ART and Ignatian Spirituality

As soon as you look at the world through an ideology you are finished. No reality fits an ideology. Life is beyond that. That is why people are always searching for a meaning to life… Meaning is only found when you go beyond meaning. Life only makes sense when you perceive it as mystery and it makes no sense to the conceptualizing mind.

The above statement is the thought of Fr. Anthony de Mello, S.J. I seemingly enjoy applying this thought to art. People tend to look at a work of art and search for the meaning of the piece. What is it the artist was trying to convey? One must go beyond that approach and look deeper into the art work...each artist has his/her own way of exploring the soul_ the 'spirit' of the work that is evolving. Yes, often a mystery. Thus, can we say the art work only makes sense when you perceive it as a mystery and that it makes no sense when one tries desperately to conceptualize it in his/her mind? Or, can it be said that the art work is a mystery and each one of us sees it in a different light...in which, that 'light' is the mystery unfolded. Thoughts?

De Mello was a Jesuit priest and psychotherapist who became widely known for his books on spirituality. He hosted many spiritual retreats and was considered by some a gifted public speaker. I never had the opportunity to attend any of his seminars, but friends tell me they were an awe inspiring experience, that de Mello was a gifted charasmatic presenter. Click here to visit his Centre for Spirituality.
His quite controversial paradigm for Catholic dogma is mainly because many of his ideas were influenced by Thai Buddhist teacher and founder of monasteries Ajahn Chah - who, some say, was a kind of teacher to him. Despite the Church's condemnation, his works are popular especially among those interested in Ignatian Spirituality.





*De Mello died suddenly in 1987.
Painting: Acrylic on Canvas, Francesca