How to Connect with God through Visual Art: A Christian Guide to Visio Divina
I recently had the privilege of leading a Visio divina session for the women’s ministry at my church. Even though I have a background in art history and often use art in prayer and reflection, Visio divina was new to me. Despite this, I had a great time selecting artwork and putting together prompts for the session. At the end, a few people came up to me and shared that they enjoyed getting to reflect and pray using visual art.
If Visio divina is new to you too, I’d love to share how it can help you connect with God more deeply. It’s a spiritual discipline based on Lectio divina that invites us to sit with an image, reflect deeply on it, respond to God in prayer, and enjoy a moment of rest in God’s presence. It’s all about seeing, observing, and listening for the Holy Spirit.
In the rest of the article, I’ll share how you can connect with God through practicing Visio divina. First, we’ll look at the importance of art in Christianity; then we’ll discover the steps of Visio divina; and lastly, we’ll discuss a few frequently asked questions about praying with visual art.
What does art have to do with Christianity?
Art has always been a part of Christianity. Since the second century, Christians have been regularly using art to glorify God and teach truths about Scripture. This was for both practical and aesthetic reasons. For example, for most of history, only religious leaders and wealthy elites were able to read. Everyday people were able to engage with the Scriptures through the lectionary readings during Mass. If someone wanted to reflect on a biblical passage more deeply, they turned to Christian art. Medieval and Renaissance churches were filled with sacred art and iconography recounting the Biblical story. One could meditate on these works of art during times of worship. Some people also owned smaller works of art and used them in private devotion and prayer.
🌿 Ever feel like you’re missing something when you read Scripture? Our Bible Study Guide helps you study and interpret the Bible with confidence, so you can draw closer to God and grow in a more personal relationship with him.
Looking beyond Church History, we also see from the Bible that God values beauty and creativity. Since God is Creator, acts of creativity point back to him.
Interestingly, an artisan named Bezalel was the first person said to have been filled with the Spirit of God. He was filled with the Spirit “to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts (Exodus 31:1-2).”
Before Bezalel and his fellow artisan Oholiab set out to construct the tabernacle, God gave Moses detailed instructions about what it should look like. It wasn’t just meant to be functional, it was also supposed to be beautiful and ornate. The tabernacle contained intricate carvings, beautiful linen fabric dyed in blue, purple, and crimson (these were expensive colors!), and the finest acacia wood overlaid with gold. Not only was the tabernacle itself ornate, the priests’ garments were made from the finest linens, gold filigree, and precious gemstones (see Exodus 25-31).
Of course, art isn’t just about beauty. It can also speak to the brokenness we experience in the world. Cezar Cruz, a Mexican activist, once said that “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” Sometimes art can feel disturbing. When it does, we can take a moment to really look and observe the brokenness, noticing both our pain and the pain of others. But for believers, even art that reveals brokenness can bring us hope. It reminds us that there is a God who restores all things and that we are his agents of healing and restoration in this dark world.
Related: 3 Spiritual Practices for Dealing with Changes in Life
What is Visio Divina?
Now that you’re more aware of how art and Christianity go together, let’s talk about Visio divina. As I mentioned in the introduction, Visio divina is a practice of meditating on art for prayer and reflection. Meditating on art for spiritual purposes is an ancient practice that Christians have participated in throughout the history of the church. However, the particular method of Visio divina is fairly modern.
Visio divina is based on Lectio divina, a method of praying and meditating on the Scriptures that dates back to monastic communities in the early church. Similar to Lectio divina, which is Latin for “divine reading,” Visio divina is Latin for “divine seeing.” Practicing Visio divina helps us slow down from the busyness of life so we can hear from God and experience rest and renewal in his presence. Learning about God is an important part of our faith journey, but communion with God is just as important. Through Visio divina (and other spiritual practices), we get to grow closer to God as we spend time listening for his voice.
Visio divina follows four simple steps: Visio (See), Meditatio (Reflect), Oratio (Respond), and Comtemplatio (Rest).
Related: What Are The Spiritual Disciplines?
How to Practice Visio Divina in Four Simple Steps
Here’s how you can practice Visio divina at home on your own or with a group. It may even be a lot of fun to try this practice at an art museum!
Before getting started, choose a work of art. If you’re at a museum or somewhere that art is displayed, look for a work that stands out to you. If you’re at home, you can choose a work of art that you already have displayed in your house, or you can look up art through online databases or museum websites. Once you have your work of art, you can begin the steps of Visio divina.
Visio
During this stage in the process, you’ll want to take a moment and sit with the artwork. If viewing art is new to you, it may feel a little uncomfortable at first. However, I encourage you to push through the feelings of discomfort and keep looking! You don’t have to look for anything in particular, just take in the composition, colors, texture, shapes, and characters in the work. If your eye feels drawn to a specific spot in the work, let it go there. Or, if your eye wanders throughout the work, that’s okay too.
There’s no right or wrong to this process. Simply, take the time to see and pay attention to how you’re feeling as you examine the work.
