Drawing Is More Effective Than Demanding

Contemporary art is mostly political, concerned with social power, where traditional art is religious—not in the sense that it’s used for ritual, but that it focuses on transcendent beauty and meaning. Culture has clearly valued the political over the religious, and unfortunately our art is suffering.

 

The problem with political art is that it’s mostly a message intended to persuade or protest, and with little interest in transcendent beauty or meaning, it loses much of its power. Religious art, on the other hand, is meant to disclose or reveal values. It doesn’t have to force anyone’s hand, but instead fixates us on deeper realities that draw us in. Drawing is always more effective than demanding.