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Teaching Spirituality Through Art

Margarita Sastre de Balmaceda Catedrática-Departamento de Humanidades UPR-Ponce

Spirituality for our soul is as air leave me. We are moving towards a and food for our body. Intangibles can serious friendship”. Here we see be essential. In our modern society Redon‘s deep involvement with nature where materialism is rampant and values and with the spirit of one of the greatest have deteriorated or are non-existent, art writers of all ages, Dante. Among the teachers are called to foster in our mystical artists, Redon shines with a students transcendence in mind and special light. His work transcends the behavior. How can that be done? On corporeal, and even though we the one hand, we can emphasize the de- apprehend it through our senses it materialization of art making its propels us well beyond material elements —line, form, space, color— existence into the world of the spirit. most important in creation. The Writing on Millet ―…The poet elevation of the spirit, for example, can was never absorbed by the painter, he be taught through ascending lines or the had his vision. He looked for one found use of different tones of blue. We may in the ‗plain-air‘, an absolutely new also suggest themes in our drawing and world. He gave moral life to clouds…‖ classes which encompass Redon quotes Schumann —―Be a noble solidarity, equality and respect for each artist, and all the rest will be given to other ―no matter the gender, race or you‖. He translates his attitude towards national origin― and for this world we the spiritual in these words: ―…the love live in, sickened by pollution and global of beauty and the search for beautiful warming, weakened by disappearing patterns must always maintain our faith‖. species. Presenting the work and thoughts of I believe art should be sublime artists such as Odilon Redon will no but, at the same time, it should awaken doubt strengthen the student‘s sense of consciences and strive so our life here the spiritual. and now is enhanced by spirituality Sir Herbert Read, in his book “A expressed through responsibility. Only Letter to a Young Painter” tells us then we shall become better human about the hazards of public education. beings. We shall be uplifted spiritually, He says ―…there is no doubt that most take a glimpse at creation, become aware systems of education might have been of the power of God, the endless pursuit deliberately designed to stultify the of true happiness. aesthetic sensibility of a child…My own Odilon Redon, in his book To view…is that the psychic imbalance of Myself, his journal from 1867 to 1915, prevailing systems of education is writes on May 7, 1875, “What a directly responsible for the moral pleasure to read in a quiet room with the delinquency of our populations and their window open onto the forest. I came inevitable drifts to annihilating wars…‖ back to old Dante, he will no longer (p. 196)

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It is essential in the teaching of sensory experience preserves unimpaired art to discuss the act of creation. As we the calmness of objective interest and the artists know, this is something which energy of formative creations‖. goes beyond explanation. It makes us These are some suggestions reach towards diversity, taking us into given to me by my Art Appreciation and another sphere of existence. It goes Drawing students: beyond the self. We go around and Wendolin Abraham writes around, delving into solutions until we ―Nature is the source of inspiration for finally reach the light we search for so many. We are constantly searching to anxiously. Creation gives us peace after discover in it elements we could use in much struggle and unrest. We strive our art work, involving ourselves in the towards a perfection which is conservation of nature. Such great unattainable. No matter how much of responsibility makes us become one with the yearning subsides in us, we still rest nature because it is part of us and we are in the certitude that what we have given part of it. This communion contributes form to has our own soul in its midst even more towards the search for our —the best of us, the whole of us. We identity and our purpose here on earth‖. must instill in our students the César, a Drawing I student, importance of creation, a sine qua non, wrote: ―Art goes hand in hand with without which there is no true art. spirituality, since you can express much Composition, joining together all art through a work of art thus allowing you elements, can transform a realistic to reach tranquility‖. painting into an abstraction in essence. Ilean, another Drawing I student, All good art must enhance the sublime, expressed herself saying: ―Each person the supra-natural, the spiritual. uses her own perspective to give Projects involving the crucial significance to that which is issues in our 21st Century should be incomprehensible. The same happens presented as challenges to the students. with art. In art, you must have vision How can we control pollution? How can and imagination to express what we feel we help solve global warming? Famine? and think…‖ How can peace prevail over war? How Francheska: ―Being in contact can we stop abuse in the family, towards with nature you may feel and appreciate minorities, towards the deprived? How spirituality.‖ can we stop drugs? How can we become Anonymous: ―Using nature for better human beings? Students must artistic creations‖. sense, think, rethink, express their Yaritza and Angelic: visions. ―Transmitting a positive image through a Herbert Read (Op. Cit.) quotes drawing or painting. You may also Conrad Fiedler ―On Judging Works of transmit a thought, a feeling, such as Art‖: ―…although the artist‘s creation love, sadness, joy‖. has been made possible only on the basis Marangely: ―…in art…we can‘t of an extraordinarily intense feeling, help but reflect and meditate on its nevertheless this artistic creation has significance‖. been made possible by his still more Melissa: ―Art is the best way to extraordinary power of mind, which express God‘s love towards us human even in moments of the most intense beings. Through art we can show the

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beauty of life, emphasizing nature which The spirit is exhilarated. It surpasses we destroy. We can realize what we sensations. Somehow, we want to be have and what we waste. Art helps us better. We become fulfilled in plenitude. forget materialism, war, hate, violence ―A day of beauty is a joy forever.‖ and reminds us of all the beautiful things (Keats – ―Endymion‖). we have‖. Reproductions of by ______artists from Ponce (such as Miguel Pou, *This conference was presented at the Twenty-first Annual Epifanio Irizarry, Miguel Conesa, National Conference on Liberal Arts and the Education of Artists, ART, EDUCATION, RELIGION AND THE Wichie Torres) show how they put in SPIRITUAL, October 17-19, 2007, at the Algonquin Hotel, practice the principles expressed above. , and organized by the Humanities and Many are inspired by nature, so rich in Sciences Department of the School of , N. Y. C. its greens, lush in its contrasts, embracing in its warmth in the tropics. Imagination goes beyond contemplation.

Flamboyán – Miguel Pou

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Virgen de la Altagracia - Miguel Pou Fano Irizarry

Pobre Gaviota: José Alicea

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Catedral – Jesús Ortiz El niño y el Viejo Sabio: Miguel Conesa

Ritual bajo la luna llena – Miguel Conesa

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Remembranza – David Medina Feliciano

Río Tibes – Luis Villafuerte

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Casida de la promesa - Jorge Morales Yo soy la paz – Enrique Morales

Crisálida – Carmen Rita Cebollero

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Adoración al Santísimo – Flor de Castro Carlo Cristo de los milagros – Ángel Miguel González

Los Reyes de mi Pueblo – Frankie Soldevila

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La sombra del Altísimo – Enrique Morales

Madre – Margarita Satre de Balmaceda

El pájaro de fuego – Margarita Sastre de Balmaceda

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Enid Acevedo Collazo Caracol – Onix Rivera

En el claro de la luna Alfredo Santiago Japón – Jackeline Pagán

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