Art: Wordless Communication

While Hurricane Sandy is howling outside, I will continue my three-part series on art. I don’t feel too eloquent tonight, so hopefully this post won’t be too cut-and-dry. 🙂

When you think about it, most forms of art are a type of communication. Music, painting, sculpture, photography – all seek to tell a story or express an emotion without words. But I think one thing that captures the imagination with these things is that besides the aesthetic appeal of them, there is an aura of mystery about them – what was the composer or artist really trying to say by their art? What was going through their minds as they worked on their masterpiece? What is Mona Lisa smiling about?

This idea of wordless communication is not a new one. God Himself, the Master Craftsman and Artist, has employed it since He created the world, using creation and the processes that govern it to reveal His presence and attributes to mankind, as described in Romans 1:
“For His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what He has made.”