Art can show how religion and gender can affect one another in many different ways. I selected the Christ and the Adulteress, located at the Getty Center. Which was painted in the 1620’s. This painting shows a mysterious woman being punished while men are listening to Jesus’ final judgment. I want to focus on how gender and religion were treated during the 17th century. This was a time period when women were labeled as adulterers, or being accused of practicing witchcraft. And men were being judgmental when a woman did something that was unnatural. People relied a lot on religion, especially Christians in order to find the solution. I saw that the textbook doesn’t have no section with the relationship of gender and religion. The textbook, Exploring …show more content…
Art A Global, Thematic Approach by Margaret Lazzari and Dona Schlesier has chapters that deal with religion and gender issues, but it doesn’t explain the relationship between them. Chapter 13 for example, deals with a lot of issues with gender and religion, but it doesn’t clearly explain the importance of their relationship. Gender issues and religion is an important topic that the textbook should include, because it justified the meaning of both terms. The Christ and the Adulteress is a French Baroque painting made by Valentin de Boulogne. It an oil on canvas that is 167 by 221.3 cm long. It hangs at the Getty Center in the French Baroque room. Looking at the environment of the painting, it was well lit and easy to see what was going on. The room was full of French Baroque paintings and a few sculptures. There was nothing special in the room which made it feel pretty boring. This painting grabbed my attention and it made me observe it for a couple of minutes. What grabbed my attention was that the painting had only two characters that were highlighted; a woman and Jesus Christ. This raised many questions as to why these people were brighter than the other people. It made me think about the time period that this painting was created in and how it was connected to the issues that were going on during the 17th century. The painting that I am writing about is not in the textbook, but it has connections to other artworks. In the book, Abduction of the Daughters of Leucippus by Peter Paul Rubens has more of a connection to de Boulogne’s painting, than any other pieces in the textbook. Both of these paintings were painted in the same century, and it shows the characteristics of masculinity and femininity. Paul Rubens’s painting is scene from Greek mythology. Castor and Pollux capture a philosopher’s two daughters. The men are twin sons to the Greek god Zeus. Cupid helped both men to carry both women. The women resisted and it is considered to be rape. Men commit acts like this, because it makes them feel masculine. When you feel masculine, it gives one pride and self-control. For females it makes them vulnerable. The connection between each painting is that the women are helpless against men. Men had a lot of privilege and it make them stronger than women. In the 17th century, women didn’t have that much rights and they were vulnerable. This a reminder that men tend to go too far, and harm women for acting different. As stated in the textbook, “when there are deep political or social changes, the roles can become very controversial.” People question whether the change is okay, but have the fear that it might damage their lives. People depended on religion to find answers. Religion and gender helps people to discuss what the right solution is. It also justified the roles that a male or female should take. For example, Jesus Christ seems to be a guide for everyone. People rely on him for questions about their own gender. Christ was a forgiving person, and he won’t be upset if a man is not masculine or a female acting differently. Make sense because it shows that these men from the de Boulogne’s painting want to know Jesus’s advice. The Christ and the Adulteress give a good idea on how to handle situations like gender issues. Women during the 17th century relied on a spiritual figure like Jesus Christ, in order to find forgiveness or guidance to see what is right. De Boulogne’s painting tells a story of a mysterious woman being punish.
