Joshua (Chalk Talk)

This large horizontal canvas pays homage to the founding of art departments at Concordia University and other Christian colleges in the United States during the 20th century. Typically, these colleges did not have art departments because art was not considered an important area of study. This might have been due to the media and advertising’s dubious use of beauty as a marketing tool, which apparently made art suspect in many Christian circles.

However, certain open-minded professors invited artists into their classrooms to illustrate history or theology lessons with chalk on blackboards as visual aids. These “chalk-talks” were often quite beautiful and were instrumental in getting a few “experimental” art classes scheduled. These classes gradually increased and eventually evolved into the full-fledged, highly regarded art departments of schools such as Biola, Calvin, Azusa Pacific, Westmont, Messiah, Bethel, and Concordia, to name just a few.

This rendering in oil stick on black acrylic paint simulates a wood-framed blackboard with chalk images and text above a long tray holding chalk and an eraser. The subject of this “chalk-talk” is a full-color version of The Life and Ministry of Joshua.