Meditatio
The next step in the process involves reflection. After you’ve really had a chance to see the artwork, you’ll spend some time reflecting on the part of the image that most captured your attention. As you reflect, ask yourself these questions: What do I notice? How is God speaking to me through this work? What emotions is this image sparking in me? Why do I think God may be drawing my attention to this area of the artwork?
For example, I recently visited the National Gallery in DC and felt drawn to Andrea Solario’s Lamentation. I notice the juxtaposition of the vibrant Renaissance colors and tones with the deep despair and grief depicted on the faces of those who loved Jesus. There’s one particular figure I couldn’t help but feel drawn towards. John the Evangelist stands next to Mary, supporting Jesus under the armpits. He looks intently at the viewer, almost inviting us into his grief. What happened to Jesus on the cross didn’t just affect his immediate circle. It involves all of us too. Solario’s work reminds us that although we know the end of the story, we don’t get to bypass the pain felt on the day that Jesus died. The earliest disciples’ grief is our grief too.
Reflecting further on this, it’s not always easy for me to sit with emotions like grief and pain. I want to move on to a solution. I think this tendency is common to many of us. But, it does us a lot of good when we can sit with the hard feelings as we await the beauty to come.
Oratio
After reflecting on your artwork, you can now respond by praying to God about what you notice in the image. Did you notice something that brought you joy? Pray about that. If you noticed something that felt uncomfortable, talk to God about it. Ask the Lord what he might want to teach you through what you’re noticing in the artwork.
Contemplatio
Last but not least, take some time to rest in silence with God. During this time, you can contemplate how you can live out what God has been teaching you through the exercise.
Frequently Asked Questions about Praying with Visual Art
Does praying with art replace reading of Scripture?
No, not at all! Praying with visual art is one of many spiritual disciplines. Reading and studying the Scriptures is still incredibly important for our spiritual growth. In fact, understanding Scripture better can actually help enhance our experience meditating on Christian art. It’s easier to recognize what is taking place in a scene when we’re familiar with the biblical passage(s) it depicts.
Can I only pray with Christian art?
Whether religious or secular, art can help us connect with God. Since all people were created in God’s image, we all have the capacity to create beautiful things that point us back to our Creator. A calming sunset scene might prompt us to give God glory for the beauty of creation. Or, a stunning piece of pottery can remind us of the creative instinct that God gave to humans.
Secular art can also be very neutral in subject matter. It can be abstract or realistic. It may depict nature scenes, moments from everyday life, or simple still lifes. Any of these types of works can help us slow down and connect with God.
I mentioned earlier in the article that art can speak to the brokenness of this world. Secular artists are often great at this. For example, Mark Rothko, a Russian atheist who lived and worked during the 20th century, created color field paintings meant to bring people to tears. Makoto Fujimura explains that through Rothko’s work, we begin to understand the darkness and despair that many people feel after loss.1 For a Christian viewing Rothko’s work, we are confronted by the darkness he depicts, but we are also reminded that there’s something beyond the pain. Work like Rothko’s that portrays the deep despair that many go through can help us develop empathy towards those suffering. It helps us see that life isn’t always beautiful. There’s also deep pain and sorrow, and we can walk with others through these experiences.
On another note, I wouldn’t recommend using art from other religious traditions besides Christianity for Visio divina. This is because these works of art may be devoted to other deities and used for the purpose of teaching that particular religion.
Personally, I prefer using Christian art for reflection. I particularly enjoy Christian art that depicts biblical scenes. It helps me to more easily tie what I’m looking at back to Scripture.
That being said, you don’t have to put yourself in a box. Choose images that speak to you and go from there!
Related: Making Time for God in our Overscheduled Lives (Book Review)
What if my reflection from Visio Divina is wrong or contradicts Scripture?
This is an excellent question. It matters deeply that our worldview is aligned with Scripture. However, we often get things wrong. That’s a part of being human. Thankfully, if we’re willing to listen, the Holy Spirit often corrects our wrong worldviews.
So, instead of focusing on whether your reflection is right or wrong, treat it as just that — a reflection. There isn’t necessarily a right or wrong takeaway with Visio divina. It’s simply an opportunity to spend more time with God.
And as with any other spiritual discipline, filter your takeaways through Scripture. The more you understand the Bible, the better you’ll be able to identify whether or not something contradicts Scripture.
Enjoyed this article? Keep going!
Explore the Daily She Pursues shop for Bible studies and resources
that help you study Scripture with greater depth and confidence.
- Makoto Fujimura, Art + Faith: A Theology of Making, (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2020), 121.
↩︎
I absolutely love this post. I’m currently a grad student with a concentration in Creating Writing and for one of my classes, I had a potential idea of writing a sequence of poems focused on lived faith and Italian renaissance art. This post introduced me to the spiritual practices and connections that humans can have towards biblical art. If I choose this topic for my sequence, I will constantly refer back to this post, as it was my jumping off point (I think I will revisit this article even if I do not use it in this class because it will be become a poetry collection that started out as a passion project). Thank you so much for sharing and God bless you 🙂
I’m so glad to hear that, Autumn! And I hope that your project goes well — I think a poetry sequence on the faith and Italian Renaissance art would be really cool. Best wishes with everything!