Subscribe Feed (RSS)Twitter is the real-time social media site that has the most members, thus it offers the best opportunity for immediate and spontaneous interactive conversations. Any speech or conversation cab always also bee understood as a kind of prepared or improvisational performance. Art imitates life but life can be art.
When people have the freedom to make connections and immediately interact responsibly the results can be inspiring and even transforming.
On a recent weekend morning when when I was still not quite awake, I was relaxing and enjoying my coffee as I began the day on Twitter. After messaging my good morning greeting I sat back to lurk the ongoing stream of messages.
Immediately I came upon a quote by St. Francis of Assisi, “For it is in giving that we receive,” which was tweeted by @skystjohn.
It is a concept that is universally found in most religions and paths worldwide. I have always appreciated that quote so I ReTweeted it (RT).
Over 47,000 people follow me and I happily follow them all back as a strong supporter of promoting equal two-way communication relationships. I am good at visually skimming for information. What sort of “jumps out at me”, is usually information that tends to become useful to me. I use this knack in libraries, books and printed materials, art shows, and just about anywhere I am looking, including the Twitter stream.
After I hit click to send the St. Francis RT, another great quote “popped out”.
annq “How soon not now, becomes never.” Martin Luther.
Of course this is another way to say Hillel’s famous, “If not now, when?”
I RT’d the Luther quote, too.
This was fun. It’s easy to ReTweet someone else’s message when I agree or it adds value for my followers. It promotes whoever I RT to my followers and I share credit for passing on the information.
Before I could move on the originate information myself , almost as if it was swimming in the stream straight to me came:
sczepanski “The softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world.” Lao Tzu
So many ways to say ideas such as “And the Truth will set you free..” and promote lovingkindness, charity, prayer and trust, which are all soft things.
At this point I realized that in a matter of minutes I had RT’s a Roman Catholic monk, a founder of the Protestant Reformation and the author of the TAO.
More significantly, my Tweets were being busily RT’d and then RT’d again my others.
Although I am not for a one world religion, I do appreciate and promote how many truths the religions and paths of the world share. My life work is founding Post Conceptual UnGraven Image Art theory, which among other firsts is the only religious theory of art founded in the USA As such it is fully inclusive for all religions and spiritual paths.
Almost immediately came this:
ultimateAleks up to YOU – The thing always happens that u really believe in; & the belief in a thing makes it happen.” Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was a Unitarian. Yet, again the quote is restated in one way or another universally. Almost immediately a flip way of stating the Wright quote was RT’d in the stream.
MatchesMalone RT @vesselproject:”Everything is possible for him who believes”— Mark 9:23
I RT’d both quotes.
At this point it dawned on me I was going to use this week’s blog. It was as if the blog was being divinely handed to me through the stream.
Often I am asked why I follow everyone back. One of the key reasons is The Divine [please substitute the best Name for your faith] works through people. People who I know, those who are fairly new to me in a follow/follow relationship and others who were followed by my followers were Tweeting and ReTweeting messages that became the heart of this article. Had I not followed, I would have missed a meaningful and uplifting experience, plus the opportunity to share it with you.
I tweeted: “Now lurking stream hoping to find more uplifting quotes to RT, esp Jewish or Hindu or LOA now. So I get all in.”
Immediately aimed as replies to me came:
pacmanangel “Optimism is positive thinking lighted up.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale
studentofsucces“Develop success from failures. Discouragement & failure are 2 of the surest stepping stones to success.” Dale Carnegie
- Twitter Members Tweeting in the Stream #1
I RT’d them and watched as others did also. Then Again I Tweeted a request.
“Com’n. Someone send me a Jewish or O.T. quote Reply (so I don’t miss it) to RT. Rather RT you that originate 1, but I can do that”
InnerWizard “What you don’t see with your eyes, don’t invent with your tongue. ” – Jewish proverb
Of course, this is another way of dealing with the commandment on coveting.
I RT’d it the also replied with this message:
judyrey @InnerWizard WOW! That 1’s new to me & as an artist I love it’s many ramifications. Watch me RT it at times. TY!
Still lacking one needed quote, I tweeted:
judyrey Next I need an uplifting, inspiring Hindu quote to RT.Reply one 2 me plz (hint: many avail from Dr. Chopra
GONeill @judyrey “Oprah has made me a fortune” – Dr. Deepak Chopra
judyrey @JGONeill ROFL. I’m sure that’s uplifting to Dr. Chopra & Oprah but not sure it will encourage or inspire my followers. But, TY
- Twitter Members Tweeting in the Stream #2
Then a wonderful tweet floated down the stream headed to me:
InnerWizard “Happiness is a continuation of happenings which are not resisted.” – Deepak Chopra
I RT’d it.Then followed up with:
judyrey Quotes I just RT’d are each & all echoed in the teachings of Catholic, Protestant, Bhuddhist/Tao, Jewish Hindu, LOA, Pos Thinking
Later that afternoon I was received a reply about a quote Tweeted by SMARTBuddhist that I had RT’d a day or so before:from @ bolora:
@bolora @judyrey @SMARTBuddhist “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” – This is actually in Proverbs 24:16 http://tinyurl.com/p9ywhkProverbs 24:16 (New International Version)
Social media such as Twitter is providing people around the world with ways to connect and share their truths and discover how much we have in common with one another. As we share friendships are built and tolerance becomes a meaningful experience that can actually bring us closer to The Divine I ourselves, others and everywhere.
