When we think about religious art we usually think of the image above, the Sistine Chapel, or oil paintings of Christ descending from heaven with angels trumpeting horns. That's ok. We still need those types of art pieces. But in this world of modernity I began to wonder if you could continue to make religious art and still have it be relevant to the masses. Could you continue to paint Christ healing the sick and still have people be drawn to it without having to show it exclusively to religious people?
(c)Jennifer Thoreson from her series "Testament"
I believe the unfortunate answer is "no." In a world where religion takes a back seat to the social and political, such art no longer seems relevant. And those who aren't religious don't want to look at it. But that could merely fall in line with all types of art: modern, renaissance, abstract, surrealism, pointillism, realism. People are drawn to specific types of art. I don't particularly understand the genius behind a piece of art that is a painted red square on a white background. And others do. But this type of art is still more prevalent than religious art. You will see the red square in galleries everywhere, whereas you will only see religious art in church buildings or in christian bookstores and websites. Nobody, but those who already believe in a God, will ever see religious art. And that makes me sad.
Temptation (c) Heather Theurer
Part of the "problem," I think, is that you known a religious piece of artwork when you see it, ecause the subject matter is usually always of Christ and angels or a cross. So I began to wonder if you could make religious art without it being "religious art." And the answer is "yes." My series "The Living Word," I believe fits this. It was all inspired by scripture, but I feel the presentation of the concepts is such that you wouldn't know it was a religious piece of art by looking at it. And yet there are still the little pieces of symbolism within each image that if you look and ponder long enough, you may begin to realize its religious undertones.
There are two artists that I have come across that I feel also fill this genre of art. One, Jennifer Thoreson, is also a photographer, and another, Heather Theurer, is a painter. Both incorporate themes of faith into their work, but upon first glance of their work you would assume otherwise. And while there are still elements such as angels in Theurer's work, the feel of being in a fantasy world keeps the viewer from judging the piece as a "religious art." You can read about how Theurer accomplished this by reading this article.
In short, yes, you can still make religious art without it being "religious art." I also feel that this way of making religious art is one in which more people will be exposed to it and "religious art" can return to the mainstream art world.
What do you think?