The Pharisees brought the adulteress to Jesus and they ask what they should do with her. The men or the Pharisees wanted to stone the women to death. Jesus bent down to the sand and started writing something on it. After he was done, he stood up and said “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her”. The painting took some inspiration from the passage John 7:53- 8:11. Jesus Christ makes a good argument between both genders. Looking at the painting, all the faces of men seem upset or sad and realizes that they also commit sins. The only man who shows a different expression is Jesus, and he looks pretty straight forward. To the left of the painting, it has guards having custody of the mysterious adulteresses. They are wearing armor from de Boulogne’s time period. All of the guards have their heads down and seem pretty upset. The mysterious adulteress is sad. She has her hands tied up and covered with dirt. She is looking down at the sand. To the right, it shows three weeping men, and Jesus Christ. All the men are standing up, but they can’t hold back their tears of disappointment. Christ in the other hand is bending down writing on the sand. Christ is not looking down to his writing. He is looking at the adulteress in a calm stare. Christ wants the woman to feel okay and show that the other gender sins as well. This proves that men can make mistakes like women. Everyone commits sins that they aren’t happy about but it make them learn. Men don’t see clearly what is right and wrong. When a woman committed a sin, men make them the victim of their wrong doing. Going overboard makes men realizes that they are also committing a sin, by punishing a woman for acting differently. It shows that everyone makes a mistake, no matter what time period you are living
in. De Boulogne wasn’t a huge artist during his lifetime. His early years are not well known, especially figuring out his birth year; 1591 or 1594. His father was a painter and stained glass worker. De Boulogne got his training from his father and he studied a lot with different artist, from different parts of France and Italy. It wasn’t until 1620 when de Boulogne gained fame from being included in Rome census. After that moment in his life, de Boulogne form a group with Cornelis van Poelenburgh and Caravaggesque Dirck van Bahuren called the Bentvueghels (birds of a feather). De Boulogne received the nickname “Innamorato” due to his single life. De Boulogne painted Caravaggio paintings, but wasn’t able to get recognized for his work. He got most of his fame, from retelling bible passages by painting an illustration. De Boulogne recreated biblical reference in his own point of view. This became popular during the French Baroque era, as many of these artists starting retelling all of these religious meanings. Baroque art was an agenda for the Catholic Church to gain more recognitions from the public, after the Protestant revolt. French King Louis XIV took baroque art in a different approach by idolizing the monarchy. Many of these French baroque pieces take a lot of reference from classical art. These artists take reference from the past and also from religious stories. It also dealt with a lot of gender issues in the mix. Looking at de Boulogne’s paintings, he seems to focus a lot dealing with gender. He has lived in a time where women started being trial for witchcraft and other unnatural occupations. This is strongly shown in Nathanial Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter” in which the main character, Hester Prynne is treated as an outcast for having a child out of wedlock. This book was published in the mid-1800’s, but it took place during the 1600’s, this was close to the time that de Boulogne lived in. The book discusses many things like sin, downfall of men, innocents, and the sorrows of Hester Prynne. The 1600’s wasn’t a good time for anyone. It was hard to keep up with the change and people weren’t thinking this clearly. It shows the absence of religion and the growth of arrogance. Prejudice drastically increased and people were becoming different. De Boulogne painting Christ and the Adulteress remind people that Jesus Christ sees all sins, and that it would be wrong to punish an individual for their own agency. It takes a whole society to take the blame and then to find a solution for the issue. He might be ahead of his own time, but de Boulogne was proving a point that this change of thought or ideals will happen. And that it’s important to accept it, no matter if you hate it. Why is it important to understand the relationship between gender and religion? It something that connects people and brings religion to be more recognized by the general public. People were losing faith and becoming separated from each other. De Boulogne reminds people what is important, which is to think first, than act later. Jesus Christ won’t allow anyone to be punish, without having the prosecutor to rely their own mistakes. Christ and the Adulteress is a lesson that us people make mistakes, and no one is perfect. It shows that women were changing and men need accept more instead of judge. The textbook needs a section where it compares gender issues and religion, and how they both use one another to fix their own problems. De Boulogne needs some recognition for his work on biblical references that dealt with gender issues. It gives a lesson on how both genders are facing the problem, and what religion guidance they have to do in order to fix it.
Albrecht Durer-Saint Jerome in His Study: In this engraving done in 1514 Durer depicts Saint Jerome hard at work at a desk. He appears to be reading or inditing some document that is very engrossing. He does not seem to descry the lion or the canine that are near the foot of his desk. A skull is optically discerned on the left side of the engraving sitting on the window ledge facing the interior of the room. It appears as though there is an imaginary line from Saint Jerome’s head to the cross that culminates at the skull, it is believed that this designates the contrast between death and the Resurrection. The canine is a symbol of adhesion often depicted in Durer’s works, while the lion is a component of the iconography of Saint Jerome. This engraving is often grouped with two other Durer engravings that betoken the three spheres of activity apperceived in Medieval times. Durer was an accomplished engraver, painter, printmaker, mathematician, and theorist.
