Why You Should Seek Beauty In Ancient Places: Interview With David Henrie
Many of the most enduring displays of human artistic greatness have been, in some way, religious.
The Egyptian pyramids were built to accommodate the needs of a king’s soul after his death.
The oldest architectural structures still standing today are almost exclusively temples. Archaeologists hypothesize that many ancient cave paintings depict religious scenes.
As history progressed, towering cathedrals, opulent mosques and brilliantly ornate Hindu temples were erected and maintained for centuries. Worship hymns and poems abound in nearly all religious communities. Sacred texts were transcribed with careful calligraphy and detailed illustrations. Elaborate dances celebrated the supernatural and massive marble statues were carefully carved to depict the holiest beings
The beautiful things that humans have made throughout time have often been made for a deity. But in a secular world, the purpose of art is much more varied. Today, art is most often defined as creative self-expression. There has been a clear shift from creating for a higher power to creating for the rest of humanity.
Has the absence of spiritual motivation made art worse or has the decision to tell stories for an audience made excellence more attainable?
Actor, director and producer David Henrie is interested in this question. It’s one of the reasons he recently took a trip to Italy. This trip was filmed and is now available as a six-episode documentary series called “Seeking Beauty” in which Henrie engages with some of the most sacred Italian churches and artwork in order to understand the motivations and beliefs of the artists who created them.
Religion Unplugged’s Culture Critic Joseph Holmes interviewed Henrie to better understand his own faith journey and what he learned from centuries of Catholicism in Italy.
You can listen to the Religion Unplugged podcast on Apple and Spotify.
Matthew Peterson is Religion Unplugged’s podcast editor and audience development coordinator. He took part in this past summer’s European Journalism Institute held in Prague, an annual program co-sponsored by The Media Project.