The Letter to Artists Pope John Paul II From the Vatican, 4 April 1999, Easter Sunday.

To whom is this letter addressed?
What is the intended purpose of the letter?
What is the special relationship of the artist to God?
What is the difference between "creator" and "craftsman"?
Is everyone called to be an artist?
What is the link between good and beauty?
What is the artists special relationship to beauty?
Is it necessary that artistic talent be made to bear fruit?
What does society need artists for?
What exhortation is given to those who would follow the path of artistic service?
What is the central point of reference for an understanding of the enigma of human existence, the created world and God himself?
What is the role of sacred scripture in Christian culture and art?
What are the properties of a genuine artistic intuition?
Why is it alright to venerate icons?
Must art restrict itself to benign subject matter?
What are the Church's hopes for her dialogue with art?
What are the implications of Vatican II for the world of art?
Why does the Church need art?
Does art need the Church?
What is the Pope's appeal to artists?
What is the “Beauty” that saves?

COMPLETE TEXT

To whom is this letter addressed?

“To all who are passionately dedicated to the search for new "epiphanies" of beauty so that through their creative work as artists they may offer these as gifts to the world.”

What is the intended purpose of the letter?

“to follow the path of the fruitful dialogue between the Church and artists which has gone on unbroken through two thousand years of history, and which still, at the threshold of the Third Millennium, offers rich promise for the future.” [1]

What is the special relationship of the artist to God?

The artist is an image of God the Creator. Pope John Paul II likens the artist to God looking down at the work of his hands at the dawn of creation - "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good" (Gn 1:31)

and says that when an artist makes beautiful things they sense in them an echo of the mystery of creation.

What is the difference between "creator" and "craftsman"?

“The one who creates bestows being itself... the craftsman, by contrast, uses something that already exists, to which he gives form and meaning.”

Is everyone called to be an artist?

No. Nevertheless, everyone is “entrusted with the task of crafting their own life: in a certain sense, they are to make of it a work of art, a masterpiece.” [2]

What is the link between good and beauty?

“beauty is the visible form of the good, just as the good is the metaphysical condition of beauty.” [3] Plato writes: "The power of the Good has taken refuge in the nature of the Beautiful".

What is the artists special relationship to beauty?

Beauty is the vocation bestowed on the artist by the Creator in the gift of 'artistic talent'.

Is it necessary that artistic talent be made to bear fruit?

Yes. Note the Gospel parable of the talents (Mt 25:14-30). Those who have the artistic vocation will feel the obligation not to waste their talent but to develop it, in order to put it at the service of their neighbour and of humanity as a whole. [3]

What does society need artists for?

When obedient to their inspiration in creating works both worthwhile and beautiful, artists hold a unique place within the vast cultural panorama, enriching the cultural heritage of each nation and of all humanity. Cyprian Norwid declares "beauty is to enthuse us for work, and work is to raise us up", and the exceptional social service rendered by the artist is to bring us that beauty. [4]

What exhortation is given to those who would follow the path of artistic service?

“The particular vocation of individual artists decides the arena in which they serve and points to the tasks they must assume, the hard work they must endure and the responsibility they must accept. Artists must labour without allowing themselves to be driven by the search for empty glory or the craving for cheap popularity, and still less by the calculation of some possible profit for themselves.” [4]

What is the central point of reference for an understanding of the enigma of human existence, the created world and God himself?

God becoming man in Jesus Christ. The Law of the Old Testament explicitly forbids representation of the invisible and ineffable God by means of "graven or molten image" (Dt 27:15), because God transcends every material representation: "I am who I am" (Ex 3:14). Yet in the mystery of the Incarnation, the Son of God becomes visible in person: "When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son born of woman" (Gal 4:4). [5]

What is the role of sacred scripture in Christian culture and art?

Sacred Scripture has become a sort of "immense vocabulary" (Paul Claudel) and "iconographic atlas" (Marc Chagall), from which both Christian culture and art have drawn. The Old Testament, read in the light of the New, has provided endless streams of inspiration. A figure like Job, to take but one example, with his searing and ever relevant question of suffering, still arouses an interest which is not just philosophical but literary and artistic as well. By becoming image, music and poetry, the biblical word evokes the mystery of "the Word made flesh" in the language of art. [5]

What are the properties of a genuine artistic intuition?

“Every genuine artistic intuition goes beyond what the senses perceive and, reaching beneath reality's surface, strives to interpret its hidden mystery. The intuition itself springs from the depths of the human soul, where the desire to give meaning to one's own life is joined by the fleeting vision of beauty and of the mysterious unity of things. All artists experience the unbridgeable gap which lies between the work of their hands, however successful it may be, and the dazzling perfection of the beauty glimpsed in the ardour of the creative moment: what they manage to express in their painting, their sculpting, their creating is no more than a glimmer of the splendour which flared for a moment before the eyes of their spirit.” [6]

Why is it alright to venerate icons?

