Missing the Art

Can you see the art? The Northern Antiquarian points out this old standing stone, now a gate post on Old Lane, Cowling (Yorkshire), has upon it some ancient marks. One is a cup (a circular indentation), the other a ring (a circular mark about the cup). Go to the gate's corner and you will see a dark groove in the stone). Two thousand years of weathering has doubtless rendered it less impressive, but even in its pristine state we might not find ourselves overawed by its merit. Artistic tastes change, and much art has been lost over the centuries. Many will walk and drive past this stone without any regard for the old stone’s aesthetic features, such as they are.

More serious is the ignorance we show towards the art of creation. In Genesis 2:9 we read:

And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight…

The text speaks of Eden in particular but the principle applies to the whole earth in general, and even to its current, fallen state. The natural world is stunningly beautiful. Biologists may indicate that physical attractiveness is merely nature’s ruse to ensure reproduction; psychologists might dismiss the appreciation of beauty as being simply in the beholder’s eye. Yet I would contend that the natural world is genuinely, splendidly attractive, for the Creator wishes to enjoy His handiwork, and for we humans to enjoy it also. Attributing the cosmos’ grandeur to a random explosion (what exploded?) or a mind-bogglingly sluggish process of trial and error, is to ignore the essential wonder of the world of which we are part. God is an artist, whose work He invites you to admire. You live in the gallery in which He displays His work. How many will walk by without marvelling? How may will enjoy the art but disparage the Artist?