Typically in this day and age, when men hear the words “art” and “craft,” they tend to see them framed by thoughts of flowery paintings, glitter, and over-sentimental imagery. I’d like to take a moment to re-establish art and craft as words that represent very manly notions, and more precisely, as words that represent virtue. Then I’d like to give some tips on how to integrate art into your every day life.

First virtue, then the rest will fall in. A virtue is a good habit that keeps us from vice and makes us more human. It follows then, that if a virtue is operated by a man, it will make him more manly. A virtue is not an abstract concept or idea, it’s more like a power that we can employ, habitualize, and utilize in order achieve things like goodness, truth, and beauty.

Aristotle, in his classification of the virtues, places art in the realm of the intellectual virtues (along with prudence, understanding, wisdom, and scientific knowledge). These are the virtues that form our minds toward the ultimate good for which they exist, namely God and our neighbor. In order to get past the volumes of superfluous meaning that our society puddles with art, let’s clear the ground by considering how Aristotle defined it and work from there.

The Philosopher’s definition of Art is actually a lot closer to our modern understanding of craftsmanship. In Nicomachean Ethics, he writes,

“Art…is a rational quality, concerned with making [not doing], that reasons truly.”

This means that art goes beyond what’s on display in museums and hotel rooms (also known as “fine art”). Art is concerned with the science of making anything that requires creative energy and reason. Fine art meets this qualification, yes. But also our daily work, the raising of children, our plan of life, our worship, and our apostolate.

Now let’s chat a little about beauty. Beauty seems to always be a natural byproduct of art (as virtue). According to folks like St. Thomas Aquinas and Jacques Maritan, beauty is why we have senses. The Aristotlean and Thomistic perspective on beauty, as you might imagine, is quite objective. That’s another way the classical definition of art differs from our modern understanding (or lack there of). For something to be beautiful, and flow from art as a virtue, it should be concerned with the following principles:

  • Proportion (whether it has balance and harmony)
  • Light and color (if it is composed with radiance, clarity)
  • Symbolism (whether it seeks to give meaning or is used as a tool to discern meaning—better yet, when used as a tool to discern the things of God)

When all is said and done, we shouldn’t exclude fine art when discussing art as a virtue. There is a reason it’s called “fine.” It’s the highest expression of “making that reasons truly.” It’s the example that should inspire our art elsewhere. In order to get inspired, we should seek to have a general awareness of art history, its key players, and even find a few favorites…especially when it comes to Sacred Art. Here are some practical ways to incorporate art as inspiration and virtue in your everyday life:

  1. Find a favorite classical, renaissance, baroque (etc.) artist and start surrounding yourself with copies of their best work (whether it’s literature, music, painting or sculpture). Mine is Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, a 17th century painter who is known for creating striking, baroque portraitures from the lives of Jesus and Mary. His work is the Sacred Art that fills my home.
  2. Apply one of the principles of beauty to your job. Pick a principle, pick a task, and try it out. I write a lot of emails during my day job. Often I find that when I try to harmonize what I say with what my recipient might expect or already be thinking about and complete my own thoughts (proportion), when I consider using the formatting tools to help structure and clarify the email’s content (light and color), etc. etc., I always get better results and am able to claim it as apostolate. It’s simple, but it’s virtue…and it’s manly!
  3. Go out and see fine art. Most of us live near museums and galleries, make an effort to attend these, especially the ones with historical pieces in their collection.
  4. Actively pursue professional development. Read books, listen to podcasts, go to conferences that help you improve your craftsmanship on the job. Strive to be considered virtuous in your day job.
  5. Seek out mentors in your profession and in your state in life who are accomplished “craftsmen” and, if you can manage it, find ones who are saintly.
  6. Cultivate a deep affection for God’s creatures, especially those who have gone before us in our journey. Those who represent some of His greatest and most inspiring works of art: the Blessed Virgin Mary, the martyrs, the apostles, and all who have called Him Father.