FEARLESS EXPRESSION
Genesis 1:1-12
Matthew 18:1-5
And God saw that it was good.
Unless you change and become like children, you will
never enter the kingdom of heaven.
If you have not yet walked along the path from Ficks Pool to
Gearing's Point since it was renewed and seen the wonderful sculptures that
have been erected along the way, then you have a great treat waiting for
you. It has all been done to coincide
with the Fynarts Festival which is, as we all know, taking place at the moment
in Hermanus. What an exciting
celebration of the arts it is, and hopefully you able to share in it in some
way. But if you do nothing else you
simply must visit "Fearless Expression," the art exhibition at
Bellini Gallery in the Village Square.
Those of us who already have can testify that it is truly amazing or, as
the grandchildren say, awesome.
"Fearless Expression" is the exhibition of paintings done by
three-year old Hermanus artist Talula.
Yes, you heard me correctly, three-year old. And it has all the art critics buzzing with
excitement. The story behind the art is
remarkable. Talula's mother is an artist
who was tired of being interrupted while she was working, so in desperation she
laid out a large tarpaulin on a floor in her house, provided pots and tubes of
paint, an assortment of brushes and scrapers, and some large canvasses,
and let Talula get on and do her
thing, Well she certainly did that as
you can see both from the results hanging in Bellini Gallery and from the DVD
her father, a Hermanus film maker, made of her at work. The exhibition is called "Fearless
Expression" because that is precisely what it is. Talula has painted without fear, the fear of
being scolded for making a mess or being rubbished by art critics. She has just enjoyed herself, following her
intuition and freely applying paint to
canvass. And in the process she has
created beauty, an explosion of colour and design. And it is hoped that through the auction of
her work, a new project will be initiated in Zwelihle to help nurture a new
generation of pre-school Sparklekids.
When you walk along the coastal path in Hermanus you can look
at what you see through at least two different spectacles. The one belongs to the scientist. What you see is the result of the formation
of the world over millions of years as continents were formed then drifted
apart, and as plants and other forms of life evolved into such a myriad of
types and forms that it boggles the mind to even think about it. The other spectacles are those of the poet
and artist. These eyes see the same
reality but describe it differently. It
is majestic and beautiful; the colours and textures in all their variation
blend together in rich harmony. What you
see is beautiful. The artist and the
poet are seeing the same reality as the scientist, but seeing and describing it
differently. Of course, the scientist can also be a poet and say it is all
beautiful, and the poet also knows how the world came into being through
countless millennia according to the laws of physics. And both can speak of it all as a mystery,
even a divine mystery, for why should it exist at all, and why should it exist
so beautifully despite flaws and ugliness?
The Fynarts Festival is a celebration of the human
imagination and creativity; as such, to
the eyes of faith, it is also a celebration of God's imagination and
creativity. For when we look at it all
through the eyes of faith we say that the cosmic power that brought everything
into being and gave it life, is also a consummate artist, and that the whole
earth is full of his glory. So as we celebrate the Fynarts Festival we
celebrate God the source of life and beauty, the God who is both the creative
artist who brings everything into being out of nothing, and discloses who he is
in an ongoing act of fearless expression.
And, like any artist, when he stands back and looks at the result of his
creativity, this God declares "it is good." Creation is the fearless expression of God's
being and love, a bringing into being something beautiful out of nothing. The Catholic
theologian von Balthasar speaks of creation as "the masterpiece of the
divine fantasy." (The Glory of the
Lord, 1/172) Isn't that an amazing
insight? Creation as "the
masterpiece of the divine fantasy," a revelation of "the inner depth
of God," a fearless expression of love.
But there is something more to keep in mind as we reflect on
the remarkable outcome of Talula's "Fearless Expression" and that
is her parent's willingness to take the
risk of allowing her to express herself without fear. Her parents could have said. let us first
teach Talula how to paint, how to mix colours, how to keep to the rules of
proportion and the rest. To allow her
simply to express herself will be disastrous!
Yes, that would be too big a risk that most parents would be unwilling
to take. Obeying the rules and discipline
is our watchword, and for good reason.
Even the artist has to be disciplined. But keep in mind that God took an enormous
risk when he brought us into being and set us in the garden to freely express
ourselves, as he soon discovered. That's because we find it very difficult to
handle the freedom God gives us in ways that are creative not destructive. We
either abuse our freedom to the hurt of ourselves and others, or we timidly fear
it and so fall back on laws and rules because it is safer that way. And, indeed, we need rules to keep us on
track, guide books to show us the way, boundaries and discipline to help us
live and act in responsible freedom. But
we also need imagination and curiosity, otherwise we become boxed into
structures and conventions that prevent us from expressing our true selves, our
deepest thoughts, and above all our love for others with spontaneity rather
than calculation. Christ has set us
free, says St. Paul, not to act
irresponsibly, but with joy and compassion, generosity and, yes, sometimes even
with bold, fearless expression.
Bonhoeffer wrote some wonderful words from his prison cell
about this. The person, he said, "who
is ignorant of this area of freedom may be a good father, citizen, and worker,
indeed even a Christian; but I doubt whether he is a complete human being and
therefore a Christian in the widest sense of the term." That is why, he goes on to say, we need "to regain the idea of the church
as providing an understanding of the area of freedom," a space in which
art, personal growth, friendship and play are all possible. In short if we are to live in the freedom that
God gives us as our parent, and to do so without fear, we need to see things with
the eyes of a child even when we have grown up.
Because, says Jesus, "unless you change and become like children,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" or see its beauty.
John de Gruchy
Volmoed 18th June 2015
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