Difference between Spirituality and Religion in Art

For millennia, the soul has been interpreted as an immaterial entity and this duality has been reflected in art. Spiritual art doesn’t always mean religious, it can just be otherworldly or spiritual-seeking. Music, painting, and sculpture take on spiritual meanings when they explore the meaning of life, death, and the infinite possibilities of consciousness. Spirituality is defined as the awareness of a feeling, sensation, or conviction that there is more to being human than physical sensation and that the greater total of which we are a part is celestial or holy in nature. Now the idea of spirituality exists or probably it is the base of all religions, for example in Islam Allah is the one that is greater than everything, and Allah is recognized as the supreme. Spirituality, on the other hand, is more of an individual practice that has to do with feeling a sense of serenity and purpose, whereas religion is a set of structured beliefs and practices, generally held by a community or organization. Where we can observe this difference in art or in abstraction art in specific. In religious art, there is always something that is related to a specific religion Christianity could be Jesus, or in Buddhism a statue of a god, and so on. But in spiritual art, it is more related to an individual sense of peace or purpose where we see something that is related to the mind or the soul or even to an individual’s life and background. In art, spirituality is broader and more abstract than religion, and this is the reason why spiritual art tends to have more demand and fame than religious art. However, they are both important in art and have their own value.

The importance of religious art is that they are a representation of religious topics and ideals as seen through the eyes of people of various religions and religious organizations. Religious paintings idealize, glorify, imply, and portray a religion's story. They preserve religious traditions and make it simpler for people to envision a notion or event that might otherwise be impossible to visualize with only words. They appeal to various people's brains and emotions and are effective in persuading nonbelievers to accept a specific religious belief or culture. These paintings are from the first and second centuries when painters were affected by their socioeconomic position. For example, Christian paintings date back to the 2nd century, when creative men and women adopted Roman themes to communicate Christian ideas and teachings. The motivation for Islamic and Buddhist paintings arose from socio-economic causes such as the collapse of the Byzantine Emperor, which led to a revaluation of Islamic art in the 5th and 6th centuries. For a long time, religiously motivated artists have demonstrated that their work is vital to our comprehension of ancient and historical events. Religious paintings bring the history of the religion to life where can understand and get a better sense of our religion. They are also utilized for both ornamental and reflecting functions Paintings portray scenes from both the Old and New Testaments and are frequently displayed on the sides of churches as decorations. Some people choose to adorn their houses with religious paintings. Some claim that the paintings create an ambiance that links their thoughts to the world of the spirit, similar to Buddhist and Islamic artworks that are commonly utilized for meditation. Religious artworks are typically meant to elucidate the moral message of the faith that the painter is promoting. They don't necessarily show narratives and individuals from the Bible, but they do depict the lifestyles of many religious communities, such as Muslims praying at mosques and the highlights of a traditional Catholic wedding. In church art a collection of arts by Dorothea Osborne

Where we can see clearly that there is a cross that represents Christianity and there is a figure that is hung across the cross which represents Jesus so in religious art it is obvious and the meaning is clear. Unlike spirituality where the representation of the art is related more to the artist rather than to a fixed belief in a religion and that is what makes spiritual art more demanded by the community of art because it is more interesting and mysterious. If we look at some of the greatest artists, we find that they have embraced the spiritual side of art. More than the religious side because of the idea that there is more freedom to it and more when it comes to expressing an individual’s belief and spirit and sense of life. Ladan Akbarnia in her text “Light of the Eye, Light of the Heart” discussed how “Al-Ghazali believed that the arts, whether poetry, painting, or architecture reflect the inner qualities of their maker” (Akbarnia, 197) the author went on saying famous artists who are influenced by the Sufism belief and how their works are also a testament to the inspiration of Sufism. However, later on, the author said “at the same time, to call these examples “Sufi” art would be misleading, as they do not exclusively embody Sufism” (Akrbarnai, 197) and the argument behind it is that you can not consider it a Sufi art unless the artwork manifests Sufism in a clear devotional or practical sense. The moment the artwork reflects directly the artist's inner qualities it is considered to be spiritual art than religious. That is why famous artists like Kandinsky and others to the spiritual side of art.

People have utilized art, music, and literature to communicate their spirituality and beliefs throughout history. Spirituality in art is a broad idea that affects us on several levels. There is something deep at work, whether it emerges as an artist's work, a cultural piece, or a spiritual text; or it just exists as the 'spiritual' within all of us. Now in spiritual art, there is a spiritual quality but having one it is not necessary that an image contain obvious religious symbols. In other words, it is possible for art to be spiritual without being overtly religious. However, in order for an image to be spiritually charged, it must show some form of human striving towards whatever is greater than the man himself. Now artists that have embraced spiritual art are famous known artists who got the interest of the art community and are considered as one the greatest. Johannes Vermeer's 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' (1665)

has been charged with having a spiritual quality about it. The model for this painting was his daughter and is seen looking directly out at us as if to say: 'I am not just a model'. The lighting just to the left of her face seems to illuminate her while simultaneously dimming the rest of the room. in the work of Rembrandt and Hieronymus Bosch who were both very devout Catholics. Though they were deeply religious men their paintings are often times unsettling and dark with religious symbolism sneaking in here and there. In their dark paintings, you can see people who are trying to find forgiveness, acceptance, and peace. In their work, they were not directly religious to show their spirituality they actually left out the more direct religious style to show more of their spiritual side. This shows that spiritual qualities are more found when the art reflects the artist's sense and beliefs which happen to be more meaningful to the artist itself allowing him to express himself more which gives more value to the art. The artist's ideas and feelings are reflected in his or her artwork or cultural production in the spiritual realm. These feelings and ideas are clearly tremendous forces that it does not allow someone to ignore the artwork and are considered 'subjective.'. Instead, it makes the people appreciate the artwork even more and gives it more value.

