Beauty by Contemplation
As a young man, I had opportunity to visit the Louvre in
Paris, France. As one walks through the Louvre studying its marvelous
collection of paintings from the hands of the great masters, he is struck by
the number of young artists he sees with brush and easel, sitting in front of
the great masterpieces trying to make copies of them. As the visitor watches
one of these young artists he will observe that he sits and gazes at the
masterpiece for a long time and then, scarcely taking his eyes off it, he
slowly turns, picks up his brush, and makes a few careful strokes on the canvas
before him. Then he turns and gazes intently at the masterpiece again. Thus the
process goes on day after day. The young artist is filling his soul with the
masterpiece before him and is trying to catch something of the spirit and
genius of the old master who painted it.
Thus our young artists are made accomplished
masters themselves, though never rising to the excellency of expression of the
originals. And so it is with the Christian as he lives in the presence of the
Master day by day contemplating His love, His character, His beauty. He receives more and more of his
Master's spirit and beauty. We all,
with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed. (2
Cor 3:18)
Logos of St
Andrews 2000
