Sacred Art: Creation and Symbolism (continued)

If, accordinto Schopenhauer, art is the best means to accede to the pure knowledge of the universe, Sacred art is the best means to accede to the least impure knowledge of God.

In this manner, the artist, intuitively impressed, must express the divine and, via his message, must bring to life the existence of God. The created work, therefore, obliges us to think of the nature of the Creator in a subjective manner. It must as well, through its specific, inherent qualities, make us feel this presence in a physical manner. If harmony is achieved through a perfect integration, the Work can help us reach the sublime, the ecstasy, the Revelation, the ejaculatory prayer. The felt sensations, the ambiance, the general atmosphere have their impact on the soul and on the body in a transcendental principle. If the whole of these elements is reached, I can proclaim, in absolute value, that the Church as a building of stone, stained glass windows, sculptures, and general design, are no longer of any importance; for the faithful, while praying or meditating, impregnated by the presence of God, has himself turned into a Church. It is the absolute synergy, for the object of sacred art is nothing in itself if not carrying the ultimate purpose of serving Man to accede to God. And once served, to make itself forgotten by Man who must devote himself to God. The exact will of Saint Bernard de Clairveaux, as always.

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Any work without any concessions imposes a discipline and a superior moral order. The code of ethics of the artist, especially when it comes to sacred art, must be flawless and without any faltering. The only quest of God in the esthetic, heedless of compromise, must constitute the Sacred Path of the painter. Its intimate, most profound conviction must lead the way; for he carries this unlimited responsibility. He is the one who knows and no one else. The beauty of a work of art is defined, among other definitions, by the spontaneity of its birth. And this beauty is either confirmed or rendered nil by the passing by of years and centuries. The fact of making a copy or a pseudo-creation taking its inspiration from old themes suppresses all kind of spontaneity.

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