August 22, 2016 What is music? And what can music tell us about the reader’s role in co-creating the Bible’s meaning? I took up classical guitar a few years ago. I had musical experience before I did so, but I never thought about music philosophically. But once I started playing guitar and, more important, performing, … More Music and Reading the Bible (The Reader’s Culture, Part 3)
August 16, 2016 Here’s a photo of a painting at the Phoenix Art Museum: Like all modern art, it invites thought. What is the connection between “oiled” and “dead”? Is it statement about the way in which a piece of art, once painted (“oiled”), becomes something fixed (“dead”)? If so, what at what point is … More Writing and death (Modern Art and the Bible 5)
July 29, 2016 Phoenix’s Art Museum has a set of photographs (I forgot to note the artist’s name), showing tree roots and their effects on sidewalks. They provide a great illustration for all sorts of themes–the power of nature vs. human artifice, the ultimate destruction of all things human, even plate techtonics. This one … More Textual Surface and the Bible’s Underground (Modern Art and the Bible 4)
July 22, 2016 Here is a panel from Liliana Porter’s painting, The Traveler (currently housed in the Phoenix Art Museum). It depicts a small ship on the edge of a mostly gray surface. It moves from the center to the periphery–a movement of ec-centricity. Are we to think of this movement as one of danger, … More Modern Art and the Bible (3)
July 19, 2016 Another report on modern art and its lessons for biblical interpretation. This painting is named, “Shaking Out the Bed.” It shows household items being flung up toward the viewer as a bed-sheet is shaken; there are also items lying on tables and the floor around the edges. The painting is thus a … More Modern Art and the Bible (II)
July 15, 2016 I’m in Phoenix and visited the Phoenix Art Museum. I was struck by the points of contact between modern/contemporary art and biblical interpretation. So, here is the first in a series of very short comments on some pieces of art and some thoughts about interpretation. Here’s a piece, Tumbling Forms. What struck me … More Modern Art and the Bible (I)
Terrie and I last night went to see Tchaikovsky’s ballet, Romeo and Juliet. One of the striking things about dance, when done well, is how effortless it seems. We all know that dance requires a lot of effort, but when professional dancers perform, they seem to float above the floor. Unlike the clumsy rest of … More Dance, a Metaphor for Lent
Terrie and I attended the San Diego Ballet’s “Evening of Jazz and Dance” yesterday. It’s always inspiring to see people doing creative things excellently, like young people with fluid and sinuous movements. But since I’m a theologian, my thoughts inevitably turn to theology. During the performance, it occurred to me that there is an important … More God and Dance
Two nights ago Terrie and I heard a presentation of Modeste Mussorgsky’s “Pictures from an Exhibition” by the San Diego Symphony. (Here’s a Youtube link to a performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN2j-5ZB3ZQ). The piece itself was well worth the price of admission. It’s very stirring and uses the full range of an orchestra’s resources. But what was especially … More “Pictures at an Exhibition” and Theology
samuelmpowell.com 