O FRIEND! In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the rose of love, and from the nightingale of affection and desire loosen not thy hold. – Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words
Can you paint upon the page of the world the ideal pictures of the Celestial Concourse? The pictures which are in the ideal world are eternal. I wish you to become such an artist. Man can paint those ideal picures upon the tablet of existence with the brush of deeds.
The holy, divine Manifestations are all heavenly artists. Upon the canvas of creation, with the brush of their deeds and lives they paint immortal pictures which cannot be found in any art museum of Europe or America. But you find the masterpieces of these spiritual artists in the hearts.
– ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Star of the West, Vol. V, p. 149
Importance of the Arts in Teaching the Faith
Compilation on the Arts
Arts and Architecture
Arts and Crafts
Networking Our Vision of the Core Concepts in Art
If a man* engageth with all his power in the acquisition of a science or in the perfection of an art, it is as if he has been worshipping God in churches and temples. Thus as thou enterest a school of agriculture and strivest in the acquisition of that science thou art day and night engaged in acts of worship – acts that are accepted at the threshold of the Almighty. What bounty greater than this that science should be considered as an act of worship and art as service to the Kingdom of God.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 126, pp. 144-45
* [man or woman] The Persian language is gender neutral.
Massive Art Quotations Resource
Klimova and Ponamarenko, Olympic Gold Medalists – photographed 1996 at the Tacoma Dome. This began as a low light photograph and ended up as a digital media painting.
“I rejoice to hear that thou takest pains with thine art, for in this wonderful new age, art is worship. The more thou strivest to perfect it, the closer wilt thou come to God. What bestowal could be greater than this, that one’s art should be even as the act of worshipping the Lord? That is to say, when thy fingers grasp the paintbrush, it is as if thou wert at prayer in the Temple.”
– ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
Compilations, The Importance of the Arts in Promoting the Faith
“Science does not attempt to address, nor is it capable of addressing, the mystery of our existence, our moments of transcendence, our search for meaning, love, or our mortality. It deals in what can be proved or disproved. But powerful non-rational forces in human life exist that cannot be quantified. To pretend they do not exist is to be as stunted as those who use the Bible to discredit science. … many of our greatest and most profound insights often come to us through the intuitive language of symbols, allegories, and dreams.”
– Chris Hedges, “On God: The Language of Dreams” Search Magazine
“Worthwhile art requires something of us. It insists that we become participants, what J. R. R. Tolkien has called ’sub-creators,’ in the process of understanding the ideas and insights to which the artist has given sensually perceptible form. Art which does not require this creative effort on our part usually has little of importance to say to us. Art which has no subtlety, which does not stretch us beyond our present awareness, simply reminds us of what we already know.”
– John Hatcher, The Divine Art of Revelation
“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance, and this, and not the external manner and detail, is true reality.” — Aristotle
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About the Arts
Can you paint upon the page of the world the ideal pictures of the Celestial Concourse? The pictures which are in the ideal world are eternal. I wish you to become such an artist. Man can paint those ideal picures upon the tablet of existence with the brush of deeds.
The holy, divine Manifestations are all heavenly artists. Upon the canvas of creation, with the brush of their deeds and lives they paint immortal pictures which cannot be found in any art museum of Europe or America. But you find the masterpieces of these spiritual artists in the hearts.
– ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Star of the West, Vol. V, p. 149
Importance of the Arts in Teaching the Faith
Compilation on the Arts
Arts and Architecture
Arts and Crafts
Networking Our Vision of the Core Concepts in Art
If a man* engageth with all his power in the acquisition of a science or in the perfection of an art, it is as if he has been worshipping God in churches and temples. Thus as thou enterest a school of agriculture and strivest in the acquisition of that science thou art day and night engaged in acts of worship – acts that are accepted at the threshold of the Almighty. What bounty greater than this that science should be considered as an act of worship and art as service to the Kingdom of God.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 126, pp. 144-45
* [man or woman] The Persian language is gender neutral.
Massive Art Quotations Resource
Klimova and Ponamarenko, Olympic Gold Medalists – photographed 1996 at the Tacoma Dome. This began as a low light photograph and ended up as a digital media painting.
“I rejoice to hear that thou takest pains with thine art, for in this wonderful new age, art is worship. The more thou strivest to perfect it, the closer wilt thou come to God. What bestowal could be greater than this, that one’s art should be even as the act of worshipping the Lord? That is to say, when thy fingers grasp the paintbrush, it is as if thou wert at prayer in the Temple.”
– ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Compilations, The Importance of the Arts in Promoting the Faith
“Science does not attempt to address, nor is it capable of addressing, the mystery of our existence, our moments of transcendence, our search for meaning, love, or our mortality. It deals in what can be proved or disproved. But powerful non-rational forces in human life exist that cannot be quantified. To pretend they do not exist is to be as stunted as those who use the Bible to discredit science. … many of our greatest and most profound insights often come to us through the intuitive language of symbols, allegories, and dreams.”
– Chris Hedges, “On God: The Language of Dreams” Search Magazine
“Worthwhile art requires something of us. It insists that we become participants, what J. R. R. Tolkien has called ’sub-creators,’ in the process of understanding the ideas and insights to which the artist has given sensually perceptible form. Art which does not require this creative effort on our part usually has little of importance to say to us. Art which has no subtlety, which does not stretch us beyond our present awareness, simply reminds us of what we already know.”
– John Hatcher, The Divine Art of Revelation
“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance, and this, and not the external manner and detail, is true reality.” — Aristotle
Tags: Baha'i, faithRelated posts