Existentialism

Can you believe in God and yet be an existentialist?

I don' think there is an answer to that question. I believe in God but am madly in love with existentialism. Ever since I discovered it during the first year of my A-Levels I have been obsessed with the ideas and the works of this branch of philosophy.

I find it so exhilarating and mind blowing. I love the close affair it has with Absurdism the 'Thatre of the Absurd'. Ever since the discovery of the existence of existentialism I have tried to read as much as possible about it. So below is various bits of text that I have found both enlightening and elusive.


First, some 'existentialist paintings'.


Phyllis Bramson

'The Existentialist Witness'








Andrew Baines





Above: The Existentialist.

Below: The Existentialists.




I will try to comment on the above two paintings but be warned- I am not an art critic!

What strikes me is that black suit and the bowler hats. The bowler hat was worn by men of all classes and to me this reflects the ideas of existentialists such as Sartre who believed that each individual is 'condemned to be free', that 'existence precedes essence', human being just exist and each man regardless of material things like his social status and occupation must find his own meaning to life; he has no great destiny and must choose freely.

In the first painting, 'The Existentialist' depicting just one man on his own, the sky is much brighter- more 'bluey' and less menacing than the sky in the second painting, 'The Existentialists' where there are several men. In the second painting the sky is much greyer and darker and

(unfinished)




Below: Whats the point




Is it me or does this strongly remind you of Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot' ? Two men in bowling hats, they appear to be waiting, similar environment to that in Beckett's play although there is no tree. I wonder if there is any relation, I've read a little about Baines on the internet but there is very little on him and also no mention of a connection in anything I have read so far.

(unfinished)