| Never grow comfortable with the mediocrity that surrounds you in your own circle of acquaintances, your town, your neighborhood and even your own house. Praise those you see doing well in the noble endeavor of marriage, home and family. Bring to your home things of lasting value: music, art, good literature, appreciation for beauty and so forth. Give up sports, that vacation and the second house or third vehicle and invest heavily in your children's private education and your home. God cares not as much for man's degrees and diplomas as He does for loveliness, goodness, peace, purity, diligence, meditation on His Word and a life of sound biblical principles. In gratitude for the beauty He makes available to us, develop the talents He has given you. Each month, do something to show God's investment in you: paint a picture, create a craft, sew a garment, knit a sweater, cook an excellent meal, arrange a room, clean one room or closet thoroughly. Never bury a talent. Try one thing each day and do it well. Take a little time out to write a letter, work on a scrapbook, create a picnic or host a tea party for someone. Cultivate artful, restful hospitality. The world needs the flavor of loveliness, and there is so much to be done. Without the salt and light of vibrant Christianity, life is very, very dull. |  Girl knitting by William Bougereau Buy this poster at Art.com |
Shun Modern "Art"
The art of the masters realistically portrays beauty and truth. While you can see a lot of Rembrandt, Peale, Ruebens and other classical masters in museums, you don't see much of the classical art of the last century. Modernism has taken its place and pushed some of the finest artists into undeserved obscurity. For the past fifty or so years much 19th-century art was relegated to the dark corners of storage places and never shown or studied. Classically trained artists of the time had specific standards to follow and were told in the schools to draw a line, perfect it, erase it, go over it and make nothing look accidental. Study your theme, watch the shadows, the light, the shapes, the porportions. Then the new age of art trashed the standards and nearly destroyed classicism through greed and hatred. Instead of letting a model sit for a while, they would bring her in briefly, and then she had to leave while the artists painted their "first impression." Artists were told never to re-sketch a line, lest it lose its "freshness," and they were told to "feel" it rather than study it. Having no exposure to these wonderful classical artists and their message of beauty, home, family and loveliness, modern artists accepted cubism and post impressionism. I myself was a victim of this, for my poor father sent me to art school because he thought I should be taught. I had to study this trash, and in my youthful naivete, I thought there was a purpose to it and that it would give me some kind of skill. Because of it I totally lost interest in art and did not take it up again 'til now in my 50s and then very timidly on people's personal letters! My best training was the simple instructions given by my father, and later while home schooling, a little kindergarten art course that taught perspective and shading and composition helped me immensely. We need to train artists in these days! If your child shows any penchant for sketching or painting, encourage it mightily. Let us redeem the arts.
We went from this: The Bath by Mary Cassatt (1891) | To this: Autumnal Rhythm: Number 30, 1950 by Jackson Pollack (1950) |
Only 59 years to go from truth, beauty and love realistically portrayed to chaos and utter nonsense!
Remember Little Eyes and Ears
 by William Bougereau | Children should be surrounded by beauty in the home. You often see small babies staring at objects for minutes at a time. They are learning constantly and absorbing their atmosphere. We shouldn't neglect them just because they seem ignorant or unable to appreciate the finer things around them. Play excellent music and display the best works of art in your home (nice poster prints can be had very inexpensively these days). When I was a young mother, I made it a point to introduce my children to the best of art through full-color books when a good museum wasn't available. We often sat and pored over pictures and discussed what was portrayed and how the artist was able to achieve it. This is wonderful food for young minds and cultivates in them a sense of what is "true, pure, noble, of good report...". When you grow tired of one painting or print, you can rotate it to another room and put something else in its place. |
Beauty Is God's Gift
It is God who created things and declared them "good." We should strive to imitate His creativity and beauty in our homes through the music we play, the books we read and the pictures we display. The things we keep in our homes should reflect God's order and His pleasure in loveliness and truth. Poetry is a wonderful introduction to beauty, because it often distills the very best thoughts of man and presents us with images that reflect God's beauty. Children used to have to memorize long poems in school and recite them. I am sorry we have lost that practice. Just as children (and adults!) should memorize Scripture, so we should memorize the best of poems and prose and keep them in our minds to reflect upon.
| If any ask why roses please the sight: Because their leaves upon thy cheeks do bower: If any ask why lilies are so white? Because their blossoms in thy hand do flower: Or why sweet plants so grateful odours shower: It is because thy breath so like they be: Or why the orient sun so bright we see: What reason can we give, but from thine eyes, and thee? ~ Giles Fletcher (1588-1623) |
Two Girls Arranging Roses Sir Harold Clausen You Can Order This Art Print from AllPosters.com |
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