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Iftikhar Dadi the author of “Abstraction in the Arab World” in her text she concluded by saying “I hope to have provided a glimpse of the ways in which abstract art in the Arab world not only attributes multiple potentialities to art but also effectuates them— from a capacity for phenomenological… to a quest for spiritual and formal utopianism and the forging of an aesthetic that transcends self and other, Arab and non-Arab.” She wanted primarily abstraction art in the Arab world will give more attributes to the spiritual side of art and the transcends of self and others. The reason behind that is that abstract art is an art form that does not attempt to represent a clear or precise meaning, symbolic content, or tell a story. Abstract art differs from other types of art in that the work itself is not necessarily a representation of a physical subject, but rather an expression of the artist's perspective and emotions. The Arab world in their art they are more precise and focus more on religious art rather than spirituality. That also might be the reason why the west ignores Islamic art because it lacks abstractionism. Jackson Pollock is one of the most famous Abstract artists of all time, and his name is linked with the whole Abstract Expressionist style. His fame and his impact on the art world were because he was an abstract expressionist. Abstract Expressionism had a great impact on both the American and European art scenes during the 1950s. It was considered to be very important as it was the first entirely American art movement that ever existed. That style focus to convey attitudes and emotions through nontraditional and usually nonrepresentational means. That is why since the 1950s the art community looked at that style more where they see more emotions being expressed with not necessarily having something that represents reality which is more a spiritual thing.

Spiritual writings affected paintings by renowned abstract artists such as Wassily Kandinsky and Henri Matisse in the 1900s and the first decade of the twentieth century. Kandinsky's abstract work reflected his opinion. He felt that absolute abstraction allowed for profound, transcendental expression and that copying from nature merely slowed the process down. Highly motivated to make work that expressed a global spirituality, He used forms and colors to evoke spirituality and human emotion. Kandinsky's paintings conveyed a distinct visual expression that went beyond material reality to describe human reality. Wassily Kandinsky in one his painting 'The Spiritual in Art' (1909)

In this painting, we can observe that there is nothing really representational to any specific objects of life. It is pure abstract art that focuses on the spirituality of the artist. Kandinsky in his book “Concerning the Spiritual in Art” foresees the advent of abstract art as the purest form of impact on the human soul, and he looks forward to the approaching emergences of the age of profound spirituality with optimism (Kandinsky,1909). This anticipation and foreseeing influenced the whole art community as Kandinsky is considered by many to be one of the greatest artists of all time. That is why the art community looks forward to how much will abstract art be an interpretation of the human soul. This show that the focus is more on the spiritual side of art rather than the religious side and this also shows the differences between spirituality and religion specifically in art and abstractionism.

Outside of art, they complete each other like in life and belief because religion would control and focuses the spirituality of the human into a single belief but in art, the artist tends to only focus on spirituality and let go of the religious side because it gives them more freedom to express their emotions and sense into their paintings. Syed Andrabi the author of “The Role of Spirituality in Art Education” which is a research on spirituality in art argues that “Spirituality reigns supreme in art. Known as the driving force of art, spirituality is art's expressive vehicle as well as a special voice. The human history of arts has never been devoid of spiritual content” (Andrabi,2014) and the author showed the importance of spirituality in art and that it is a necessity for artists to have a sense of spirituality in their artworks and it is also important for art education where he says that youngsters are discussing spirituality when they ask questions such, 'Where was I when my bigger brother was born?' According to researchers investigating children's spiritual nature, children utilize 'visual representations' to express their 'deepest interior ideas,' making it critical for artists to intervene in their spiritual life and assist them in communicating their spirituality.

To conclude People who are spiritually pure perform spiritual art like Kandinsky where anything that is related to the real world whether objects or human life will slow the process of achieving pure abstract art, functioning as a bridge between the laws of reality and the receiver. In the domains of spiritual interchange and human interaction, the artwork takes shape. Through this sort of creation, the artist interacts with the unconscious of his mind and his sense and emotions. This inspires people around the artist and makes his artwork more valuable and meaningful, changing the thoughts of those who receive it as well as the entire spiritual environment. The spiritual artist creates a sense of being via his acts, converting everyday existence into an infinite and everlasting work of art. This process rarely happens in religious artwork and the reason behind that is there is a specific set of organized beliefs and practices, usually shared by a community or group, in religious art, there is always something associated with a certain religion, such as Jesus in Christianity or a deity figure in Buddhism, and so on. Spirituality in art is larger and more abstract than religion, which is why spiritual art is more popular and well-known than religious art. They are, nevertheless, both significant in art and have their own worth. Where the importance of religious art is religious concerns and ideas as perceived through the perspective of members of different religions and religious groups. Religious paintings idealize, praise, infer, and depict the history of faith. They protect religious traditions and make it easier for people to visualize a concept or event that might otherwise be difficult to comprehend with simple words. However, the spiritual art value and demand outweigh the religious art in the art community where we saw that the greatest of the artist embraced the spiritual side of art.

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