An Artist's Look at Theology, Art, and Philosophy
Dear Tom,
Thanks for writing again—and for this unusually philosophical response to my letter! In response: my theology of art is my theology. Period. I think of God as the Artist and all human artists as eternal apprentices. Consequently, all my thinking about God involves the centrality of beauty and the act of making. As I’ve said many times, we were made by a Maker to be makers. . . .
Bruce
In a series of fictional letters, respected artist and educator Bruce Herman passes on wisdom to a younger generation. He explores a wide array of practical, philosophical, and theological issues, such as:
- What is artversus craft? What is good art?
- What is the calling of an artist? Of a Christian artist?
- What do you do when you're stuck in your creative process?
- How should Christians relate to the contemporary art scene?
- What is beauty, and how is it relevant in our world?
Full of personal stories and behind-the-scene looks at Herman’s own artistic process, Makers by Nature also features full-color artwork by Herman and several of his former students. Artists and art lovers will find insight, wonder, and encouragement to consider the Maker’s invitation to creativity, however it takes shape.
Table of Contents:
Foreword by Malcolm Guite
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Art and Craft: Letters to Ella
2. Glory: Letters to Bryn
3. Paradox: Letters to Elisa
4. Vocation: Letters to Bradford
5. Style: Letters to Angela
6. Spirituality and Art: Letters to Tom
7. Process and Risk: Letters to Steve
8. Tradition: Letters to Brent
9. Prayer and Painting: Letters to Andrea
10. Color and Design: Letters to Matt
11. Desire: Letters to Jamie
12. Failure: Letters to Matthew
13. Hope and Facing: Letters to Jonathan
14. A Servant of the Work: Letters to Katie-Joy
15.Irony and Sincerity: Letters to Mako
16. Loss: Letters to Bobby
17. Hallowing the Everyday: Letters to Katelyn
18. Discouragement: Letters to Jesus
19. The Anxiety of Influence: Letters to Ted
20. Is a Theology of Painting Possible? Letters to Katie
Appendix: Works by Former Students Commissioned by Gordon College and Dedicated to Professor Herman on the Occasion of His Retirement from Teaching
General Index
Scripture Index
About the Author :
Bruce Herman (MFA, Boston University College of Fine Arts) is a painter, writer, and speaker. His art has been exhibited internationally and is in public and private collections worldwide. He taught studio art for nearly four decades at Gordon College, where he held the Lothlórien Distinguished Chair in Fine Arts. He enjoys sailing, hiking, and carpentry and is married to Meg and has two children and five grandchildren.
Malcolm Guite (PhD, Durham) is the chaplain at Girton College, Cambridge, where he also teaches in the Faculty of Divinity. He is a priest, poet, and songwriter, and he travels and speaks regularly throughout the UK and North America. He is the author of Faith, Hope and Poetry: Theology and the Poetic Imagination as well as several collections of poems, including Parable and Paradox: Sonnets on the Sayings of Jesus and Other Poems; Waiting on the Word: A Poem a Day for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany; The Word in the Wilderness: A Poem a Day for Lent, Holy Week, and Easter; and Sounding the Seasons.
Review :
"Over many decades, Bruce Herman has gifted us with a huge range of paintings that combines subtlety and profundity, along with a theological richness all too rare today. Here he adopts the role of the letter-writer, and with characteristic insight and compassion, leads us deep into what he calls the 'holy terror' of making art."
Jeremy Begbie, Thomas A. Langford Distinguished Research Professor of Theology at Duke Divinity School and coeditor of The Art of New Creation
"'Make out of love, not fear.' 'You must unmake in order to make.' 'Time to bring out the dynamite.' These gems of artistic counsel—the antithesis of cheap praise—have enhanced the lives of students, colleagues, and friends fortunate enough to know Bruce Herman. The epistolary wisdom in this volume ensures that more lives will be ornamented with such rugged counsel as well."
Matthew J. Milliner, professor of art history at Wheaton College, author of The Everlasting People
"With both wit and wisdom, Bruce Herman guides readers into a spacious place where the craft of artmaking is intelligently explained to the apprentice, humbly explored alongside fellow masters, and with warm-hearted encouragement, affirmed to those who journey in between. By way of a series of letters which explore topics such as vocation, failure, style, irony, and tradition, Herman complicates the craft for those who'd want it to be a simplistic affair, and he simplifies it for those who'dwant to complicate it unnecessarily. All throughout, he shows artmaking to be an utter gift. This is a much-needed and altogether refreshing book in the field of art and faith."
W. David O. Taylor, associate professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary and author of A Body of Praise and Glimpses of the New Creation
"Bruce Herman has given us, and future generations of makers, an invaluable gift. Years of wisdom and advice given to countless young artists and those who care for culture have been compressed into this book. I am indebted to Bruce for what these letters teach me as an artist."
Makoto Fujimura, artist and author of Art and Faith: A Theology of Making
"In painting, writing, and living, Bruce Herman pours himself into the world. He is, as this book's title suggests, a master painter. But he is also a fine writer. This volume contains twenty sets of letters addressed to a variety of friends—students, collectors, theologians, and fellow artists. As expected, each epistle enables Herman's readers to benefit from the artist's lifetime of learning, his strong connections to so many, and his life-giving practice of paying attention. Bruce is always paying attention to God, the world, art, and those he loves."
Cameron J. Anderson, Distinguished Fellow for Art and Literature at The Lumen Center in Madison, Wisconsin
"The artistic vocation is a hard one, fraught with perils of the spirit and laden with innumerable real-world obstacles. The artist Bruce Herman has navigated this terrain with grace and integrity over a long and distinguished career. In Makersby Nature, Bruce deploys his characteristic insight, wisdom, and compassion in a series of letters to young artists. Full of theoretical sophistication and deep thought, these letters are at the same time warm and accessible, just like Bruce himself. This book is a treasure for earnest young artists of faith."
Katie Kresser, professor of art history at Seattle Pacific University
