what we do, in the way only we can. The trick, if there is one, is to know who we are, and then go out and express it. Lovingly and passionately.
Thanks to all of you. See, this is why I spend such time on this thing – this is a community of respectful kind people and it shows in our interactions. I always put these things out there in fear & trembling knowing the potential for it to blow up in my face and terribly disappoint me. But time and time again I’m shown wrong about that. This community has avoided the nasties and the bar-fighters for a long, long time – here’s hoping for more year of that.
Thanks to all of you for contributing and making these discussions more than just agreement, but taking it on rabbit trails and adding your own wisdom and experience. I think exchanges like this are a rarity in a world where everyone seems bent on being right.
I like your last bit there David. “I think exchanges like this are a rarity in a world where everyone seems bent on being right.” or to quote a cousin with enough emotional damage to warrant a full time rubber room “I’d rather be in relationship than be ‘right’ “. Photography is much the same. No?
Brave words here David as was the risk you took talking about vision in a book.
I see what you are saying as vision (for lack of a better word) If you feel, you should tell the story you feel not someone else’s. You and many others shoot what you feel in the deepest part of you and that is what I take away from this post and WTF. Faith is that deepest part of us no matter what it is called and has nothing to do with any ism or outer idea. Images become much more powerful when they tell that inner story as well as the one in the viewfinder.
Although I may see the world and faith a bit differently than you I say “Well Said David” and something we should all take stock of much more often. Our work and life would be better for seeing and acting from that inner vision.
To me, this post is less about faith/religion and more about what it means to be an artist. As David said (paraphrasing), the act of making art requires a deep honesty, and a complete openness to what is going on around you.
I had an artist-mentor once that said “ideas are airborne”. She also said “keep your hands moving faster than your brain”. What she meant by these statements is that when an idea hits you, you have to run with it and not worry about whether or not you’re the only one with that idea. Your approach will be unlike anyone else’s (if you remain open and honest), so it won’t come off as copying. Secondly, if you allow your conscious, logical brain to catch up with what you’re doing, you will inevitably edit your art into oblivion. Or become intimidated and never let anyone see it.
So, applying those thoughts to David’s post, if you are a person of faith it can’t help but come out in your work. Or if you’re an atheist/agnostic. If one remains open to the creative process and doesn’t get in its way, any life story anecdote is likely to rear its head in your work.
That artistic openness to what’s in the air also leads itself to a kind of psychic awareness as well (though often you don’t realize it was prophetic until after the fact). Case in point: I was writing an album (I’m also a musician). After I gathered the songs I noticed there was a theme of death, or grief, to the album. But everything was fine in my life. As we finished recording, my wife was diagnosed with brain cancer, from which she later died. I’ve talked to many artists who have had this “accidentally prophetic” experience. And in every case, it happened when they worked hard, but got out of the way of what was coming to them and put it down on paper/on tape/whatever as fast as they could. Before they could think about it.
Back to photography, you see this all the time. Quite often, for me at least, the photos that really knock me over are not technically perfect. In fact they quite often are technically flawed. But coming through those flaws (or perhaps because of the flaws) is the soul of the artist. Then there are the photos that are, in fact, technically perfect. Superbly-crafted photographs. As a technician, you can reverse-engineer them to give yourself tools for future projects. But as an experience, as a piece of art, they often aren’t saying much. I like gear as much as the next photographer, but gear talk drives me crazy, as I think it’s missing the point. I couldn’t care less what brush Picasso used, and I dare say he wouldn’t be able to tell you.
Get out in front of your brain, where you have no idea what you’re doing, and you’re scared; that’s where you’ll find the real you. And the real art.
Thanks David for a great post.
My roots are within the Christian tradition; I might call myself a Celtic mystic. I’m not certain how much my Christian tradition affects my photography. However, my Celtic and mystical orientation definitely are very much at the foundation of my photography. The Celtic part takes form in the dominance of the natural world in my photography. When it comes to the mystical component, photography for me is a very mystical activity. Vincent Versace speaks of being pulled through the lens of the camera; I know exactly what he means. When I am in the field, I often feel that I have moved beyond space and time.
I have a feeling the opposite might be equally true… show your portfolio and we’ll tell you what you believe.
Faith/belief absolutely shines through artistic work. What comes to mind immediately (thinking of photography in particular here) is the way people on the margins are approached and photographed. If the photographer holds a belief that the poor are precious and valuable, regardless of their circumstances, that comes through. And if the photographer holds a belief that the poor deserve their lot in life, that comes through too.
It’s a powerful exercise for an artist to look at their body of work, to see if it reflects what they think they believe. Takes more courage than many have. But I tend to think it’s one of the most valuable things one can do.
Well put! Another great post in the books.
I love this post and these responses. Sorry to join in so late. I really resonate with much that has been posted above. If David will allow me to take the conversation in a slightly different direction. The fear of the use of words like religion and to my surprise even the word faith caused me to think. When I first moved to Asia 15 year ago, I remember thinking some similar thoughts, “religion is a highly personal thing, no need to bring it up”, etc… But over the years I realized that in the West we are a lot more scared of labels and talk about religion than folks in the East. Dare I say, “most people” in the east have a strong a vibrant faith some some kind based in some sort of religion and they are eager to talk about it. Many do want to convert you. That is a part of their faith. I do not feel threatened by it. If anything I see it as a great opportunity to learn.
