A transformative journey that combines traditional Catholic spirituality with holistic artistic formation and is offered to everyone. Become the creative you were meant to be. Designed by David Clayton, Artist-in-Residence at the Scala Foundation and Provost, Pontifex University
The Vision for You is a process by which we discovered our true calling in life—what we call our ‘personal vocation’; and through which we discovered the Great Fact—that we have a choice in life: WE CAN CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY OR TO BE MISERABLE.
What is Beauty? Is it objective or subjective? Is beauty really in the eye of the beholder?It has been said that we fear what we do not understand. We grow to hate what we fear. And we destroy what we hate. In many ways we do not understand Beauty, and we have tried to destroy it. We try to destroy Beauty by robbing it of power. We do this by trivializing it. We make beauty something "pretty" with no power to speak to us.
The state of "Christian art" is frequently, and not without reason, criticized as being substandard but the solution is simple. If you want art that "leads to God through the appreciation of beauty, harmony, goodness, truth and love, respect, unity and the transcendent," then patronize that type of art. If you have the means, commission that type of art.
Priest, Prophet and King, all of the baptized are invested in these three offices. The degree to which they fulfill these offices will depend on their individual gifts, talents, and calling.
But how, specifically does an artist fulfill the role of priest? To answer this we must first briefly examine the role of the priest and the Sacraments of the Church.
Earn credit for Pontifex University's Master of Sacred Arts through St Cecilia Academy for Pastoral Musicians, Archdiocese of New York.
St Cecilia Academy of Pastoral Musicians, which is at St Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, NY offers a four-course 12 credit, Masters level certificate. Pontifex University will recognize these classes as constituting a concentration in sacred music as part of the Master of Sacred Arts program.
We recommend these courses to all pastoral musicians, whether for credit or personal enrichment in service of the Church.
This summer Pontifex University is proud to sponsor a unique workshop taking place in Italy. "The Art and Theology of the Catholic Reformation in Rome", which will take place this August 6 - 17 at the Accademia Urbana delle Arti in the center of Rome. This intensive two-week/60- hour course will provide a comprehensive overview of the painting methods of artists of the Catholic Reformation and the theology that underpinned their works.
John of Fiesole (Fra Angelico),the patron of Christian artists,left us many paintings but few words. The quotes that are attributed to him, however, speak volumes.
The lure of adulation, praise, and recognition, is a tempting one. But ultimately it may lead us away from the path God has put us on. Humility is often seen as a weakness, something that keeps us from achieving all that we are capable of. But this is the wrong way to look at it. When we stop seeking the approval of others, we begin to focus our gifts and talents on pleasing God.
A Christian, who is an artist, who is well grounded in their faith, who has formed their conscience in the teachings of the Church, will produce Christian art. It doesn't matter if it is a portrait, a landscape, a superhero movie, or pop song, that artist will produce work that is consistent with teachings and values of their faith.
A "Christian Artist" is always Christian first, and then an artist, because the gift of artistic talent is the gift that has been given them to preach to the world. That does not mean that the work has to be heavy-handed in its message. It is often better if it is not.
Should a Christian artist paint themes from pagan mythology, other religions, or even fantasy motifs?
Many artists who are deeply grounded in their Christian faith, especially those just starting out in their career, have questions about what is and is not appropriate subject matter. In a previous post I addressed nudity and the Christian artist, today I would like to address subjects that don't seem to have anything to do with Christianity at all.
The story of our salvation is really the only story, and we retell it in endless variations. Even the ancient pre-Christian mythologies echo the story of Christ and His salvific role.
Think of it this way. Imagine time as a slow moving river. All of human history takes place within this river, from the first humans upstream to the present day somewhere further downstream. Each of us live out our lives in a current of this river, overlapping with others.
As humans our perception of time is linear. We look back upstream and see a sequence of events that have led us to where we are now. But God stands outside the river. God stands on the riverbank observing the passage of the stream. To God, all of our history is happening now, at different points along the river.
Nudity has long been a staple of fine art, but many people feel it is inappropriate for an artist who is also a faithful Christian to portray nudity in their work.
Is it? The answer, as is so often the case in matters of faith and morals, is - it depends.
To modern sensibilities art is decoration. Usually, we are not called upon to look past the surface of what is presented. And so we focus on the external, that which we can see.
But creation consists of what we can see and what we cannot see, the visible and the invisible. It is the role of the artist to create work that draws us past the surface, what we can see, to contemplate the transcendent truth that is presented to us, that which we cannot see.
“God-given gifts are by definition supernatural gifts. Even if they seem common or mundane, we can trust in their ability to work supernatural wonders.”
Have you ever wondered what God is trying to tell you? Have you ever felt frustrated because you don’t believe God is speaking to you at all? It may be that you just don’t recognize His voice.
God speaks to us through the gifts He has given us. Each one of us is given a unique set of gifts, and there are no small gifts. “To each individual some manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.” These gifts are not given to us to hoard and use for our own pleasure, they are given to us to help one another, to benefit the common good. As these are God-given gifts they are by definition supernatural gifts. Even if they seem common or mundane, we can trust in their ability to work supernatural wonders.
This program designed by The Way of Beauty's David Clayton gives you a unique formation in beauty and a Catholic inculturation. For artists of any creative disciplines, catechists and all who love beauty. Learn more at www.Pontifex.University.
