The Proper Use of Art
Isaiah 2:16
And on all the ships of Tarshish, and on all pleasant pictures.


Sir Joshua Reynolds wisely, stated the canon for artists when, referring to the choice of subjects, he said. "No subject can be proper that is not generally interesting. It ought to be either some eminent instance of heroic action or heroic suffering. There must be something, either in the action or in the object, in which men are universally concerned, and which publicly strikes upon the public sympathy." They who are not content to copy what is ignoble, or reproduce what is insignificant — who use art to expound and apply the teaching of God in nature and revelation — who design to address the heart, and so elevate the imaginations and judgments of men, are benefactors of their race — ministers at the altar of truth and righteousness. The work of such artists can be regarded as eminently sacred.

(J. H. Hitchens, D. D.)



Parallel Verses
KJV: And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.

WEB: For all the ships of Tarshish, and for all pleasant imagery.




The Far-Reaching Influence of Art
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