The Importance Of Art In Chapels

Art is a medium through which emotions and ideas can be conveyed. Art is appreciated for its aesthetic value, as well as its ability to evoke emotions and both of these functions can be seen in the art displayed in chapels and museums around the world. To create an emotional connection, art in chapels lacks labels so the focus is strictly on the story portrayed in the painting or sculpture. The opposite stands true for art in museums where the purpose is to understand the art therefore labels are placed, however art in museums lacks the emotional connection that is present in chapels. Art is in museums to be understood and to be appreciated for its aesthetic value, art is in chapels for the emotional connection it creates for its visitors.

However, since in a chapel artwork is not merely there for observance it also serves a religious purpose of storytelling, having labels would detract from the emotional connection that the presence of the art evokes in the chapel. The lack of text for instance, allows the viewer to focus on what the purpose of the painting is and what story it tells. Viewing the paintings and sculptures in a chapel instead of a museum brings to life the teachings of Christianity since when the mass is taking place, the verbal message by the priest is supported by textual evidence in the bible and finally visually by the paintings that surround the chapel. However when there is no service taking place the artwork does not serve its intended purpose the visitor feels lost. As someone who is not catholic, the Stations of the Cross paintings for instance were confusing because they had the numerical labels but I didn’t know what their purpose was. When going to a chapel to observe the paintings, and sculptures people who are not familiar with the religion may feel lost and thus might not be able to enjoy the art had it been

When people visit a chapel it is usually to pray or for religious ceremonies, whereas people visit museums to immerse themselves in cultural masterpieces or to simply observe art. Since the main purpose of people visiting the chapel is not to observe art, art is not admired for its characteristics such as delicate brush strokes or color choice, rather it is there to serve the purpose of creating a religious and pious setting for people to be in during their visit. My behavior in the setting of the chapel was different than my behavior in a museum because in a museum the art is open for discussion. if I find a sculpture to be too abstract that is a topic I could discuss and have an opinion on but in a chapel the paintings are not open to discussion since their purpose is to create a pious environment therefore regardless if the viewer finds the painting to be beautiful or not the paintings must still be respected because of where they are. The context of the paintings being placed in a chapel help evoke emotion, respect and allow the visitor to be connected with their surroundings whereas in a museum we focus on understanding the art and not the