“The best evangelical strategy is one that moves from the beautiful to the good, and, finally, to the true,” Bishop Robert Barron once wrote.
Beauty can be an easier, more gentle way to draw people to faith than through other means. It’s generally easy to recognise, requires only the use of the senses and doesn’t need an abundance of time, money or energy to discover.
Whether it’s in the grandeur of the Sistine Chapel or the harmony and proportionality of a piece of fruit, beauty can be found everywhere – something that Canberra artist Daniel De Valentin can attest to.
The Catholic father-of-three has been painting since receiving a watercolour set from his great-grandfather at the age of eight, and says beauty is a key part of his motivation.
“So far, painting for me has been about trying to capture the beauty I see in ordinary things, such as family life and the natural world,” he says.
“If I can capture a good impression and lead others to experience similar inspiration and emotion, I feel I’ve done a good job as an artist.”
While art for Daniel plays second fiddle to his qualifications and employment in mechanical engineering, he is hopeful of making it more than a hobby one day.
The Canberra resident has had his artwork displayed in a range of exhibitions since 2006, with his first commissioned work completed in 2012. In 2020, his parish of St Anthony’s in Wanniassa, ACT, commissioned him to create an oil painting of St Joseph to be displayed in the parish church.
“Our parish priest at the time, Fr Tony, had heard I was an artist and asked if I could paint something to mark the year of St Joseph,” he recalls.
“I came up with some concepts and Fr Tony picked one that he liked, which I developed into the final work. There is a great community at our parish with a lot of people we know and love, and to contribute in that way was really something special.”
Aside from his work for his parish, Daniel also produced a painting of St Christopher for the Archdiocese of Canberra Goulburn, which is soon to be displayed in St Christopher’s Cathedral.
Reflecting upon the power of art, Daniel agrees wholeheartedly with Bishop Barron that beauty – whether it be through art or some other form – can be a way for people to encounter God.
“I think good art draws people to contemplate the transcendent and leads to a deeper sense of beauty and truth,” he says.
“Children seem to be the best at discovering the beauty in ordinary life. Whenever we go to the beach, for example, the kids come home with their pockets full of shells. They love collecting things. It makes a lot of sense when you really take notice of the intricate designs and shapes, some having that distinctive Fibonacci spiral.”
As someone who particularly enjoys being outdoors and painting scenes or objects from the natural world, Daniel says he often ponders the creative design seen throughout nature.
“The idea of intelligent design in the natural world is a very reasonable argument for the existence of God,” he says.
“The human cell, for example, has such incredible complexity and beauty in its design and function. It seems obvious that there was intelligence and creativity behind it.”
While art can draw people to God through beauty, Daniel notes it can also offer more of an intellectual pathway to God.
“Art can also conflict with our regular perceptions and make us question or respond in a certain way,” he says.
Daniel’s painting of St Joseph has certainly prompted discussion, such as when he was stranded on a plane in Sydney for several hours due to bad weather earlier this year.
“After an hour or so of polite chit-chat with the person next to me, we got on to discussing our pastimes,” he says. “I mentioned I was a painter and showed him a photo of St Joseph. This led to a deeper conversation about life and faith.”
Daniel says the motivation behind his religious paintings is the same as any other painting, but to hear that his work has strengthened someone’s religious devotion or inspired them to grow in faith is a real bonus.
“Finding out that someone has been moved by a painting is an amazing moment,” he says.
“It catches me off-guard to think that something I’ve made can really affect someone on a deeper level.”
Links
De Valentin Fine Art
Evangelizing Through Beauty, Bishop Robert Barron, February 19, 2013.
Images: Supplied
Words: Matthew Biddle