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Uses of art in religion
Religious art and its importance
The role of art in christianity
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Religious Symbolism in Painting The Adoration of the Kings by Jan Gossaert
'The Adoration of the Kings' by Jan Gossaert was painted in the early
part of the 16th century and is the perfect example of how religion
and art can be incorporated with one another to create a popular
image. The scene present is that of the visit from the three wise men
soon after the birth of baby Jesus.
The whole event is centred around a ruinous edifice, which
appropriately symbolises the old order in which things were. For
example, the Jews had suffered a wave of malice in which they had
succumbed to a role of subservience. However, the presence of the new
Christ signifies a new start. As stated in Matthew 2:1-12 of the
Bible, the painting also displays the three wise men, Casper,
Balthasar and Melchior, and the star that they had followed from the
east in order to reach the 'King of the Jews' (Matthew 2:1-12) in
Bethlehem. With them, the three kings are pictured to have brought the
traditional gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, each in their
individual golden chalices. The gold, which is being presented by
Casper, is a symbol of the Christ's kingship, the frankincense
represents his divinity and the myrrh is present to foreshadow his
selfless sacrifice to his followers. Similarly, a carving on a column
above Casper also predicts his death.
The star directly above Mary and Jesus symbolises God the Father and
the Dove beneath it is representative of the Holy Spirit. In addition
to this, with Jesus directly under both, the Holy Trinity is created.
Also present in the sky is the celestial order of nine angels, each
dressed in clothes reminiscent of those worn during Mass. Joseph, the
aged old man in red behind Mary, is shown to be the only person gazing
as if into Heaven or at the star or the spectacle of the arriving
angels. This is suggestive of the fact that despite his absence from
the main part of the painting, his role and position within the story
The Lord is wearing to Christian symbols. The first symbol is his headwear. Mary Elizabeth Podles expounds that the deity’s tiara is similar to the pope, which represents the trinity (54). The trinity is the Christian expression that God is made up of the Father (God), Son (Jesus), and Spirit (Holy Spirt), and all three figures are connected to one another. This is shown in the headwear, which is made up of three layers.
Elizabeth Ammon’s “The Myth of Imperial Whiteness” and Kenneth Bernard’s “Imagery and Symbolism in Ethan Frome” both have two vastly different perspectives on the same work of literature. Ammons goes into extensive detail to support the concept of racism that exists in Ethan Frome. Through the rich usage of symbolism, dynamic and static characters as well as imagery, Bormand offers his analysis on the characterization of Ethan Frome as well. Through the comparison of each critical work’s beginning, or introduction and conclusion, the variations in style and approach are quickly perceived.
Another key factor in the overall story represented has faded, which is one of the lamps or incense holders beneath Christ. The positions of the stories in the apse show the importance of the figures represented in the images. Christ's placement at the center of the apse holding a book with his left hand provides a direct relationship to the Bible. His right hand held up in blessing illustrates his divine power towards the people, who receive the sacrament on the altar below him. Christ is also surrounded by stars, which represent the heavens and his own divine nature....
and the Dove of the Holy Spirit rests on Christ's halo. In front of the
Another prevalent symbol to me is the idea of sin. In The Ministers Black Veil Hooper just suddenly one day shows up to church wearing a veil. At first the people are sort of angered by it. People soon start to flock to his congregation to view the spectacle, and go so far as to test their '"'courage'"' by seeing who will go and talk to him. I think that the veil could represent sin. In The Ministers Black Veil Hooper was either trying to hide his sin from the people so that they could not judge him, which is god"'"s job, or maybe he was trying to protecting his self from the sins of the people. In the end of The Ministers Black Veil Hooper dies, and sees his congregation all wearing black veils, which would probably hint that maybe it represented the sin in all of us. In The Birthmark Georgiana"'"s birthmark could represent, as some religions believe, the original sin which is bestowed on all by the '"'hand'"' of god. But, unlike Hooper, Georgiana could not help her markings.
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.
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.
Albrecht Durer completed the “Master Engravings” in the years 1513 and 1514. With these three engravings (Knight, Death, and Devil, St. Jerome in His Study, and Melencolia I) he reached the high point of his artistic expression and concentration. each print represents a different philosophical perspective on the “worlds” respectively of action, spirit, and intellect. Although Durer himself evidently did not think of the three as a set, He sometimes sold or gave St. Jerome and Melencolia I as a pair.
Humans have used art for centuries as a response to their environments. The use of icons, perspective, and cubism have all reflected the cultures and societies of those times. However, art has often been mistaken as a substitution or creation of reality, rather than a reflection. John Gardner has taken up this attitude in his novel Grendel. While Grendel is a provocative and innovative work, John Gardner's views on art, as reflected in Grendel, are based upon a misunderstanding of art and are therefore unfounded.
Zeitgeist, a German term often attributed to philosopher Georg Hegel (1770-1831), literally means “the spirit of the time.” Zeitgeist is founded upon the understanding that a dominant school of thought—be it political, social, philosophical, or other—influences the culture of a specific period in time and that the art and thinking of that period influence one another. Zeitgeist presumes that culture and art are therefore faithfully united, since an artist is the product of his or her time.
In the short story, Cathedral, by Raymond Carver, the author uses imagery, symbolism and narrates the story in first person point of view. The Cathedral’s main theme is being able to identify the difference between being able to look and/or see and it is portrayed through the main characters role in the story. Carver uses a unique style of writing which gives the short story a simple way for the reader to understand the story’s theme.
Those who told stories in the Middle Ages have been called by many names: minstrel, jongleur, troubadour, trouvère, bard, scôp, gleeman. But what more do we know of those performers of the Middle Ages, and more specifically those of Medieval France? The easy answer is not a lot. However, if we delve deeper into what artefacts remain of medieval society, we are able to fill in the gaps of our knowledge of these integral parts of medieval culture. My goal in this paper is to analyse the presence of the jongleur in a number of texts and images and to look at the inherent difficulties in determining their role both in contemporary medieval society and within the stories they told.
people would be able to paint a picture of those they admire, as a way
The introduction of Christianity as a major religion followed the pattern of other ancient religions. Many of the great works of art were done for religious purposes. Some of the most famous artworks in history are religious. Just a few that come immediately to mind are The Last Supper, the ceiling of the Cysteine Chapel, and the Statue of David. Even during the period known as the Dark Ages art was inspired by religion. True, the art was generally dark and full of death and demons, but the art was based upon religious themes, mostly from the book of Revelations. As with the art that preceded it, the religious art of Christianity is full of symbolism. For example, a painting where the man is standing with two fingers upraised on his right hand is generally a religious leader such as a pope or Jesu...
I have always wondered if the Catholic church approved of tattooing and body piercing. I am not the type of person that most people think of when they think of tattooed or pierced individual. When I tell people that I have tattoos, people always say “but you don’t seem like the kind of person who would get a tattoo.” I personally do not believe that certain kinds of people get tattoos and I wondered what my religion would think of my “art.” I have gone to a Catholic church my whole life; I am actually very active in my church. I teach a four year old CCD (or Catholic Sunday school) class and I used to play my flute in the choir. CCD registrations this year made my mind burn with this unanswered question. Do I need to cover up my tattoo while I am teaching?