I can walk into most any mosque or temple and get into a wonderful and passionate conversation about God, belief and faith all without anger. Yes, it can get passionate, but this can be good. I find my compassion and willingness to listen to their faith (remember this is very important to them) and my desire to understand more about their beliefs becomes the key to keeping the conversation from going from passion to anger. Why even get into these conversations? I do this to inform my worldview. As I have said, religion is very important to these cultures outside the West. If we don’t understand that, then we are capturing only a fraction of the image. But just to know that they are people of faith is not enough. I personally want to know more about their faith.
I know that my faith informs my vision. In understanding this principle I can now understand that someone else faith also informs and shapes their vision. The subject’s vision and world view. Once I understand more I can take a shot of a subject and have a better chance at really expressing their views, their heart, their faith.
I hope I haven’t taken us too far off topic.
I cannot help to wonder what reactions David’s posting would bring if instead of ‘faith’ he had used ‘belief’, or any equivalent. Even if what you write, David, may be perceived as a gathering of thoughts about how one’s spiritual background influences his/her art, I think some of us, the readers, may understand you better by putting things in perspective: you photograph mostly people, and mostly for humanitarian causes or entities. In any case, as a photographer with different interests and exploring different avenues, I do not understand why anyone would take exception to what you are saying. Who we are influences, consciously or not, our photography. To various degrees, all the way to the absence of, culture, education, social class, human experiences, upbringing, ethnicity, faith and so on will form or deform or vision. I don’t mean to be more cynical than usual, but out of my photographic library, the books I found the more interesting are all the creations of people deeply motivated by a strong belief (faith?): in religion, or in a political system, or in humanity, or in whatever the author sincerely believes in, without turning to or bordering propaganda or proselytism. So if ‘faith’ is what helps David to build a strong body of work centered on humanity, I appreciate that, because it must be the same belief that pushes him to share with us.
Like Matt, I have been in Asia for some time (in my case most of the last 23 years) and would concur with him that public expression of faith (including artistic ones) appears to only be a problem in cultures significantly influenced by the European “Enlightenment” (my Buddhist neighbours, of course, use the term with a significantly different meaning
). For Pre-Euro Enlightenement artists and thinkers, for those who have always been outside the flow of its stream of thought and, indeed for many of those who have chosen to swim counter to it there doesn’t seem to be any great issue. Of course, what you believe (at the core) can influence your art. As, indeed can the inner struggles within your belief experience and points where you beliefs are counter-cultural.
In the end, it can be argued, even the belief that beliefs should be relegated to the private domain is a ‘faith’ position and that can itself be (and has been) reflected in the art of individuals and societies where it has significant influence.
I don’t think David’s idea was that we get into a discussion, here, of the relative merits of different faiths, belief systems and worldviews although, as I have intimated, I believe that would be a perfectly reasonable topic for public discussion in the appropriate forum or environment (ideally accompanied by the bevarages of participants personal choice – a subject of only slightly less controversy).
Rather the issue here is simply that what we (passionately, as opposed to superficially) believe will, and indeed should, influence our lives, our communication, and our art. As such, regular visits to the inner sanctuary (or desert places?) are to be encouraged.
I believe!
My faith is my vision. Photography allows me to see the world in a new and POSITIVE light every day. It doesn’t get better than that.
The simplistic answer is of course our faith determines our art. It can be faith in yourself, faith in God, faith in goodness of others, faith in the evil of mankind, faith in good design, faith in the beauty of chaos, etc. But whatever you believe will shape your art in some way. It might be at the beginning of the process by what you choose to shoot, or at the end by what images you choose to share. The interesting thing to me is what happens when your art begins to shape your faith.
By spending time with your art, it can lead to a deepening of your faith. By taking photos of the homeless in America, you might notice the despair in the faces and it can lead you to spending more time helping those in need. By taking photos of the poor in another country, you might notice the happiness in their faces. This can lead to comparing the two sets of photos and coming to a conclusion about wealth, poverty, and culture that shapes your faith and motivates not only your art, but your day to day life.
By spending time with your art, it could also lead to a crisis of faith. It can lead to a moment to where you are faced with the hard question of “Is what I believe actually true?” This can be your belief or disbelief in God, the things you believe about God, what you believe about mankind, or even what you believe about yourself. It’s then you must make a decision that will change the way you interact with the world around you. It’s those physical decisions that reflect your faith. Anyone can say the believe or disbelieve in a god, it’s the way they live on a day to day basis that truly manifests what they believe. Our art should be a manifestation of those deep beliefs. It should spur not only others to think about their faith, but it should also shape us and change us.
Photography can just be a captured reflection of the world around us, but it will always be a reflection from our own eye and our own perspective. With better hardware and software it is easier than ever to create technically “perfect” photos. But is that what we really want? If our world were perfect, would we need photography or art?
