Overview of Religious Art

The Crucifixion.
Religious strife dominated the 16th and 17th centuries. Religion was the number one subject of discord. There were numerous civil wars and conflicts between the Catholics and the Huguenots (French Protestants). This political and religious struggle spilled over into the world of art (Cothren & Stokstad, 2011, p.679). Artists needed to work within the specific guidelines of the Church, an example being the color of the Virgin Mary’s clothing. In the three paintings showcased, religion changed the perception of the artist.
The first painting is called The Crucifixion. It was painted by Fra Angelico in 1420 and is tempera on wood, with gold ground. It is in the Maitland F. Griggs Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York.

1420. Tempera on wood, gold ground, 25 1/8 x 19 in. (63.8 x 48.3 cm). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Fra Angelico was one of the greatest artists of the early Renaissance. He used classical artistic principles and rational postures. His faces had realistic expressions and there was a harmony in the proportions. He created volume by the use of light and shadows. Using a linear perspective, Fra Angelico was able to bring more depth to the paintings by having angels in the background in proportion to their distance from the foreground.
This particular work, The Crucifixion, may very well be the only work by Fra Angelico that has his signature, of sorts. Lettering on the bridle of the horse has markings that resemble a signature (The Metropolitan, 2014). This work is filled with emotion and color. Fra Angelico was a specialist in emotional religious art. He used color to emphasize the main subjects of the painting, brighter in the foregrou...

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Museo Nacional. (2014). On-line gallery El Greco The Crucifixion. In Museo Nacional del Prado. Retrieved January 21, 2014, from https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/online-gallery/on-line-gallery/obra/the-crucifixion-1/.
South University Online. (2013). HUM 1002: History of Art from the Middle Ages to Modern Times: Week 1: Elements of Design. Retrieved from myeclassonline.com
The Metropolitan. (2014). The Crucifixion Fra Angelico (Guido di Pietro) (Italian, Vicchio di Mugello ca. 1395–1455 Rome). In THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART. Retrieved January 21, 2014, from http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/437007.
The National. (2014). Paintings The Mond Crucifixion. In THE NATIONAL GALLERY. Retrieved January 21, 2014, from http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/raphael-the-mond-crucifixion.