'Disinterested' in Lent
- Ninnaku Oberholzer
- Feb 22, 2023
- 5 min read
I admit, the title 'disinterested' in Lent is meant to be a bit provocative but stick with me and I promise it will make sense.
(Artwork discussed in the VCS Ash Wednesday commentary mentioned below. When reading the commentary I realised Kiefer was an artist that we studied in High School and it was such a nice surprise that his work formed part of my first reflection during Lent)
The season of Lent is here, or in Afrikaans known as Lydenstyd, and is a period of 40 days leading up to Easter and starts with Ash Wednesday. I think for a lot of people within my context, including myself, Lent isn't really followed or observed if you're not part of a church or Christian denomination with specific observances. I myself have never participated in Lent nor do I feel a personal connection with this period leading up to Easter, but this year I wanted to challenge myself. I did my research, tried to understand what Lent is, where the tradition comes from, what it means for those who strictly adhere to it and have a personal connection to it, and what it might mean to me. Here's a short summary for those who, like me, know of Lent but not what it truly is:
As briefly mentioned previously, Lent is period of 40 days within the Christian liturgical calendar which leads up to the period of Easter. Scripturally the period is based on what we read in the Gospels surrounding the narrative of Jesus' Temptation right after his baptism. Respectively we read the account in Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, and Luke 4:1-13 which in each instance describes the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting and is tempted by what is described as the devil. This period of 40 days have been adopted by Christian tradition as a way of imitating the process Jesus went through in the desert, with many Christian denominations fasting during these 40 days. This fasting goes along with penitence and preparation for the period of Easter starting with Ash Wednesday.
What I realized from my research and trying to envelop myself in the process of Lent taking the position of someone who stands on the outside of this tradition is that whilst Lent is observed by many different Christian traditions and in different ways, at its core it is a period of renewal and penitence, a time to revert into oneself and contemplate alongside God. This immediately made me reflect on my course of Art as Theological Medium where for the past 5 weeks we have explored the life of John the Baptist and his teachings, based around baptism and penitence (I will do my first reflection on Lent video on John the Baptist and link it here later). Keeping this in mind, I wanted to push myself this year and partake in Lent, challenging myself to commit to fasting and also to centre each week around a reflection of artistic work. However, this being said I also feel it necessary to enter this process with a sense of disinterest. This might seem counter-productive - how can I enter a period of penitence without actively being interested in the process or wanting something coming out of it?
The theme of 'disinterest' has become a central theme in my classes on Beauty in Western Thought. We first broached the subject when exploring what Hegel and Kant has to say about Beauty, and it turn how art fits into this. Whilst I won't go into a full analysis of what these philosopher's thoughts are on the subjects (because I'm still trying to understand them myself) what is important for my 'disinterested' attitude towards Lent is the concept of 'Aesthetic disinterestedness'. The term Aesthetics itself refers to the philosophical principles concerning the nature of beauty and the appreciation of it. Aesthetics being taken together with disinterestedness was a brainchild of Kant and should not be understood as showing indifference towards beauty or art. Instead, for Kant it means that as viewer we do not place our own expectations or ideologies upon the artwork but let the artwork speak for itself, finding satisfaction in how the artwork appears. When applying this 'disinterested' approach to art, we can find joy and pleasure in the beauty that the work wants to show rather than focusing on what the purpose of its creation is. Whilst there are arguments which can be made against such approach or limitations which may arise, the concept of Aesthetic disinterestedness struck a cord with me and I've been trying to apply it to other areas of my life. It's allowed me to take a step back from my work, friends and family, and even myself in order to evaluate the expectations I have forced onto these things and people and let go of them. Through this I have been able to experience the joy in the people around me and love them for who they are and what they show me and share with me. I've been able to enjoy my work without the self-imposed pressure of every article I read or every artwork I see to inform me and over analyse how it might fit into my essay plans. I think most importantly the disinterest I've show towards myself has helped to step away from my own expectations and over-critical analysis, allowing me to find joy and inspiration within myself and who I am and want to be. Whilst I can confidently say that I'm sure Kant did not have this in mind when writing about his Aesthetic disinterestedness, his work has allowed me to reflect on both art and life.
It is in light of this that I have decided to apply a 'disinterested' approach to Lent and to let the experience of fasting and penitence lead me to wherever it might, not imposing my own outcome or wishes. I do agree that this might seem to go against the mindfulness of penitence and I do not mean that there should be no ruminating or penance made. After all, Lent is about giving up the comforts of life but should not be understood as a punishment. It is about conversion and renewal, about leaving the bad habits behind and to be invigorated by a new spirit. For some this is aligned towards God and reflecting on Jesus, for others it might be finding themselves. Whatever the reason, for this season of Lent I encourage you to undertake a position of disinterestedness and to choose an artwork and perhaps a piece of scripture, if you are so inclined, every week and reflect upon it. Do not choose a work or writing because you think it might bring a message to you, rather enjoy it for what it is and not what you want it to do for you. I'll be doing this with works of art every week and trying to apply this disinterestedness in my own process whilst sharing it with you each week.
To start this process I decided to take a step back and not force the search of an artwork but rather enjoy the start of the process and listen to what others have to say. I loved the Visual Commentary on Scripture's commentary on Genesis 3:17-19, 23 aimed towards Ash Wednesday titled 'Remember that you are dust' and perhaps it might also help you to reflect and find a way to engage with art in a disinterested way during the process of Lent.
Embracing the process of Lent by partaking in Shrove Tuesday (a very interesting and old tradition). There is also a pancake race that takes place in London each year and sadly I found out about it too late, otherwise you would have found me there. Needless to say, I really miss the traditional South African pancakes with suiker and kaneel.
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