Fra Angelico Naturalism

793 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Early christian artwork essay

Christian iconography from the early to late medieval period
When analyzing Christian medieval art, there are both aspects of supernaturalism and naturalism present. These aspects are referred to as iconography. Iconography is using images, symbols, or material which corresponds to or depicting a topic. The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines Iconography as: the traditional or conventional image or symbols associated with a subject and especially a religious or legendary subject. (Merriam-Webster)
Artist would use iconography to express their view of Christianity. Throughout the early dark ages, artist would use a lot of supernaturalism in their work of art. This showed the mentality of the people during this time period between 500-1200AD. Their art work, …show more content…

This painting has its origins between the periods of 1420-1423AD. This painting shows the scene of Jesus crucifixion on Golgotha. Some of the iconography portrayed in this painting are things like the expressions of the people in this scene and colors of clothing worn. In this scene we can see the cloth around the waist of Christ is white colored, which means purity or righteousness. Some people in the painting are shown wearing black, which shows death or sorrow and is befitting of this crucifixion scene. The mantle on Mary is colored blue due to her being highly regarded as the “Mother of God” by the church. The Skull is symbolic to represent the place in which the crucifixion takes place. The place in which Jesus was crucified was Golgotha which means in Hebrew “a place of a skull”. The expressions of the people in this scene shows varied attitudes of what is taking place. These expressions range from Mary’s collapse in grief, the indifferent attitude of some of the soldiers, and the look of astonishment from those of with Mary. Halos were still used to represent the holiness of Jesus and the

Show More
Related

  • Art History Essay

    767 Words  | 2 Pages

    History plays a very important role in the development of art and architecture. Over time people, events, and religion, have contributed to the evolution of art. Christianity has become a very common and well established religion, however, in the past it was hidden and a few people would worship this religion secretly. Gradually, Christianity became a growing religion and it attracted many converts from different social statuses. Christian art was highly influenced by the Greco-Romans, but it was immensely impacted by the establishment of the Edict of Milan in the year 313 AD. The Edict of Milan was so significant that scholars divide Christian art into two time periods, time before and after the Edict of Milan of 313.

    Read More

  • Comparison Of Luther, Calvin, Tyndale And The Anabaptists

    1508 Words  | 4 Pages

    This painting with the background and middle ground being mono-chromatic and the foreground and focal point being Christ in the two primary colors of red and blue. Mei is basically informing the viewer where he wanted them to look first. In this painting Christ is looking more aggressive, confronting an elderly women. With Christ right hand seems to be threatening as if it is to discipline her with the whip and the left hand restraining her rather than punishing the women. Dividing the composition diagonally with the strong inference of red. Bringing the doves to the bottom right corner. Looking closely you can see there is many hands within the left corner. Amongst them there is hands counting money and protecting their wares in the middle ground. Moving back to the focal point of Christ you can see that the face-to-face confrontation between Christ and the elderly women. Carefully you can see the realism within the facial features. Detail within the faces such as line and wrinkles suggest the age and creates’ tension between the two people evoking

    Read More

  • Comparison between Jan van Eyck and Fra Angelico

    1076 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ic meanings that still are puzzling art historians today. Some of the key symbols that Stokstad points out in the text is the dove, representing the Holy Spirit; the white lilies as a symbol of the Virgin Mary. She also points out, two rather unknown symbols to the sacrilegious, the date of the Annunciation in signs of the zodiac on the floor, as well as the lone stained glass window that is symbolizing God rising above the three windows that are placed in the background behind Mary. These three windows represent the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

    Read More

  • The Crucifixion Analysis

    273 Words  | 1 Pages

    A common topic of artwork throughout history has been the crucifixion of Christ. Since it is such a common topic, it makes it very easy to see how artwork changed and developed from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. The painting on the left, The Crucifixion by Pietro Lorenzetti, shows the usual characteristics of a painting from the Middle Ages. The facial expressions are not varied or very in depth, Jesus and the other saints have the typical halo that is used very often, and the colors are mostly all bright, making nothing in particular stand out. The second painting, on the right, is by Caravaggio and is titled The Flagellation of Christ. There is an obvious shift from one painting to the next. Caravaggio’s piece is much more realistic.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Crucifixion Of The Virgin And Saint John

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    In his Crucifixion, with the Virgin and Saint John the Evangelist Mourning (c.1460), a piece within the Northern Renaissance collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Rogier van der Weyden portrays a stark image of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The right panel of the diptych depicts the gruesome image of a crucified Christ. Weight pulls the emaciated body down into a Y-shape, contrasting the T-shape of the cross it is mounted on. The only movement comes from the loincloth wrapped around Christ’s waist that dances in the wind. Blood visibly trickles from the corpse’s wounds. Behind the body, a red cloth is draped down the grey wall. At the base of the cross sits a skull and bone. The left panel portrays the Virgin Mary swooning in despair as Saint John attempts to support her weight. Her hands are clasped in prayer as she gazes up at her lifeless son. Both figures are clothed in pale draping robes. The vibrant red of the cloth that hangs from the grey wall in the background contrasts the subdued colors of the

