The story of Moses and the burning bush from the book of Exodus in the Bible is one of the most profound narratives in religious history. Moses encounters a bush that is ablaze but not consumed by the fire, a spectacle that immediately breaks his usual frame of reference. The sight is so out of the ordinary that Moses is compelled to investigate. When he approaches, God speaks to him from the bush, introducing Himself as the God of his forefathers and charging Moses with a divine mission.
This narrative can serve as an apt metaphor for an individual’s encounter with a truly great work of art. Like Moses at the burning bush, the viewer faces an unknown that challenges their preconceived notions and assumptions about the world. The painting (or any form of art) becomes a ground of being – a window through which the viewer is invited to see not just the object itself, but also the underpinning reality it hints at.
This encounter is not superficial. It’s not just about appreciating the aesthetic beauty of the artwork or being moved by the emotions it evokes. The experience goes beyond that, like Moses hearing God’s voice from the burning bush. The viewer is invited into a deeper, almost divine realm where they are compelled to grapple with questions of existence, purpose, and meaning. In a sense, the art piece becomes a portal, a gateway into a realm that transcends the ordinary, material world.
Just as the burning bush was not consumed by the fire, so too is the work of art not consumed by its medium. Whether it’s paint on a canvas, words on a page, or notes in a symphony, the medium is merely the vehicle. The true art lies in what the piece communicates, the questions it raises, and the truths it uncovers.
Further, the impact of such an encounter can strip the viewer of their perception of memory. Like a dream that seems to bypass our conscious mind and speak directly to our subconscious, a great work of art can have a similar effect. It can bypass our usual cognitive filters and speak directly to those deeper parts of our psyche that we may not even be consciously aware of. It challenges, provokes, and even disturbs our typical ways of seeing and understanding the world, encouraging us to see things anew.
The story of Moses and the burning bush beautifully encapsulates the transformative potential of a true encounter with art. Like Moses, we are invited to approach, to engage, and ultimately to be changed by the experience. It is a journey into the unknown, a step towards the divine, and a plunge into the ground of being itself.
