Music & Arts
Spotlight on the Arts
by The Rev. Canon Dr. Richard C. Lief,
Canon for the Performing and Visual Arts
Our recent trip to Russia was a memorable one not only because my father was born there some 112 years ago, but also because of the wondrous works of art we experienced at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg and the Tretyakov Gallery Moscow. Of particular interest to me was viewing first-hand Rembrandt’s Return of The Prodigal Son and Reblev’s Icon of The Holy Trinity.
Icon of The Holy Trinity by Andrei Reblev, circa 1410
Both of these works express the ineffable. They speak of something beyond ourselves, and by their magnificence draw us into an encounter with the holy and closer to the heart of God. This is what good art is all about - whether it be a fine drama, exquisite dance, poetry, painting, or sculpture. It sparks the creative imagination and leads us beyond the busyness of life into the realm for which our soul longs, to the core of our being. We cannot survive without poetry, song, dance, drama, the visual arts and the poetic vision of life. Without them we cannot discover the mystery of life.
Almost without knowing it, our culture has led to a place where we assume that verbal and analytical, objective and conceptual thinking provide the only avenue to truth and meaning. We short-change ourselves by neglecting the non-verbal, holistic, intuitive, feelings which are at the deepest centers of life. Our culture, devoted almost entirely to learning technical skills, has left us with a “vacuum of the heart.” The arts have the capacity to shape and enrich lives. A religious picture on a wall calendar, to use a simple example, may shape a child’s mental image of Christ long before he or she has learned anything about the Christian faith.
In 1997, when then Dean, John Chane asked me to form the Center for Performing and Visual Arts here at St. Paul’s, he said, “Cathedrals historically and traditionally have been places where unique and mystical encounters have been revealed through the medium of the performing and visual arts. This cathedral is therefore a sacred place where artistic hands, hearts, minds, and the human eye are all touched and opened in the most literal sense by the very hand of God.”
We continue to carry out this vision with our annual photography, youth and disabled artists art exhibitions in the Cathedral, which edify the artists as well as those who view their work.. Our drama productions are meant to evoke new understandings and deepen our faith. Our workshops using art, journal writing, readers theatre, sacred dance, and drama provide food for the imagination and the soul. Our film presentations, provide a means to profound discussion, insights, and implications for leading a deeper Gospel life. Our events which feature poetry, and dance productions, stir the soul.
You are invited to be a part of this great and progressive heritage. Regular meetings of the Cathedral Arts Committee are the second Saturday of the month at 4:30 pm in the Guild Room. Our activities are listed regularly on Web and in all Cathedral publications.
