Art as a vehicle for spiritual expression is nothing new. Usually, however, art has been tethered to a religious dogma & has ended up churning out religious propaganda rather than being a personal statement of spiritual feeling. Being an Atheist, I do not subscribe to the theory of "spirit" being a distinct component of our existence that continues after death. Instead, I view the "spritual" as the apex of human emotion; thus spirit is often best expressed in the most trying of times.
Witness Anna Akhmatova: the Russian Acmeist poet had always written poetry infused with spiritual themes("Chiotki"--The Prayer Beads--"Belaya Straya"--The White Flock), but it was the incarceration of her son which produced the impulse in her for her most moving, "spiritual" poetry. I also Think of Kathe Kollwitz, famous for her depictions of mothers---and death("Death As An Old Friend"). Kollwitz lost her son in the first World War.
What works do you find spiritual? No Thomas Kinkade answers!
2007-06-27
04:11:29
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18 answers
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Anonymous
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Religion & Spirituality