Beauty through Faith

“Beauty Through Faith”—Kalos Arts adopted this as its official tagline in January of 2024, but what does it mean?

As simple as it may sound—terse and thematically relevant for a Christian arts foundation—our board devoted a good deal of thought and discussion to crafting it. For us these ideas are not merely intellectual abstractions linked by an arbitrary preposition; rather the phrase aspires to encapsulate in brief our raison d'être, our purpose in obedience to the One Whom we worship.  

Anselm  of Canterbury famously said, “I do not seek to understand in order that I may believe, but rather, I believe in order that I may understand,” and his shorter formula Fides quaerens intellectum (faith seeking understanding) has long been treasured as a pithy reminder that faith in Christ has a kind of epistemological primacy in the realm of human experience; or, to put it less pretentiously: faith is that by which we apprehend more fully the true nature of reality and the love of its Author. In a similar way, faith also renders us more receptive to the Beauty that is God Himself. Love of that Beauty inspires devotion, for even in our ignorance, we seek to emulate the divine through what Tolkien called the art of “sub-creation”—pursuit of the creative process in submission to its Ultimate Source.  

Many writers and thinkers throughout history have referenced the timeless “transcendentals,” often listed as “The True, The Good, and The Beautiful.” Dr. Timothy Patitsas, in his book The Ethics of Beauty, notes that western culture operates on the implicit assumption that, among these three, Truth is highest, and therefore it is often emphasized to the detriment of the other two. Certainly all three are interrelated and equally important in characterizing the proper ends of human endeavor, but a “truth-first” approach (as Patitsas phrases it) can contribute to a problematic neglect of the other two in favor of the abstract, the rational, the propositional. Patitsas contends that “Theophany” (the revelation of God within our own experience) begins, instead, with Beauty. True beauty is a manifestation of the Divine; it is a salve to a damaged soul that imparts healing without having to articulate doctrine; it speaks with a language that transcends time, culture, and intelligence. Being drawn to it, we are drawn through it to participate in the life of Christ; this participation fosters our devotion to the Good, which we attempt to express and share as Truth to the extent we are able. If Patitsas is correct, then the revelation of Beauty is a starting point for deeper faith, the kind of faith that leads us closer to real virtue and eternal truth.

What this entails for Kalos is a responsibility to multiply genuine encounters with the Beautiful so that our arts foundation might serve as a conduit for God’s transformative love. Thus through the faithful practice of an artist’s vocation, one may play a part in God's plan to know and heal His creatures. Beauty begets its own image, and faith is the means by which we express it. Through faith we begin to understand; through faith we learn to live; and through faith Beauty is able to manifest itself as the truest Source and End of our own desire to create. 

All these lofty notions have practical implications. How we allocate our time, our attention, and our funds must follow the example of Love incarnate—His faith, humility, and sacrifice. Artists need both financial support and creative autonomy, but neither should be bestowed indiscriminately. This means Kalos must vet artists and projects in a unique way, a way that ensures that faith is a tangible part of the process, even when it may not be an explicit aspect of the products. What is done in love for Christ, by His grace, will have Christ in it—and when this love is wedded to genuine talent and industry, the effects may outshine the efforts. This is our hope and our mission. To God be the glory. Soli Deo Gloria.