Saturday 11 June 2011

Held amidst the silence


"There is a distinction between an interest in a person's body and an interest in a person as embodied. A body is an assemblage of body parts; an embodied person is a free person revealed in flesh. When we speak of a (truly) beautiful human body we are referring to the embodiment of that we encounter.... connection is always a move from ourselves towards the richness of another - a summoning of the other to the surface of their being".
Roger Scruton - the beauty of the body.



Have you ever been out somewhere and stumbled upon a place for the first time and found yourself truly overwhelmed by a sense of delight in doing so? I sometimes wonder if that is what it's like to do certain things - exploring the magnificence of a coral reef, perhaps, or seeing the earth from out amidst the stars - moments beyond the 'normal', which remind us of just how staggering it is to be here.


The marvel, of course, is that such joy and can be ours in any number of immediate situations, and these can just as quickly and deeply ravish our hearts and minds. The 'vital ingredient', I'd suggest is how such moments bring a deep sense of connection, yes, to the here and now, but they also do more. We relish such moments because they make us aware that each of us are truly and rightly 'connected' to creation, and truly, to each other.
One of my true joys for many, many years was making such discoveries with my late wife; finding such riches is wonderful, sharing that discovery with someone truly significant really multiplies the joy of such a moment.

Beauty, expressed in nature and art, convey a true 'sense' of freedom (wholesome, meaningful engagement), because they both allow us to taste an expression of what should be true for each of us - a revelling in the true weight (glory) of deeply enjoying life in a fashion that is not broken or twisted by pain or evil. The current image, of course, is limited due to those corruptions. Our deepest moments of joy now are often jewels embedded amidst times of great trial or suffering, but that context itself can in some strange way truly accentuate what is good and is beautiful. The 'healing' of beauty, then, weaves something remarkable into the fabric of our broken world.

As a photographer of the nude and a Christian, I'm often aware of the often unwarranted scrutiny and rejection of some regarding my passion. "It's not wholesome" or 'righteous", goes the thinking, to be so employed in such a field, but there is a basic flaw in such thoughts. The artist is someone who, like the person in my first example, discovers a wonder. They may, on occasion, need 'kit' (an aqua-lung or space suit...in my case, just a camera) to really explore that wonder, but to deem it 'unworthy' of understanding would be foolhardy.

God gave our first parents a mandate to engage with the amazing universe in which He had placed them- Eden was a place filled to bursting with such splendour, and in spite of the fall, our realm still sings loudly of that same enchanting, enriching gift.
Yes, it is possible to treat life and the human form in a very superficial manner, to blind ourselves to nothing more than anything immediate and selfish (- that, I think, is a great evil -) but the nude, when not met in such pathetic definitions, 'preaches' to us immediately our need to recognize a divine handiwork and that what we encounter is not merely an object, but a person - a living being made for connection, for intimacy. All of this allows the artist to truly sense a deep worth and privilege as they seek to work with another made a little lower than the angels, but crowned with such glory. It is that wonder that infuses and exudes from true figure art, which in itself furnishes a deeper connection between the artists themselves and also those viewing the finished work.

I've never 'taken the plunge' underwater, and I doubt I'll ever see the world from space, but I know what it is to be enthralled and overwhelmed by the magnificence and significance God has placed within and through and amidst all of His handiwork. The beauty of the nude most certainly comes within that scope, and should truly give it due place and significance in our defining of the glory and freedom He makes ours.














Images:
Held. Model:Erin
The three graces. Models: Erin, Magenta, and Jen.
Contemplation. Model: Magenta

All images by Howard