What makes art a masterpiece? According to a 2009 article in the Star Tribune, that is not an easy question to answer. When The Louvre queried their curators on the topic, many different criteria were offered - "superlative craftsmanship, extraordinary design, great antiquity, rich materials, purity of form, artistic genius, originality, influence on other artists." I would also like to offer up that who the artist is makes a difference.
I was recently at the North Carolina Museum of Art and had the pleasure of touring the Rembrandt exhibit. While the paintings all had titles - "Man in a Hat" or "Man Praying" for example - all were defined as "Rembrandts." They were deemed valuable because of who the artist was. As I stood there in the exhibit hall and looked at painting after painting, I thought about what a friend had said to me recently. He had told me that art points to the artist. As I stood there in the museum, looking at Rembrandt after Rembrandt - despite whatever they were titled - I realized we were all considering the artist and the work he had done.
As I thought about other exhibits I've seen there - Monet, Rockwell - I realized they were all titled by the name of the artist. Each artist had a unique style. Monet was fairly upbeat in composition, with lots of bright colors. Rockwell captured American life, including some of its darkness. While they are held up as iconic and vestiges of a simpler time, to look at them closely told another tale entirely. There was depth of emotion and his Santas were utterly disturbing when you looked closely. Rembrandt was just dark in general - partly because of the subject matter, partly because some of the paintings were on oak, which lent to a darker coloring. Each was distinct and you could line up a piece from each and easily identify the artist.
Interestingly, God is portrayed as an artist and creation - including humans - as His artwork. In fact, humans are portrayed as God's masterpiece. In Isaiah 64:8 God is referred to as a potter and to man as the "work of [His] hand." Ephesians 2:10 refers to us as God's "workmanship." The word used is poiema - the word from which we get poem. It is, in essence, stating that we are living poetry.
Looking at how the curators of the Louvre defined the qualities in a masterpiece, I think human beings fit the bill. Superlative craftsmanship, extraordinary design, rich materials, purity of form, artistic genius, originality - nothing compares to humans in all of creation. How our bodies function is nothing short of amazing, and when you add to it the ability to think and feel and the complexity of human nature I'm in awe. Many people, not just Christians, would agree that human beings are nothing short of a masterpiece.
Here is where it gets interesting for me. I absolutely believe that God's creation, and humans in particular, are astounding works of art. I absolutely believe that God is the greatest artist of all time. I believe that people are incredibly valuable - both to God and to me. I believe that all of creation points to the Creator (Romans 1:20). I believe God's work should be celebrated and enjoyed. What I do not believe is that I am a masterpiece, that I have great value, and that the Artist has created me to be enjoyed and give Him glory.
Oh, I know this logically of course and I thoroughly believe the Bible. However, when it comes down to brass tacks, I believe it for everyone else - and for them I believe it to the very core of my being and would absolutely fight for them should anyone say differently. When it comes to me, I see a very different picture.
Why do I suppose that is? I think it's because I can see all my flaws, every imperfection. I think society has been quite good at helping me see things that don't measure up to its standards - from my figure, to my hair, and on and on. When I add to that my sin nature and how I know I do things wrong - sometimes very much on purpose simply because I want to - and the fact that I have a perfectionist nature, I can't see past me.
I am absolutely surrounded by the most incredible people. I have a community of people who truly love me. Until recently I had attributed that love to God's goodness in them - God placing in their hearts the ability to love me - and not even considering that they love me because I am loveable and there are good things about me. God, who is incredibly gracious, is working to change that in me. Through a friend, He has really challenged my thinking on me.
I also don't think I'm the only Christian that struggles with believing for themselves that they are a masterpiece. A couple weeks ago in my community group the guy leading it asked a question that people struggled to answer. He essentially said, "What in your life glorifies God? We all can talk about all our faults, but what in your life is good and gives glory to God?" There were 11 people there and it was a huge struggle for individuals to answer that question. We were all so much more able to point out our weaknesses and when the time came for that question, there was no shortage of conversation. As I sat there, looking around the faces of people who are incredible, I realized that I could rattle of numerous things about each of them that I thought were glorifying to God.
If it is okay to rejoice in the beauty and artistry of a painting or sculpture or good meal, why is it not okay to celebrate the artistry in ourselves, put there by the Master Artist? His work is beautiful and good - He Himself is beautiful and good. We delight in God's work in our friends. We don't delight in God's work in our lives and we are incredibly afraid to even acknowledge it lest we sound prideful (or worse actually become prideful). But that isn't a full picture of God's grace. God's grace is that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
There is, of course, an appropriate place to identify, grieve about and repent of sin. I'm pretty good at that one - not always the grieving and repentance part, but most definitely the identification part. I'm not good at celebrating the beauty part - or even really believing the beauty is there. For me, this isn't an easy answer. I've been told by those who love me that there is real beauty there and I've been given lists of what the beauty might look like. Unfortunately, I still have trouble seeing past the negative and celebrating in the positive.
I don't know what it will take for God to set me free from this, but I'm quite confident that He wouldn't show me without the plan to do something. He is, after all, faithful to complete the work (Philippians 1:6). And it is His work - "for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). I know that I want Him to complete the work so I can take the people I love and see God's masterful artistry in by the hand and point them toward this truth.
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