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April 28, 2026
The Avant-Garde Path to God
A new book explores how contemporary art can offer glimpses of the divine.
TL;DR
- Roger Scruton believed art, like Michelangelo's *Pietà*, could inspire spiritual elevation, contrasting with modern art's tendency to shock or break taboos.
- James K. A. Smith, in his book *Make Your Home in This Luminous Dark*, posits that contemporary abstract and experimental art can foster a contemplative posture conducive to mystical experiences.
- Smith argues that abstract art, such as Agnes Martin's *Friendship* or Helmut Federle's *El Omrane*, can draw viewers into new modes of awareness by contending with uncertainty and the limits of language.
- The contemplative practices encouraged by modern art are compared to those of Christian mystics like Teresa of Ávila and John of the Cross, who sought spiritual insight through solitude and detachment from the discursive.
- Critics like Scruton and Matt Walsh dismiss modern art as meaningless or rebellious, failing to acknowledge that incomprehensibility and uncertainty are inherent aspects of life and spirituality.
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