Who:
Frederick Thomas Kettering loves his wife, Alison; his cats, Fanny and Xander; several friends
(some are also family); and the beautiful gods and goddesses first loved by ancient Greeks.
His favorite pastimes include walking to a nearby cove; listening to Bach or Mozart; looking at
Poussin or Cezanne; and enjoying any well-made movie. He flourished for thirty years in
Northfield, Minnesota - mostly writing - but has moved to the greener grass and bluer water
of Bainbridge Island, Washington - mostly making art.
(some are also family); and the beautiful gods and goddesses first loved by ancient Greeks.
His favorite pastimes include walking to a nearby cove; listening to Bach or Mozart; looking at
Poussin or Cezanne; and enjoying any well-made movie. He flourished for thirty years in
Northfield, Minnesota - mostly writing - but has moved to the greener grass and bluer water
of Bainbridge Island, Washington - mostly making art.
Why:
From the age of ten I tried to reconcile what I learned in school with what I learned in church.
Science gave me a way to understand physical reality. A Christian upbringing gave me inspiring
stories that saw the world in a wholly different light. Although each approach was compelling
in its sphere, the two often disagreed about matters of fact. I could not believe both at once.
At Oberlin, Berkeley, and the college towns that followed, I wondered if the conflict could be
resolved. Two things looked certain: The scientific model, while always evolving, values a single
method, consistent across cultures. By contrast, religions vary widely both in their claims and
in their notions of evidence. I began to compare the paths to religious truth, West and East.
In the 1970s I took my first trip to Greece, visiting numerous classical sites and collections.
Back home, I paid more attention to mythology. In museums, I sought out classical art. I read
extensively about ancient polytheism. I returned to Greece for research. I began to draw.
Many years later, I believe that scientific knowledge and spiritual knowledge can exist amicably
together, each reinforcing the other, because they have done so before. I also believe that
"religious truth" can be found more reliably in a work of art than in scripture.
My beliefs owe less to study than to direct experience of the architecture, art, and literature
of the Greeks and of those they inspired. The left column below lists many "modern" creations;
the right column, many ancient ones. My writing and art-making have been shaped by both.
Science gave me a way to understand physical reality. A Christian upbringing gave me inspiring
stories that saw the world in a wholly different light. Although each approach was compelling
in its sphere, the two often disagreed about matters of fact. I could not believe both at once.
At Oberlin, Berkeley, and the college towns that followed, I wondered if the conflict could be
resolved. Two things looked certain: The scientific model, while always evolving, values a single
method, consistent across cultures. By contrast, religions vary widely both in their claims and
in their notions of evidence. I began to compare the paths to religious truth, West and East.
In the 1970s I took my first trip to Greece, visiting numerous classical sites and collections.
Back home, I paid more attention to mythology. In museums, I sought out classical art. I read
extensively about ancient polytheism. I returned to Greece for research. I began to draw.
Many years later, I believe that scientific knowledge and spiritual knowledge can exist amicably
together, each reinforcing the other, because they have done so before. I also believe that
"religious truth" can be found more reliably in a work of art than in scripture.
My beliefs owe less to study than to direct experience of the architecture, art, and literature
of the Greeks and of those they inspired. The left column below lists many "modern" creations;
the right column, many ancient ones. My writing and art-making have been shaped by both.
|
What:
W. F. Otto: The Homeric Gods K. Kerényi: Gods of the Greeks C. Seltman: The Twelve Olympians W. Burkert: Greek Religion J. W. v. Goethe: Ganymed, Der Musensohn W. B. Yeats: Leda and the Swan R. M. Rilke: Sonnets to Orpheus W. Stevens: Sunday Morning A. Palladio: Villa Rotonda (Vicenza) I. Jones: Banqueting House (London) T. Jefferson: Monticello (Charlottesville) Le Corbusier: Villa Savoye (Poissy) Raphael: The School of Athens (Rome) N. Poussin: Et in Arcadia Ego (Paris) J. Ingres: Oedipus and the Sphinx (London) H. Matisse: Pasiphaë (illustrated book) |
Plato: Phaedo, Symposium Xenophon: Apology Herodotus: Histories Pausanias: Description of Greece Homer: Iliad, Odyssey Aeschylus: Oresteia Sophocles: Oedipus at Colonus Euripides: Hippolytus Parthenon (Athens) and Frieze (London) Temples of Hera (Paestum) Temple of Concord (Agrigento) Theater (Epidauros) Sphinx of Naxos (Delphi) Apollo (Temple of Zeus, Olympia) Grave Stele of Hegeso (Athens) Doryphoros (Minneapolis) |