David Clayton to Speak at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Tyler, TX: 6 pm, March 11th – Cultivate the Art of Living Joyfully

The Way of Beauty – Spirituality for Creatives and Creativity for All

Reception to follow across the street at the Stabat Mater Atelier

I will give a talk at the Cathedral in Tyler, Texas, next Tuesday evening on The Way of Beauty – Spirituality for Creatives and Creativity for All. I will explain the principles behind traditional artistic training, as might have been given to Michelangelo or Raphael. Further, I will explain how this formation can be reduced, after an initial immersion in its methods, to a pattern of habits – the habits of creatives; the effect is to stimulate the imagination, impart an appreciation for beauty and cultivate the art of living joyfully on the Way of Beauty.

The talk is hosted by the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, and co-sponsored by the Scala Foundation, the Stabat Mater Foundation, and Stabat Mater Atelier.

When an artisan (artist) practices his art well, he is practising virtue, participating in God’s ongoing creative work, and contributing to a beautiful contemporary culture. That culture, mundane or sacred, is Christian to the degree that it bears the mark of divine beauty.

The traditional formation that might have been given to the great Catholic artists in the past trained people to contribute to a beautiful Christian culture. It did far more than teach an artist the skills of their craft. It was a Catholic inculturation and a formation that immersed them in the tradition in which they wished to work. Such a formation was designed to develop an appreciation for and a deep understanding of the principles that underlie the beauty of the cosmos and to impart the Christian practices and habits that incline the artist to follow inspiration and order the imagination. 

This talk will describe the core principles of such a formation and discuss how they can be applied today to art education at any level and, more broadly, to any human activity so that all of us can contribute gracefully and beautifully to the evangelisation of contemporary culture. 

In his short presentation about the New Evangelization, Pope Benedict XVI wrote that we must cultivate the art of joyful living to draw people to the faith. The Way of Beauty is a formation that enables us to do just that: when we make beautiful choices, we follow the guiding light of divine beauty which is a source of joy, and draw others onto that path.

This coincides with a visit to the Stabat Mater Atelier, which I will see personally for the first time. I can’t wait to meet everyone and see the great work that Robert is doing in this uniquely Catholic art project.