The Anchoress
“Ephphatha” by the wonderful artist, Nathan-Brown
Linking you to two sites because you need to go see them yourself, rather than getting excerpts. Both of them reinforce a point I tried but failed to make a while back, about the use of art, and why it must be nurtured, valued and supported. Artists see things the rest of us do not. By “othersight” I don’t mean anything occultic. I simply mean the view of the inmost being -which I suspect brings us into a kind of commonality- brought forward and articulated on behalf of all of us.
I am not profound in this, of course, but increasingly people seem to take a practical mindset and relegate art to the sidelines. Recently I spoke to a dad whose 3 year-old daughter dances all day long; she would rather express herself through dance, than through speaking. For her dance is purer expression than speech. Words have so many things behind them, undertones, expediencies, confusing dualities.
The dad is concerned: you can’t make a living off of dancing; she can dance as a hobby. I asked, “but what if she is meant to be great; what if she is meant to communicate something through dance that will rock our world?”
That went over like the proverbial lead balloon.
Msgr. Charles Pope looks at “the gift” of art and introduces us to two prodigies. You will marvel. I was particularly struck by the composure of the 6 year old pianist. The young painter is a teenager, now.
Then, courtesy of my Elder Son, who always brings me interesting stuff, take a look at this:
The piece is a burroughs style cut-up poetry collage which forms the picture of Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination at Ford Theater. The piece was made over the course of 3 years.
After it loads, you can zoom in. It is…remarkable.
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