[Note: Discover more about how you can learn to see The Divine everywhere at Art of Seeing The Divine. See more about Judy Rey Wasserman’s Post Conceptual UnGraven Image Art through the You Tube videos and information, including images at http://ungravenimage.com.]
All avatar images used by permission of their Twitter owners, otherwise they are blurred. Please leave comments and if you are a Twitter member include your @ ID at the bottom so others can find and follow you!
Tags: religion, religious freedom, ReTweets, RT, spirituality, tolerance, Tweets, Twitter
Do We Need Religious Art?
November 10th, 2008 by Admin | 12 Comments | Filed in UncategorizedIs religious art relevant in Contemporary Art? Do we need it? Does it do more harm than good?
There is a lively discussion on religion and art over at Art News Blog , one of the blog sites I frequent for news of the art world.
Essentially, Carol, the intrepid blogger-journalist went on a self professed rant, more about problems that seem to stem from organized religion, like wars, and questioned whether artists should promote religious views, or moreover dogma.
To be fair, Carol then backtracked as many of the Western World’s greatest artworks are religious.
This was posted on Sunday and by the time I checked in on Monday, the comments were flying back and forth, again more dealing with religion than art.
As far as I know, I am the only founder from the USA with an original theory of religious art, Post Conceptual UnGraven Image . Being uniquely American, although Judeo-Christian based the theory is fully inclusive of most of the world’s religions and paths (see the manifesto). So of course I chimed in with a comment, adding to the original post and the comments up to that point.
It is a topic that deserves many posts, comments and dialogue. A polite discussion is healthy. It may seem corny, but communication really does build understanding, and that includes the special visual communication of art.
One of the problems with any of the current discussions about religion is simply defining the term, “religion”. People who line up against organized religion are more against the abuses that have occurred by leaders and followers who have twisted the message or been two faced for their own gain.
When a person gets an egotistic benefit, such as thinking they are superior to others, by belonging to a group or following a spiritual path that is a perversion of the intended purpose of the path. This kind of abuse, whether it happens on a one-to-one personal level or on a large scale (war), is always a perversion. It is no better than common prejudice or its extreme of ethnic cleansing.
The purpose of a spiritual or religious path is to assist a person to be closer to The Divine (my catch-all acceptable term, please substitute the name you prefer for the One). Being closer to The Divine is transformative as coincidentally this means becoming more of one’s essential self. As just about every religion, certainly the major ones teaches, we are spiritual beings who have physical forms (bodies), thus being more of who we are means being more spiritual.
Psalm 19 (Andy Warhol)
Fine artists were the shaman, the religious leaders of the early tribes and groups. Most great artists have always spiritually led through their work. Towards the end of his life, Andy Warhol began a series somewhat based on Da Vinci’s Last Supper, in which commercial logos were substituted for religious components. For instance, the Dove Soap logo symbolized the Holy Spirit. Having brought art into the supermarket with Campbell ’s Soup cans and Brillo boxes, Warhol flipped the Pop focus to bring religion into the commercial world, too. The profane becomes holy, the holy profane.
Warhol predated the selling of religion that we have seen through the media. Depending on the message sold and how the power and profits earned are used, as individuals we approve or not. It was an artist to point out the then current links between business as religion and religion as business.
Personally, I would not wish to live in a world without the religious art that has been so meaningful to my own spiritual quest.
Van Gogh, a former preacher who considered himself to be a religious painter, has inspired me with his energy that presents a dance of dichotomies; pain, suffering, fury swirling with joy, lust and glory. What could be more religious?
Pissarro and Monet, the Jew and the Catholic (among others) who knew they were painting, “Let there be light…”
Chagall, with his enchanting mystic villages of simple tradition and love overcoming life’s trials
Dali, who investigates the spirituality of time and quest inspiring unexpected insights.
My list it too long. I have just begun.
But notice that none of the artists were actually promoting one group over another, and that even when a specific theology is presented, such as in Da Vinci’s, Warhol’s and Dali’s Last Supper works, the theology is universally transcended by what the artist conveys.
Psalm 22 (Rembrandt)
Being an artist is a responsibility, as much as a gift. My appreciation of the gift I have been given to be a religious artist is equaled or surpassed by my appreciation of the gifts I have received from seeing the works of those artists previously mentioned along with so many others.
And since we can all learn much from a discussion – please comment!
Tags: art, art blog, Art News Blog, art world, artist, artists, Brillo, comments, Da Vinci, Dali, Dove, inspirational, inspire, Last Supper, Michaelangelo, Monet, Pissarro, portraits, religion, Religious art, religious debate, Rembrandt, van Gogh, warhol, Western Art