'I know what paintings I like, but I cannot understand what the artists are trying to say in some modern art.' That quotation could be repeated by many Christians, when talking honestly about the current art scene.
Most people (both believers and others) admire Rembrandt's work. Was this because he painted dramatic scenes from the Bible? John Constable's work is also widely appreciated. Was this because of the way in which he portrayed East Anglian countryside and revealed the beauty of God's handiwork?
Today, we find a big contrast between that kind of art and the 'strange constructions' in some art galleries. Many Christians are asking: 'Why has art become so different?' 'Who has been responsible for the changes?' Only so recently as the time of the Impressionists, we were favoured with the work of artists like Renoir and Monet. Now, we are surrounded by paintings (to say nothing of 'constructions', 'preserved animals', and 'action art'), which appear to deliberately decry beauty and distort natural elegance.
