Intimations of Divinity

I recently had the opportunity to walk through a religious art exhibit at the BYU museum of art. The exhibit is based on types and shadows of God. Many of the works are actual images of the Savior, But some have no obvious religious connection on the surface. There are immagers of mountains, a sculpture of a leaf, two chairs draped with red and white cloth. As I pondered these images, I could begin to see and feel the symbolism, and the meaning. One quotation that I really like that was in the museum booklet says, "The best thing about a painting or a piece of sculpture is that which cannot be described. And that elusive, mysterious quality we call its spirit may arise from something quite apart from its rhetoric, or logic or distinction."-BH Roberts.
That is very true. When I look at an image of Christ I don't expect to see a realistic depiction. I am not trying to learn what the Lord looks like. When I look and an image of Christ, I am looking for the feeling, the insight into who Christ is, and what he wants from me. If I can try to be like that feeling, that symbol, if I can follow these symbolic admonitions, I can learn about the Savior. The power in these paintings does not come from the artists. It flows through their brushes from the Great Artist who created them. These works open windows into Eternity. They help us to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent. They are portals into Eternal life. I plan to return and spend some more time in the exhibit.