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THE RISK OF CONTEMPLATIVE ART

5/22/2011

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To create contemplative art requires great courage. In a world that finds safety in distraction, the contemplative chooses to look more closely at life.  In a culture that seems to depend heavily on a steady stream of busyness, the contemplative selects a quieter path. That which is lost in the ongoing frenzy of the countless distractions our culture offers – and increasingly demands – is exactly that which the contemplative embraces. 

In meditation we sit closely inside the mystery which so many find uncomfortable, embracing our suffering and our fears. In setting aside distractions we risk despair – but we find meaning. Or, at least, meaningfulness. In that vulnerability, unprotected by distractions, we find the richest grace.

In the creation of contemplative art we find the substance that is silence, and marvel at the phenomenon of life itself. The joy of this art lies in the simple fact of its incontrovertible presence.

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    Author

    I am a painter, designer, writer, poet and translator of Chinese poetry. I also teach art and design at the Art Institutes International, Minnesota, in Minneapolis.

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