Art speaks to us in a way that words do not. In a stroke of a brush profound truths can be communicated. Take, for example, the Altarpiece at St. Peter and Paul Church in Weimar (see the painting and a good writeup here: http://cyberbrethren.com/cranachpainting/ ) that stream of blood that flows from Christ's side is but a simple stroke of a brush, and yet the painting's artist by that simple stroke of a brush has made such a profound confession of his faith. This is what has inspired this blog.
The question that led to all of this was, "How have Lutherans confessed their faith in the visual arts?" Eventually what is collected here (and I do hope this to be a collaborative work) will develop into a Bible Study, which in turn, I hope to be used in conjunction with a coffee table type book that will have artwork on one page, and a write up on a facing page.
Finally, I'd like to briefly discuss the scope of this project. Both by the title of this blog, and the question that prompted it, obviously, I would like to focus on specifically Lutheran artwork. Also, I do not want this to be merely a discussion of Reformation era artwork. Instead, I would like this not only to cover the 1500s to the present, but also encompass the globe. So how have Indian Lutherans confessed their faith in art during the early 1900s? How have Japanese Lutherans confessed their faith following World War II? Well, in the coming months and years I hope to find out.
P.S. If you know of an artist, a web site, a resource, post a comment! This will be a collaborative effort.
