Konner Johnson - Van der Leeuw on Art: Images

Van der Leeuw is a Dutch theologian who writes a lot about how art is a form of worship. He speaks about five types of art specifically and how they are a means of worship for praising God. I will be writing a blog on each of the five types with this being the fourth type.

Van der Leeuw says that "whoever denies images to be vehicles of the divine power opposes the revelation of God in the human form of Christ." This quote really stood out to me because a lot of people get upset when someone tries to portray Jesus. While yes we might not know what he looked like, I tis not wrong to guess at his appearance. It's also not a guess we know where he came from and his ethnicity. I also like this because images are crucial. I think of all the times as a young boy I would see images that depicted certain events that took place in the Bible. They are crucial for learning and understanding certain topics. Images can also inflict emotions that might not occur by simply reading a passage. Images are a good thing and can be used as beneficial. It also can paint of rust a picture of an event that we are not able to witness with our own eyes. For example the crucifixion is a gruesome event, but without visual representations of it, it appears less so. Images are very powerful and can be used to bring the observer on an inward journey.