As you probably know, on Fridays the schedule at Mount Hope is different from the rest of the week. Along with some testing at the beginning of the day and a hymn sing at the end, we have some classes that don’t happen Monday through Thursday. In the upper grades, two of those classes are art classes: the junior high students learn calligraphy, and the high school students learn drawing (they’ll switch places halfway through the year). In most subjects, there is an obvious truth being taught: the logical truth described by math, the virtue and vice in history, the world’s reality in science, the highest truth of Scripture. In drawing and calligraphy, though, what truth is being taught if all that’s being practiced is a skill?
Well, a skill isn’t all that’s being taught. But before I elaborate, it should be said that the arts of drawing and calligraphy are good things in their own right. In fact, the definition of an art is some skill that is practiced and then mastered. When we draw, though, we intend to represent something in the real world—in class, students have been imitating (impressively accurately) realistic line drawings of parts of animals. But whatever we represent when we draw, the art of drawing practices the creative nature God has built into us. When we draw something in creation, we are imitating in a small, imperfect way the creative work of God; it’s part of being made in His image. Thus, drawing is one way to practice being the humans God made us to be.
Drawing is more than just a creative act, though. It’s also a practice of keen observation and perception. When someone draws, whether drawing realistically or in a stylized way, he needs to be able to see what helps make the subject of his drawing beautiful. He perceives the ratios, angles, curves, patterns, distortions, and contrasts in his subject. It’s very much akin to perceiving the beauty in a piece of music or in a mathematical object. In other words, learning how to draw is also learning how to see the objective, true beauty in creation.
In calligraphy, we aren’t drawing things in nature anymore—instead, we’re drawing letters and words. Since calligraphers follow certain hands, or letter styles, there isn’t as much creativity involved (although there is room in a hand for personal style and flavor). The great thing about calligraphy, though, is the reverence it shows for the written word, or just words in general. Language is a huge part of being made in God’s image, and written language is as well: God instituted the writing of His Word when He engraved the Ten Commandments in stone. Calligraphy is a way to beautify what is already beautiful, to hold it up as something worth a lot of time. The weight that beautiful writing adds to words is evident when you consider how funny it would be to, say, have a grocery list written on cured animal skin parchment and in the most royal calligraphic style! Of course, God’s Word is the worthiest of being beautified in this way, but calligraphy can also be used to hold up beautiful poetry. What a wonderful gift to be able to put to paper both the visual and linguistic truth and beauty God has given to us!
In Christ,
Mr. Hahn
