I studied the work of many artists as an Art History and Fine Arts major in college. It has always fascinated me to see what an artist chooses to put inside the frame. It’s the edited view of what she or he wants us to focus on to make their statement.
It makes me think of one particular technique that rocked the world of painting back in the days of Edgar Degas who lived from 1834-1917. It was influenced by the first permanent photograph made in the mid-1820s by French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce.
Here’s what happened. Before the invention of the camera, artists focused on the image that went inside a frame. Most paintings were highly structured, observing the principles of design like the vanishing point on the horizon and unseen orthagonal lines of perspective that lead to it. People and objects were placed very deliberately by importance, size, and the rules of composition. Color and light were also controlled and manipulated to lead your eyes within the canvas to what the artist wanted you to see first, then second, and so on. The invention of photographs opened a new way of seeing–beyond the frame.
Let’s come back to Degas who made famous paintings of ballerinas. If you look at how he uses the frame, you’ll see that the people he paints are captured in spontaneous moments, not poses. Some look outside the frame, not directly at the viewer. Others are partially cut off as they exit or enter the scene. A moment of time is captured, like a photograph can.
Now let’s use a picture frame as a metaphor for our point of view and what we focus on. As things come and go throughout our day, we stop to look at what interests us. We also edit out what we don’t want to see or think about. If we only use what’s within our frame as the only reality, whether narrow or wide, it still isn’t the whole picture, is it?
Here are a few examples of frames that can limit our full understanding:
Isolation can be a frame. If we stay inside this frame and separate ourselves from others, we miss out on the blessings that come from friendship, love, and community.
Judgement can be a frame. We don’t know the whole story of another person’s life, experiences, or intentions. If we don’t listen first so we can to learn and understand, it can cause division instead of unity.
Wealth can be a frame. Proverbs 18:11 (ESV) says, “A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his imagination.” Money can be lost for many reasons. No one will take even a dime with them when they leave this Earth and enter eternity.
Our devices can be a frame. The “porthole” we look through on our phones, tablets, TVs and other devices exposes us to content that can addict us in unhealthy ways. This frame can distort what’s real and true vs. time-wasting entertainment and fantasy.
Earth can be a frame. Focusing on the temporary and physical things of Earth can cause us to exclude the reality of eternity and the spiritual world. 2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV) says, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
What’s beyond the frame of this life? Let’s read Colossians 1:15-17 (NLT) to see the biggest picture of all:
“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on Earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see–such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through Him and for Him. He existed before anything else, and He holds all creation together.”
If we never read God’s Word, the Holy Bible, we’ll miss all that’s beyond our little frame. Believe in Jesus and see what you’ve been missing.
RESET HIGHER: If you’ve cropped your view of life down to a small perspective, open your heart, mind, and soul even wider. There’s so much more to learn.