“If the Son of God had come into the world of visible realities-his humanity building a bridge between the visible and the invisible- then, by analogy, a representation of the mystery could be used, within the logic of signs, as a sensory evocation of the mystery. The icon is venerated not for its own sake, but points beyond to the subject which it represents.” [7]

Must art restrict itself to benign subject matter?

No. “Even when they explore the darkest depths of the soul or the most unsettling aspects of evil, artists give voice in a way to the universal desire for redemption.” [10]

What are the Church's hopes for her dialogue with art?

The Church has not ceased to nurture great appreciation for the value of art. Even beyond its typically religious expressions, true art has a close affinity with the world of faith, so that, even in situations where culture and the Church are far apart, art remains a kind of bridge to religious experience. The Church is especially concerned for the dialogue with art and is keen that in our own time there be a new alliance with artists. From such cooperation the Church hopes for a renewed "epiphany" of beauty in our time and apt responses to the particular needs of the Christian community. [10]

What are the implications of Vatican II for the world of art?

The Second Vatican Council laid the foundation for a renewed relationship between the Church and culture. This is a relationship offered in friendship, openness and dialogue. The Council Fathers made this address to artists: "This world in which we live needs beauty in order not to sink into despair. Beauty, like truth, brings joy to the human heart and is that precious fruit which resists the erosion of time, which unites generations and enables them to be one in admiration!" [11]

Why does the Church need art?

In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ. Art must make perceptible, and as far as possible attractive, the world of the spirit, of the invisible, of God. It must translate into meaningful terms that which is in itself ineffable. Art has a unique capacity to take one or other facet of the message and translate it into colours, shapes and sounds which nourish the intuition of those who look or listen. It does so without emptying the message itself of its transcendent value and its aura of mystery. The Church has need especially of those who can do this on the literary and figurative level, using the endless possibilities of images and their symbolic force. The Church also needs musicians. The faith of countless believers has been nourished by melodies flowing from the hearts of other believers, either introduced into the liturgy or used as an aid to dignified worship. In song, faith is experienced as vibrant joy, love, and confident expectation of the saving intervention of God. The Church needs architects, because she needs spaces to bring the Christian people together and celebrate the mysteries of salvation. After the terrible destruction of the last World War and the growth of great cities, a new generation of architects showed themselves adept at responding to the exigencies of Christian worship. Not infrequently these architects have constructed churches which are both places of prayer and true works of art. [12]

Does art need the Church?

Artists are constantly in search of the hidden meaning of things, and their torment is to succeed in expressing the world of the ineffable. How then can we fail to see what a great source of inspiration is offered by that kind of homeland of the soul that is religion? Is it not perhaps within the realm of religion that the most vital personal questions are posed, and answers both concrete and definitive are sought? In fact, the religious theme has been among those most frequently treated by artists in every age. The Church has always appealed to their creative powers in interpreting the Gospel message and discerning its precise application in the life of the Christian community. This partnership has been a source of mutual spiritual enrichment. Ultimately, it has been a great boon for an understanding of man, of the authentic image and truth of the person. The special bond between art and Christian revelation has also become evident. This does not mean that human genius has not found inspiration in other religious contexts. It remains true, however, that because of its central doctrine of the Incarnation of the Word of God, Christianity offers artists a horizon especially rich in inspiration. [13]

What is the Pope's appeal to artists?

I turn to you, the artists of the world, to assure you of my esteem and to help consolidate a more constructive partnership between art and the Church. Mine is an invitation to rediscover the depth of the spiritual and religious dimension which has been typical of art in its noblest forms in every age. It is with this in mind that I appeal to you, artists of the written and spoken word, of the theatre and music, of the plastic arts and the most recent technologies in the field of communication. I appeal especially to you, Christian artists: I wish to remind each of you that, beyond functional considerations, the close alliance that has always existed between the Gospel and art means that you are invited to use your creative intuition to enter into the heart of the mystery of the Incarnate God and at the same time into the mystery of man. [14]

What is the “Beauty” that saves?

It has been said with profound insight that "beauty will save the world". Beauty is a key to the mystery and a call to transcendence. It is an invitation to savour life and to dream of the future. That is why the beauty of created things can never fully satisfy. It stirs that hidden nostalgia for God which a lover of beauty like Saint Augustine could express in incomparable terms: "Late have I loved you, beauty so old and so new: late have I loved you!” [16]

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