Recently, I became aware through the writings of a favorite Catholic Christian writer of mine (Michael D. O'Brien, yet again) of an esteemed artist and writer from Canada that has been off my radar all this time, to my chagrin: William Kurelek (March 3, 1927 – November 3, 1977.)
Here is a link to his wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Kurelek
Kuralek interests me for a multitude of reasons.
I have an appreciation for art and art history, most probably an appreciation that was ingrained in me from an early age by my father, himself an amateur artist.
Kurelek, though a Canadian, was of Eastern European heritage like myself. And like myself, he was a Roman Catholic (he converted.)
As a student studying psychology (I am taking a course in Foundations of Psychology at Neumann University) Kurelek's struggles with mental illness intrigue me.
I do have a fascination with Canada. I traveled there many years ago to the Toronto area as part of an exchange program of the Boy Scouts of America. In addition, I am a fan of Canadian cinema (My Winnipeg is a favorite documentary of mine.)
I have located the trailer for the documentary William Kuralek's The Maze, which was originally released in the 1960s , but which benefited from a restoration and re-release in 2011-2012. I am anxious to view the film, but I cannot find it anywhere, either available for viewing online, or for purchase :-(
In the meantime, here's the link to the trailer on Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15Qy3o7eoNc
Looks awesome, doesn't it?
I am unsure the best way to characterize Kurelek's artwork with my limited vocabulary pertaining to art history but to me it looks very surreal, with a touch of the grotesque, and a bit of the pastoral thrown in for good measure.
I love that in the documentary, Kurelek himself is interviewed. He died when he was only fifty, but apparently he was quite prolific as a painter and illustrator.
I am particularly interested in the story of Kurelek's religious conversion, and I am hoping this angle is explored in the film. Apparently, he was born into the Ukrainian Orthodox faith, then identified as an atheist for a time, before converting to Roman Catholicism.
This documentary, as I mentioned, first premiered in 1969, directed by Robert M. Young and David Grubin. Apparently, one of the film's co-directors (Young) worked on the restoration with his sons Nick Young and Zack Young. They started a Kickstarter campaign to "re-imagine" the film in time to be shown in a retrospective of Kurelek's work showcase in museums in Canada back in 2011-2012.
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Thursday, March 16, 2017
The Case for Christ (2017 Trailer)
The following are my thoughts upon viewing the recently released trailer for the upcoming 2017 movie "The Case for Christ."
You can view the trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhe8KhSxWGo
First impressions? I am *very* excited for this movie to be released! The trailer is a bit dramatic, with some overly-sensational music cues. And, it looks like a period piece, judging by the wardrobe/settings in the preview.
I first read the non-fiction book by author Lee Strobel that this film is based on sometime around the year 2006.
Reading the book has had a profound effect on my own personal faith journey.
I was baptized Roman Catholic, and raised as such from the cradle onwards. I attended Catholic grade school, high school, and college.
Sometime after college, my faith in my religion began to wane. I started to have questions as to the veracity of my beliefs. I would have frequent periods of doubt. I began to wonder if continuing to go to church every Sunday was worth the effort. I started to seriously question in my mind the object truths of Christianity.
By 2006, although nominally still a Catholic, my dedication to my faith, and knowledge of my beliefs, was anything but where it should be.
It wasn't until 2007, when I discovered the Catholic young adult community, that I really started to revert to the man of faith that I was always intended to be.
But just before that fateful year I read Lee Strobel's amazing book.
A bit of background: the book is written by Lee Strobel, an investigative journalist from Chicago, former hardened atheist and full-time skeptic turned believer in the process of researching and writing his book. What I really admired about the work was that it approached the subject matter of Christ's divinity from a skeptical viewpoint. Arguments that I often presented to myself to refute the divinity of Jesus are actually addressed in the book, and countered head-on.
From Wikipedia:
"Strobel received a journalism degree from University of Missouri and a Master of Studies in Law degree from Yale Law School, becoming a journalist for The Chicago Tribune and other newspapers for 14 years. Formerly an avowed atheist, he began investigating the Biblical claims about Christ after his wife's conversion. Prompted by the results of his investigation, he became a Christian on November the 8th of 1981.[ Strobel has also been trained in journalism and law at Harvard University."