The development of Italian painting in the years around the 1300 or the proto-renaissance is in some sense the rebirth of art and culture. The painters of Renaissance Italy usually attached to particular courts and with loyalties to certain cities, still explored the extensive span of Italy. Many of the Italian painters grew artistically during this time, which is noticeable in Duccio’s painting compared to Giotto’s. In the renaissance period it was highly popularized to mainly draw depictions of religious figures, which is what the concentration of Duccio’s artwork mainly was. Before the painting of the Betrayal of Christ, Duccio’s paintings were highly composed and reliant upon the ancient tradition of icon painting. In the time around 1300 Duccio took steps toward depicting images in a more naturalistic form; Whereas, Giotto, in the 1300’s, was already established as painting more three-dimensional and naturalistic forms.
A Comparison of Barna di Siena’s Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine and Rogier van der Weyden’s Saint Luke Drawing the Virgin and Child
Asher Lev paints against the values of his family and community. He disregards Jewish traditions and observance by pursuing his passion for art. His individuality has him disobeying the Rebbe, the mashphia, his mythic ancestor as well as his parents. Asher does not intend for his artwork to be harmful, but that they convey truths and feelings. Yet, the Brooklyn Crucifixions cause shame for his observant Jewish parents. In that way, he disrespects their teachings and wishes. He challenges the Jewish belief on modesty in creating nude works and disturbs the Hasidic community in his Christian imagery. Worst of all is the reflection of the life-like representation of his family in the paintings. This causes a shocked and angry reaction from the public. The climax evolves towards the last chapter of My Name is Asher Lev, when Asher's parents react hurtingly after the paintings are exposed to them in the New York Museum. Chaim Potok writes their reaction as happening slowly in a step-by-step movement; in silences; building up readers' expectations of a negative outcome.
These literary works portray how differences in societal circumstances, expression, and other people can change the way a person interprets the paper. The authors offer different perspectives in order to get their points across. In “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” the audience of the sermon is being persuaded to follow God because He is the only one who can keep a person from spending an eternity in hell. The story “Young Goodman Brown” proves how easily people are influenced by the decision of others and also includes how witchcraft was changing the faithful of that time. In comparing the two stories the reader will come to know the influence of the time era, the differences in which the characters are being approached, and the impact the clergy has on people.
This is an extremely high relief sculpture made of limestone. It is to be viewed from a frontal standpoint. It however does have a potential for movement. There seems to be a great deal going on in such a close space. It is very crowded, but dramatic. The figures are intertwining with each other all at once even though there are different things happening. It reminds me of a play with scenes. You can actually step in to it and feel as though you are a part of what is happening because of all the different directions each individual is facing.
Reis, Elizabeth. Damned Women: Sinners and Witches in Puritan New England.( New York: Cornell University Press, 1999), 107-108.
Mary Magdalene was a woman who was a mystery to many people for centuries. She was mentioned only a handful of times in the New Testament. Even though she was only mentioned a few times she carried a lot of character. To this day there is not an extended amount of information to help support people’s thoughts and ideas about this woman.
The issue of religion in women's horror is much like the issue of class. In most major organized religions there is a definite patriarchal structure of male dominance. The Father, the Son, the Pope, bishops and priests are all part of this structure that mostly lack woman influences. The religious structure reflects the male dominated society as a whole. As one would expect, women are frightful and perhaps horrified at this exclusionary system and in women's horror the idea of a woman Christ figure has been brought forth. Perhaps women are in touch with the idea of the Christ-like figure, one that is nurturing and motherly and by using a woman with Christ-like attributes, the structure of religion is commented on and destructured. Men's horror, however, works in the opposite direction by struggling to maintain the structure as it stands. While women battle to overthrow the ideas of a patriarchal religion, men battle to keep this disturbance in check and find comfort in the reassurance from male horror in the reassertion of male dominance.
