Once again, a reiteration of a book study

This school year, I have the opportunity to facilitate a study on Edith Schaeffer's book "The Hidden Art of Homemaking"  (1971).  We are meeting twice a month and I thought it would be fun to recount some of what we are learning here too.

I will begin as I often do, and declare that this is a terrible title for this book.  It has nothing to do with setting up housekeeping as a newlywed, miraculous ways of scrubbing your tub, or any other Heloise-style tips that you want to have in your arsenal.  This book, as we discussed yesterday in Chapters 1 & 2 is about God being the perfect artist and how we have the opportunity to reflect His glory as we practice art. 

Is art necessary?  Art gives expression to what we often cannot understand, but someone else can communicate in a different form; whether it be by sight, smell, touch, taste, or experience.  This is reflective of God, as " The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. "(Psalm 19:1-2 ESV)

What is God saying through His art?  That it matters!  It requires detail, skill, and investment of time.  I've marveled at the fact that God took six days to create the earth and all it's contents.  Let's be honest, God could have created in the blink of an eye, He is omnipotent after all! 

The whole of creation communicates something.... What are we trying to communicate with our art, what do we steer away from, how do we observe art?

And my favorite lines from the whole book:

So we are, on a finite level, people who can create. Why does man have creativity?  Why can man think of many things in his mind, and choose, and then bring forth something that other people can taste, smell, feel, hear, and see?   Because man was created in the image of a Creator.  Man was created that he might create.  It is not a waste of man's time to be creative.  It is not a waste to pursue artistic or scientific pursuits in creativity, because this is what man was made to be able to do.  He was made in the image of a Creator, and given the capacity to create- on a finite level of course, needing to use the materials already created- but he is still the creature of the Creator.  p.24

Two weeks from now, we will begin our individual studies of particular arts, as my friend Caryn teaches on painting, sculpture, and sketching.  She also has started a great blog, Three Books a Night, and is a terrific resource for children's literature and illustration.  Check her out!