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Disguised Symbolism

    776 Words  | 2 Pages

    Art has so many sides as to look creativity of the world. In chapter 20 Late Medieval and Early Renaissance Northern Europe by Fred S. Kleiner, you will see Disguised Symbolism which is a Bisociations of visual forms which occur so subtly that they are not directly or readily apparent to the conscious mind of the viewer. Adding onto that A Northern Renaissance technique of giving a spiritual meaning to ordinary objects in the painting so that these detail can carry the religious message. The 15th century, the majority of clients engaging artwork changed from ministry members to lay patrons. Due to the change, the images being represented altered to combine everyday life with a disguised religious symbol. Reconciling these

    Read More

  • Middle Ages Presuppositions

    836 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...reflected in the great Christian works of art of the time period. At the same time, the Medieval world did also show an interest in the pre-Christian tradition, to the extent that they made extensive translations of previous pagan works that then helped shape the more scientific world-view of the Renaissance and Enlightenment. The decision to describe the Medieval as dark is thus the result of a different historical period applying its own internal values to the Medieval period: to the extent that the post-Medieval intelligentsia rejected the religious world-view as superstition and bondage, they advanced an account of the Medieval as dark. From another perspective, however, if one values spirituality above all else, the irony is that the post-Medieval world, with its emphasis on science and the human being at the expense of the spiritual, is the true “dark age.”

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Ghent Altarpiece

    734 Words  | 2 Pages

    1432.) is a magnificent work of Christian art. The painting of the Lord is covered with symbolism from top to bottom. The background has Christian’s symbols of wine and pelicans which relates to blood of Christ. The Lord wore clothing such as the headgear that represents the trinity, and sash that reveals the Sabbath. The phrases in the painting that reveal about eternal life and power of the Lord. Finally the painting has symbols of power: the large amount of gold presented in the painting and the crown below his feet. The painting is rich with symbolism, and the work of art need to be carefully overserve to see the full

    Read More

  • Iconography

    398 Words  | 1 Pages

    Iconography, in art history, the study of subject matter in art. The meaning of works of art is often conveyed by the specific objects or figures that the artist chooses to portray; the purpose of iconography is to identify, classify, and explain these objects. Iconography is particularly important in the study of religious and allegorical painting, where many of the objects that are pictured—crosses, skulls, books, or candles, for example—have special significance, which is often obscure or symbolic.

    Read More

  • Black Death Essay

    1200 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...to get infected whether hiding or not so they lived in happiness by completing everyday task. The art during this time came out with tombstones and death incorporated images rather gothic looking. From the late 14th to late 16th century, people’s artistic expressions were random, adjusted by ethnological growth, armed creations, and had different ways to go about belief in religion. (Johnson, 2003). When Europe transfigured into the ways of Constantine, Europe strayed back to christianity leaving a different impression on art for more than a thousand plus years. Artist of the medieval time strived to make every piece of art mirror the everyday scenery of the plague. Paintings and sculptures, during this time, represented life, death, bible configurations and important people which also filled the domes of churches and church entries

    Read More

  • Design and the Church

    783 Words  | 2 Pages

    We do tend to expect certain things when we enter a place of worship, or peruse an active ministry, and truthfully, when taking in Christian oriented art. There are a couple reoccurring emblems, symbols, well-worn themes, and subjects which have been deemed safe, coming under overuse, carrying the weight of a saltine in the impact it makes on people, including us. While intentions are almost always well meaning, these conventions appear to the secular as a genre of its own in culture and art, quite often ringing with an unsavory note of incompetence. That’s already an unpleasant attribution to a faith that has changed the world, having built the infrastructure of empathy that has survived ages and permeates the social development of our western culture. It speaks to a deeper issue within the Church itself, which is a woeful lack of inspiration.

    Read More

  • The Annunciation: A Painting by Francisco de Zurbaran

    972 Words  | 2 Pages

    The ability to create a picture of The Annunciation in one’s mind is a key factor in understanding the analysis of the work. Francisco de Zurbaran approaches the painting with a naturalistic style. The painting features a room in which a woman – like angel is seen at the left kneeling on the ground before the Virgin Mary. The figure of Mary is placed between a chair and a small wooden table draped with a green cloth. Mary disregards an open Bible on the table, as she appears solemn while staring at the floor. Floating above the two main figures in the upper left side of the painting are cherubs resting on a bed of clouds. They happily gaze down at Mary with eyes from Heaven.

    Read More

  • Merovingian Anglo Saxons And Vikings

    258 Words  | 1 Pages

    Medieval art were associated with Merovingian, Anglo Saxons and, Vikings. Their airs were applied on many different types of media, such as wood, stone and even metal. One example, Animal-head post, from the Viking ship burial, Oseberg, Norway, ca. 825. It was creatred by Vikings, they were master wood carvers. Viking were trader and thief, they had fast ships and exceed at war. Many of art related to them are from their ships.

    Read More

  • Early Christian Art

    2520 Words  | 6 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Art Is Important To Religion

    611 Words  | 2 Pages

    Art is important to religion in many different ways. Perhaps none has analyzed how art and religion have influenced and affected each other through the ages. Pictures painted of past events that help to bring back the feeling and importance of the past have been forgotten by some. To the one’s that haven’t forgotten are able to see the event’s as the bible says they happened. Not only can you see the events, but it also allows the younger students of the church to understand the events. The use of images of God became widespread after the second century. This religious art has defiantly been around for centuries and plays an important role to the history of religion as well as the future.

    Read More

More about Fra Angelico Naturalism

Open Document