Her chief arguing points and evidence relate to the constriction of female sexuality in comparison to male sexuality; women’s economic and political roles; women’s access to power, agency, and land; the cultural roles of women in shaping their society; and, finally, contemporary ideology about women. For her, the change in privacy and public life in the Renaissance escalated the modern division of the sexes, thus firmly making the woman into a beautiful
In the 1600s, Sor Juana Inez Cruz, a nun in the Convent of the Order of St Jerome, wrote a critique of a sermon that was delivered some forty years earlier. Her paper was critical of a preachers’ message regarding Christ and His love for mankind. Cruz’s critique was subsequently published by the Bishop of Puebla without her consent or knowledge. Additionally, the bishop wrote his own letter to Sor Juana using the fabricated name of Filotea de la Cruz. In his letter, the bishop describes a conversation between two nuns, one insisting that the other spend her time and abilities attending to religious matters alone, while forsaking intellectual pursuits (Norton 247). As a response to the bishop’s actions, Sor Juana wrote, “The Poets Answer to the Most Illustrious Sor Filotea de la Cruz”, a humble, intelligent, and tactful response, where she responded, “I have attempted to entomb my intellect together with my name and to sacrifice it to the One who gave it to me; and that no other motive brought me to the life of religion…” (Ines De Le Cruz, Sor Juana 252). Her response to the Bishop of Puebla grew from her distaste of his stance against a woman’s right to a secular education. In Cruz’s time, and as a rule, women were not allowed to pursue an education outside of the religious confines of the nunnery. As a result, the overseers of the convent did all they could to put Cruz to silence (Paz 263).?? Also, Cruz’s “Philosophical Satire”, which describes the unacceptable behavior of the men when it comes to a woman’s right to be treated fairly, reads, “....if, with eagerness unequaled, you plead against women’s disdain, why require them to do well when you inspire them to f...
...tudy with both an understanding of contemporary beliefs and practices as well as historic norms and doctrines among these two religious communities will adequately portray how religion impacts the assigning of gender roles and the extent to which they might have changed or grown over time. With an understanding of this relationship between religion, society, and culture, I will be able to answer questions I have had about the role of women in religion and the extent to which these female gender roles might be evolving.
...ction of Classic Texts." Special Issue: Feminist Philosophy of Religion. Hypatia. 9/22/94. Retrieved from Electronic Library April 16 2001. http://www.elibrary.com
Religion is powerful in that it controls followers’ behaviours and beliefs throughout their entire lives; it is a form of social control. Catholicism is one of the most widely known religions influencing more than 2 billion people around the world (Ross). Within Catholicism not everyone are seen as equals; men have greater privilege than women. The bible and church are from a male’s point of view (Christ 86) and passages within the bible are used to enforce a sexual hierarchy. In fact, the oppression of women begins with the first story in Genesis about creation, which portrays females as being inferior to men and even of an evil nature. This one passage is the main source of justification of oppression of woman in the church (Daly 13). The church and its teachings instil low self-esteem and low self-worth in women; it creates false identities that are supposed to be God’s plan (Daly 3). One has to wonder why women participate in the church and follow its teachings, and how women can overcome the oppression in the church.
The most influential theme in art for centuries was that of religion. There have been many things that have influenced art over the generations. Nothing has had the impact on the art world that religions has. Many of the ancient art works were dedicated to the gods or other religious figures. The statues of the Ancient Egyptians were not just for beauty. Instead, they were representations of the gods and were meant to have significant meaning to the people who saw them. The people of the time knew the meaning of every reed, flower, bird, or animal that was depicted in the art. The same is true of the Greeks and Romans. Most of the art was inspired by the gods and the mythology of the region. Art as a way of imparting a message dominates the art world. For most of history, art had a meaning that was often connected to the religion of the region. This is fitting since art has a sense of permanence that most other mediums do not possess.