"Strobel was a teaching pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, from 1987 to 2000, before shifting his focus to writing and producing his TV show. He continues to speak periodically at churches and has been a board member of the Willow Creek Association. In 2007, Strobel was awarded an honorary doctoral degree by Southern Evangelical Seminary in recognition of his contributions to Christian apologetics."
"According to Strobel, The Case for Christ retraces and expands his journey toward becoming a Christian. The book summarizes his interviews with thirteen evangelical Christian scholars—Craig Blomberg, Bruce Metzger, Edwin Yamauchi, John McRay, Gregory Boyd, Ben Witherington III, Gary Collins, D.A. Carson, Louis Lapides, Alexander Metherell, William Lane Craig, Gary Habermas, and J. P. Moreland—in which they defend their views regarding the historical reliability of the New Testament."
I do not agree with all of Evangelical Christian Lee Strobel's faith-based views. He is of a faith tradition that has important disagreements with my own. However, as a fellow opponent of the pervasive secularism and "Post-Christian" society arising with alarming intensity in America and elsewhere in the world, I feel a kinship enough with his apologetic cause to recommend his writings and the related media based on his work.
Anyway this looks like a sure-fire hit, and look forward to seeing the movie when it is released!
You can view the trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhe8KhSxWGo
First impressions? I am *very* excited for this movie to be released! The trailer is a bit dramatic, with some overly-sensational music cues. And, it looks like a period piece, judging by the wardrobe/settings in the preview.
I first read the non-fiction book by author Lee Strobel that this film is based on sometime around the year 2006.
Reading the book has had a profound effect on my own personal faith journey.
I was baptized Roman Catholic, and raised as such from the cradle onwards. I attended Catholic grade school, high school, and college.
Sometime after college, my faith in my religion began to wane. I started to have questions as to the veracity of my beliefs. I would have frequent periods of doubt. I began to wonder if continuing to go to church every Sunday was worth the effort. I started to seriously question in my mind the object truths of Christianity.
By 2006, although nominally still a Catholic, my dedication to my faith, and knowledge of my beliefs, was anything but where it should be.
It wasn't until 2007, when I discovered the Catholic young adult community, that I really started to revert to the man of faith that I was always intended to be.
But just before that fateful year I read Lee Strobel's amazing book.
A bit of background: the book is written by Lee Strobel, an investigative journalist from Chicago, former hardened atheist and full-time skeptic turned believer in the process of researching and writing his book. What I really admired about the work was that it approached the subject matter of Christ's divinity from a skeptical viewpoint. Arguments that I often presented to myself to refute the divinity of Jesus are actually addressed in the book, and countered head-on.
From Wikipedia:
"Strobel received a journalism degree from University of Missouri and a Master of Studies in Law degree from Yale Law School, becoming a journalist for The Chicago Tribune and other newspapers for 14 years. Formerly an avowed atheist, he began investigating the Biblical claims about Christ after his wife's conversion. Prompted by the results of his investigation, he became a Christian on November the 8th of 1981.[ Strobel has also been trained in journalism and law at Harvard University."
"Strobel was a teaching pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, from 1987 to 2000, before shifting his focus to writing and producing his TV show. He continues to speak periodically at churches and has been a board member of the Willow Creek Association. In 2007, Strobel was awarded an honorary doctoral degree by Southern Evangelical Seminary in recognition of his contributions to Christian apologetics."
"According to Strobel, The Case for Christ retraces and expands his journey toward becoming a Christian. The book summarizes his interviews with thirteen evangelical Christian scholars—Craig Blomberg, Bruce Metzger, Edwin Yamauchi, John McRay, Gregory Boyd, Ben Witherington III, Gary Collins, D.A. Carson, Louis Lapides, Alexander Metherell, William Lane Craig, Gary Habermas, and J. P. Moreland—in which they defend their views regarding the historical reliability of the New Testament."
I do not agree with all of Evangelical Christian Lee Strobel's faith-based views. He is of a faith tradition that has important disagreements with my own. However, as a fellow opponent of the pervasive secularism and "Post-Christian" society arising with alarming intensity in America and elsewhere in the world, I feel a kinship enough with his apologetic cause to recommend his writings and the related media based on his work.
Anyway this looks like a sure-fire hit, and look forward to seeing the movie when it is released!
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