Religion and Art

Moses said, “Show me your glory, I pray.”

And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, ‘The LORD’; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “You cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.”

And the LORD continued, “See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.”

--Judaism: Exodus 33:18-23

And let [a person] fix his mind in this manner, and awaken deep faith and joy, and make an image of the Buddha with all its signs. Then he gains merit which is vast, and great, and measureless, and limitless, and which can be neither weighed nor counted.

--Buddhism: “The Merit of Making Images”

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death--even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

--Christianity, Philippians 2:5-11

From the beginning all beings are Buddha.Like water and ice, without water not ice,Outside us no Buddhas.How near the truth, yet how far we seek,Like one in water crying “I thirst.”How vast is the heaven of boundless samadhi!How bright and transparent the moonlight of wisdom!What is there outside us, what is there we lack?Nirvana is openly shown to our eyes.This earth where we stand is the pure lotus land,And this very body, the body of Buddha.

--Zen Buddhism: Hakuin Ekaku’s Chant in Praise of Zazen.

Should there be images of God/gods/goddesses?

One of the “Ten Commandments” of Judaism (and Christianity) tells people not to make images. Why does that seem so different from the passage on making images in the Buddhist excerpt? Consider how the biblical passage Exodus 33:18-23 deals with the problem.

Philippians 2:5-11 has always been a key text in the debate about imaging God. Use an example of a representation of Jesus Christ to elucidate this.

The Dome of the Rock, one of the oldest Islamic works of architecture, carries a mosaic band above the arcades with an Arabic inscription (Kufic). Why does calligraphy receive such a heightened status in Islam?

What is your impression looking at the statue of the Buddha seated on a Lotus flower

Illustrate how language is used in the Chant in Praise of Zazen by Hakuin Ekaku. Try to explain the significance of the wording and structure of the poem in the context of Zen Buddhism.

From the beginning all beings are Buddha.Like water and ice, without water not ice,Outside us no Buddhas.How near the truth, yet how far we seek,Like one in water crying “I thirst.”How vast is the heaven of boundless samadhi!How bright and transparent the moonlight of wisdom!What is there outside us, what is there we lack?Nirvana is openly shown to our eyes.This earth where we stand is the pure lotus land,And this very body, the body of Buddha.

Why do you think the picture of Chinese calligraphy is considered religious art?

As Nataraja the Lord of the Dance, Shiva exhibits a manifestation of primal energy, designating the aspects of creation, preservation and destruction, illusion, and release. How does this representation differ most significantly from images or symbols referring to God in the monotheistic traditions?

Art and Religion

• Often art has served a religious purpose.• (A corrollary might be that in more ‘secular’ contexts art can become a

religion itself for some people.)• The best way to think about this is:

– (a) consider the powerful nature of art itself (to “humanize the world fo us” and to present things to us in a “humanly approachable way.”--Noel Carroll)

– (b) consider the role of art in mediating the absolute for us.• Art as:

– “open concept”--no criteria necessary or sufficient, but criteria none-the-less

– “game”– “ambiguous”

Various Religious Views

• Hinduism

• Monotheism(s)– Judaism– Christianity– Islam

• Buddhism

“Judgment” (Autun, France)

Gaugin. “Spirit of the Dead Watching”

Munch. “Madonna”

“Untitled.” Shirin Neshat.