67: The Evangelical Power of Beauty—Jonathan Pageau

Is art just a luxury for the wealthy? Can there even be a definition for it? How did the Incarnation of the Logos change the world? What did Dostoyevsky mean by having one of his characters in The Idiot say, “in the future, man will be saved by beauty?”

Jonathan Pageau possesses a unique combination of gifts. He is an extraordinary artist, chiefly in the area of carving and iconography (feast your eyes and soul on his stunning work at www.pageaucarvings.com), and he is an articulate social critic, making important connections between the zeitgeist and trends in the world of art and public images. He is also a convert to Orthodoxy from a Protestant background, and serves as the editor of the Orthodox Arts Journal.

Hire this man to speak at your next conference. You’re welcome.

In this interview, you will learn:

• How Jonathan and I crossed paths with University of Toronto professor of psychology Dr. Jordan Peterson (my guest of Episodes 61 , 34 , and 4 )
• Why art is not an esoteric hobby but an essential part of human transformation and sanity
• The evidential power of beauty in sculpture, painting, dance, and carvings
• How art can point the beholder to God
• The reasons for the rise in the Cult of Ugly
• The ways in which the Christian life is inherently artistic

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• www.pageaucarvings.com
• www.orthodoxartsjournal.org
• The Evidential Power of Beauty: Science and Theology Meet, by Thomas Dubay, SM.

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Question of the week: Why is “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” false and potentially dangerous?

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