Deepening the Mystery


“The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery.” 
Francis Bacon

I love this quote from Francis Bacon.  It speaks of the vocation of the arts and artist.  To deepen the mystery is to tap into the spirit of the artist and transform that into a visual representation of what that spirit says and is.  How do you hold mystery and show it in a work of art? Is mystery something that can be tangibly expressed?  
I believe it can for art is a spirit to spirit communication.  Mystery, cannot be completely defined for within it, it contains an essence that goes beyond our comprehension.  Mystery is perceived when it exists, it makes great art.  The Masters of Old were able to grasp and express it within their work.  The art goes beyond mere storytelling, copying, and expression.  It touches the human experience, touches something universal that we, as humans, can relate to and discern. Mystery deepens our awareness of something beyond ourselves.  And when it exists within art, the art becomes great.  It speaks.  
So to allow our vocation as artists to guide and direct us, we need to listen to the spirit.  We need to express that which is within us, honestly and boldly, to attain the highest form of expression we can achieve.  Then, we will touch and make aware the Spirit and Mystery that makes us human.  


Three Studies of Lucian Freud
1969
Francis Bacon


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