Art and Hidden Art

Leonardo da Vinci painted “The Last Supper” between 1594 and 1598. The Italian government recently spent millions of dollars in the 1990’s to restore the painting. Italian artist Pinin Brambilla Barcilon and her team have worked “flake by flake” to repair the painting. Some say the painting has “life and light” again, but others say that the painting is no longer truly by Leonardo da Vinci, but by Brambilla.

Do you think that it is a good idea for governments to spend millions of dollars on art restoration like this project? How much money does your government spend on art or art restoration?

Italy is an example of a country that has many relics of the past - buildings, art, manuscripts - but these relics carry a responsibility and financial burden - to protect them, care for them and perhaps manage them so that the public can see them. Does your native country have many relics of the past? How does your native culture value such things?

How do you value art? What is your favorite kind of art - performance arts like theater or music or dance, written art, painting, drawing, or sculpture?

Only a few artists are recognized by society. Yet, most people are artists in some way. This is “hidden art.” A mother may arrange flowers on the table for a dinner party. A father may write a beautiful letter to his son. These people have artistic ability and when they use it, it gives pleasure to others. Tell about hidden art in you and your family. What kinds of art do you practice in hidden ways?

God gave instructions to Moses for clothes for priests:

“Then they hammered out gold sheets and cut them into threads to be woven in with the blue and the purple and the scarlet material, and the fine linen, the work of a skilled workman . . . And he made the breastpiece . . and they mounted four rows of stones on it. The first row was a row of ruby, topaz and emeralds. The second row of turquoise, a sapphire and a diamond; and the third row, a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst; and the fourth row, a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper. They were set in gold filigree settings when they were mounted. And the stones were corresponding to the names of the sons of Israel.” Exodus 39:3-14

God is an artist. We see His design of mountains, trees, butterflies and things of nature. Here in the Bible, we also see Him as an artist using the natural things, like stones, to make new and beautiful things. When we see human art today, we think also of the Great Artist, God, who created our imagination and gave us the materials to work with. Do you think about God when you see art? Why or why not?