Art and Design
FPA Design, is usually considered in the context of the applied arts, engineering, architecture, and other such creative endeavors. FPA Art is that which is made with the intention of stimulating the human senses as well as the human mind and/or spirit in the flow of presence. Although there is no general agreed-upon definition of art, an artwork is normally assessed in quality by the amount of stimulation it brings about. The impact it has on people, through the divine-human encounter, is sometimes most profound. The number of people that can relate to Art and Design is vast, the degree of their appreciation, and the effect or influence it has or has had on them in the past, all accumulate to the 'meaning of art' in the flowing presence. Most artworks that are widely considered to be "masterpieces" possess that quality of "Presence".
Faculty of Art and Design
FPA's Faculty of Art and Design is a dynamic centre, specialising in contemporary art and design, but also representing international work in the field. Professional artists, designers and searchers for meaning work together in various disciplines. Many are international leaders in their fields. FPA supports a sense of self as artists and encourage the most positive environment for growth. The Faculty of Art and Design is the first department in the world, officially dedicated to the flow of presence and is widely recognized to be fresh in Spirit.
Often I have asked friends to give me their first impression of Rembrandt's Prodigal Son. Inevitably, they point to the wise old man who forgives his son: the benevolent patriarch.
The longer I look at 'the patriarch', the clearer it becomes to me that Rembrandt has done something quite different from letting God pose as the wise old head of a family. It all began with the hands. The two are quite different. The father's left hand touching the son's shoulder is strong and muscular. The fingers are spread out and cover a large part of the prodigal son's shoulder and back. I can see a certain pressure, especially in the thumb. That hand seems not only to touch, but, with its strength, also to hold. Even though there is a gentleness in the way the father's left hand touches his son, it is not without a firm grip.
How different is the father's right hand! This hand does not hold or grasp. It is refined, soft, and very tender. The fingers are close to each other and they have an elegant quality. It lies gently upon the son's shoulder. It wants to caress, to stroke, and to offer consolation and comfort. It is a mother's hand....
As soon as I recognized the difference between the two hands of the father, a new world of meaning opened up for me. The Father is not simply a great patriarch. He is mother as well as father. He touches the son with a masculine hand and a feminine hand. He holds, and she caresses. He confirms and she consoles. He is , indeed, God, in whom both manhood and womanhood, fatherhood and motherhood, are fully present. That gentle and caressing right hand echoes for me the words of the prophet Isaiah: "Can a woman forget her baby at the breast, feel no pity for the chile she has borne? Even if these were to forget, I shall not forget you. Look, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands."
Henri Nouwen