Art & Family
The Family is very connected with Art. In this page we would like to encourage families with all their members to live with Art and to make of art by their lives living their faith.
As John Paul II Pope said in 1999 in its Letter to the Artists “Society needs artists, just as it needs scientists, technicians, workers, professional people, witnesses of the faith, teachers, fathers and mothers, who ensure the growth of the person and the development of the community by means of that supreme art form which is “the art of education”. Within the vast cultural panorama of each nation, artists have their unique place. Obedient to their inspiration in creating works both worthwhile and beautiful, they not only enrich the cultural heritage of each nation and of all humanity, but they also render an exceptional social service in favor of the common good.
The particular vocation of individual artists decides the arena in which they serve and points as well to the tasks they must assume, the hard work they must endure and the responsibility they must accept. Artists who are conscious of all this know too that they must labour without allowing themselves to be driven by the search for empty glory or the craving for cheap popularity, and still less by the calculation of some possible profit for themselves. There is therefore an ethic, even a “spirituality” of artistic service, which contributes in its way to the life and renewal of a people. It is precisely this to which Cyprian Norwid seems to allude in declaring that “beauty is to enthuse us for work, and work is to raise us up”.
The distinction between the moral and artistic aspects is fundamental, but no less important is the connection between them. Each conditions the other in a profound way. In producing a work, artists express themselves to the point where their work becomes a unique disclosure of their own being, of what they are and of how they are what they are. And there are endless examples of this in human history. In shaping a masterpiece, the artist not only summons his work into being, but also in some way reveals his own personality by means of it. For him art offers both a new dimension and an exceptional mode of expression for his spiritual growth. Through his works, the artist speaks to others and communicates with them. The history of art, therefore, is not only a story of works produced but also a story of men and women. Works of art speak of their authors; they enable us to know their inner life, and they reveal the original contribution which artists offer to the history of culture. A noted Polish poet, Cyprian Norwid, wrote that “beauty is to enthuse us for work, and work is to raise us up”. The theme of beauty is decisive for a discourse on art. It was already present when I stressed God’s delighted gaze upon creation. In perceiving that all he had created was good, God saw that it was beautiful as well. The link between good and beautiful stirs fruitful reflection. In a certain sense, beauty is the visible form of the good, just as the good is the metaphysical condition of beauty. This was well understood by the Greeks who, by fusing the two concepts, coined a term which embraces both: kalokagathía, or beauty-goodness. On this point Plato writes: “The power of the Good has taken refuge in the nature of the Beautiful”.
Tate Gallery is inviting us to Explore how artists have responded to the theme of Family
National Gallery Art is inviting you to Discover a variety of multi-generational programs
Kids and Families. The Met Museum has so much to offer kids and their families
FAFCE contributes to Madrid conference for “the soul of Europe”
Brussels, 30th April 2024 On Monday 29th April, FAFCE Secretary General Nicola Speranza intervened at a conference in Madrid organised by the NEOS Foundation. The conference was entitled We are risking our lives: the soul of Europe and was
FAFCE co-hosts conference on the family in the Netherlands
Brussels, 25th April 2024 On Monday FAFCE co-hosted a conference in the Netherlands on family policy and the European Union. Co-organised by FAFCE member Family Platform (Gezinsplatform) and the Growing Up Symposium (Opgroeisympsosium), the day featured key interventions from
FAFCE welcomes inclusion of surrogacy in human trafficking directive
Brussels, 25th April 2024 This week the European Parliament voted by an overwhelming majority to include, among other matters, the issue of surrogacy in a directive aimed at preventing human trafficking. 563 MEPs voted in favour, with 7 voting
Solidarity Between Generations – FAFCE Supports AGE Campaign
Brussels, 25th April 2024 Today AGE Platform Europe launched a campaign ahead of the European Day of Solidarity between Generations on the 29th of April. The Day, initiated by AGE, promotes intergenerational dialogue and solidarity. In the words of
PRESS RELEASE Abortion vote at European Parliament an “ideological declaration”, says FAFCE
Brussels, 11th April 2024 Reacting to the vote, FAFCE President Vincenzo Bassi commented, “this vote is nothing more than cynical political posturing before the European elections. The matter of abortion is not in the ambit of the European Parliament.
The Importance of ‘Sunday Protection’, European Sunday Alliance organises Parliamentary Breakfast
Brussels, 10th April 2024 The European Sunday Alliance organised a breakfast seminar this morning with MEPs, Commission representatives, trade unionists, policy experts, and faith-based advisers. The meeting was entitled The Importance of ‘Sunday Protection’ in EU Policy Initiatives On