Well, I’m not so sure. I’m an atheist (although I think the word is inappropriate, because it is defined by opposition to something I don’t think exists – others are theists actually
), and I don’t think that my “belief system” is particularly visible through my photography. Sure, what I photograph is seen from my perspective, my point of view. The choice of subject may be significant too. But I’m not sure this is all so different from what somebody with another belief system would photograph. I would rather use the term “personality”.
David, I did not understand your reference to the poets, “particularly the bad ones,” and why their emphasis on “love and lust” should inform our photography. The good poets — think Keats, Wordsworth, Tennyson, Tagore, Shakespeare — used their beliefs, their faith, their understanding of life and God, to shape their poetry. That was the message you were trying to convey, so why turn to the “bad” poets to bolster your position?
BTW, here’s my one gripe about Jackson Pollack… It’s one thing to commit suicide; it’s quite another to take someone with you when you do it. Well, to be honest about it, I never cared much for his painting either.
Ron, I think I was just being clever about the poets. There seems to be an overabundance of mediocre/bad poetry about love and lust and all things fluffy, and i was saying if they can allow those feelings to dominate their poetry then so can others allow faith/belief etc. to inform their art as well. We’re in absolute agreement that the finer ones do – only this month I referenced Gerard Manley Hopkins in a post. Why turn to the “bad” poets to bolster my position? Like I said, just being clever. My point could have been more clearly made. Everyone gets to write something stupid once in a while, right?
(As for Pollock, it was an example pulled from a recent conversation, I know nothing more about him but what you’ve said is pretty tragic…)
Bernard. I think if you follow the thread in the comments you’ll see we’re talking about our fundamental beliefs about life and the world. For some of us we feel comfortable with the word “faith” and as i write only of what I know, that’s the position from which I come. But we all have an a priori set of beliefs, values and so on, those include, I think, what we like and dislike even from an aesthetic perspective. But more than that I still think your worldview affects what you shoot and how.
In fact I think that even the hardened journalist is affected by what they fundamentally think/believe. One has only to listen to James Nachtwey talk about what he does and why to see that his worldview is implicitly involved. Objectivity is, at best, a fuzzy goal.
I hope I’ve been clear in saying this is not limited to belief in a religious sense. That may, or may not, be involved. Simply, and others have said this too in the comments, art that comes from the deeper places of our being – the same place our fundamental beliefs/worldview/faith come from – the same place that in part makes us the unique person we are – the more unique and personal our art.
“art that comes from the deeper places of our being – the same place our fundamental beliefs/worldview/faith come from – the same place that in part makes us the unique person we are – the more unique and personal our art.”
OK, I fully agree with that!
Thanks.
See, I knew we could all get along.
Thanks for being part of the discussion Bernard.
[...] and Read More: pixelatedimage.com SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "On Faith & Art – David duChemin (pixelatedimage)", url: [...]
What an awesome discussion! I’ve just finished reading every post and there are so many great additions to the discussion. Thank you everyone who posted and shared their viewpoints on this topic. It really has been a pleasure to read.
Have you ever read JPII Letter to the Artist. He shares that some of the best art has been inspired by scripture….and that in a certain sense we are all artist called to make of our own lives a masterpiece.
[...] DuChemin recently had an interesting blog post regarding faith and art. And it sparked a lot of commentary, which is almost as interesting as the [...]
[...] El otro día leí un artículo que me gustó mucho sobre la fe y el arte. El artículo fue escrito por el fotógrafo David duChemin. David es un fotógrafo mundial que enfoca en fotografía humanitaria. La pregunta que hizo fue, ¿En que manera afecta la fotografía nuestra fe o creencias en Dios? Me pareció muy importante la pregunta. Aun si no es una persona religiosa nuestras creencias o nuestra visión mundial deben afectar lo que hacemos y que tipo de fotografías tomamos. Para mi las imágenes mas impactantes son las que muestran pasión, visión o creencias profundas. Para leer el artículo de David duChemin en Inglés haz clic aqui. [...]
Wow. Very nutritious post and comments. Lots of tasty morsels. Well done everyone!
[...] El otro día leí un artículo que me gustó mucho sobre la fe y el arte. El artículo fue escrito por el fotógrafo David duChemin. David es un fotógrafo mundial que enfoca en fotografía humanitaria. La pregunta que hizo fue, ¿En que manera afecta la fotografía nuestra fe o creencias en Dios? Me pareció muy importante la pregunta. Aun si no es una persona religiosa nuestras creencias o nuestra visión mundial deben afectar lo que hacemos y que tipo de fotografías tomamos. Para mi las imágenes mas impactantes son las que muestran pasión, visión o creencias profundas. Para leer el artículo de David duChemin en Inglés haz clic aqui. [...]
[...] On Faith & Art by David duChemin addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.belhaven.edu%2Fgraphic-design%2Ffaith-art%2F'; addthis_title = 'Faith+%26%23038%3B+Art'; addthis_pub = ''; [...]