The Enso, or Zen circle, is what I have chosen as the focus of this paper. In my Google search for the “perfect” example of the Enso circle I realized this symbol has been reproduced hundreds, if not thousands of times. At first I was asking myself how could I identify with such a “stock” symbol that has been reproduced so many times? Had I really become sort of low in my expectations of what I had hoped to get from this class?
But while I was berating myself in the typical Roman Catholic fashion, I came to a realization about this piece of art. Perhaps the simplicity of the circle serves a utilitarian purpose, in a similar way that might consider a crucifix or a stop sign. Within the many variations I viewed it was typically and imperfect circle with sloppy brush strokes, which popped up. It became clear to me that this circle is not the most important part and what we should really be looking for is what it represents. That even within the imperfections, we can still view it as perfect, because we as individuals are perfect.
When I began looking for a piece of Zen art that I felt...
There are a few concrete objects that have a similar general idea that represent some type of development. In the novel, photos are shown of John Lewis preaching amongst the chickens he was taught to raise. The symbol chicken gives off an expression of people to uplift amongst a specific religion, also a feeling of skill developing. Lewis chose to simply treat the chicken like humans, not only that but he preached to them as if they would acknowledge what he uplifted
At the top of the artwork the upper part of the cross extends beyond the altarpiece. The edge of John the Evangelist’s red robe on the left of the altarpiece and the edge of Mary Magdalene’s pale blue skirt on the right are cut off when the panel ends, giving the viewer the feeling that, rather than looking in on the scene, the viewer is actually taking part in the scene. This, added to the empathy invoked through the delicate, heart-wrenching rendering of the figures in the artwork, let the observer directly interact with the painting and places him/her within the narrative.
...done. Giotto used tempera to paint this one. There are senses of desperation of the apostles, but it is not as compelling or moving as Leonardo’s. Giotto has bright colors, especially considering the era it was painted in. However, he doesn’t use landscape, there is no symmetry. When you look at it, you can tell who Christ is due to the golden halo around his head. However to decipher which one of the apostles is Judas, would be in vain. He used no symbolism, there is no depth. The background is done in a golden hue, not a natural life like version. The faces of the apostles do show a questioning gaze, but the diverse emotions are not there. Everyone is also sitting straight up around a table, there is no movement. I would have to say that while for its era this was a great painting, it is not a memorable one for me. Leonardo’s version is so much more.
Christianity has had a major impact in European history as the majority of the populations were Christians, and as many nations started out as Christendom. Even today, it has a profound impact in the decision making of nations and billions of people who follow its doctrine. Therefore, representing Christianity through the medium of art was an important factor artists had to consider. Many artists decided to paint the scene of the Crucifixion of Jesus as it is considered to be the most important scene for many Christians. Some artists, like Christus, opted for a more emotionally muted route while other artists, like Crivelli, went on to capture the emotional distress of the scene. Neither method is objectively better than the other as both artists
As I walked into the first gallery, I saw a wood sculpture that stood in the center of the room. This carving depicted “the crucified Christ, flanked by the Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist with Angels holding instruments of the Passion”. It was painted oak and very appealing to the eye. It stood approximately 15 feet in the air. The origin of this sculpture is unknown, but it was found in a Belgium church. This kind of sculpture usually stood at the entrance or at the center of the alter in the church facing the congregation. This image of the suffering Christ relates to the Christian ideas of suffering and Christ’s salvation of all mankind.
Tresiddier, Jack. Dictionary of Symbols: An Illustrated Guide to Images, Icons, and Emblems. San Francisco: Chronicle, 1997. 120-6.
Art, by definition, is “something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings”. Throughout history, one way that art has been used is to reflect a multitude of ideas and beliefs. Christian beliefs and ideas have been portrayed in artwork since the beginning of Christianity, although, it was not always acceptable to do so. The idea of the final judgement is a Christian idea that has been displayed in art repeatedly in a variety of ways. Michelangelo’s fresco the Last Judgment (1536-1541) is a piece that visualizes this idea. Since the time it was finished, this significant piece found in the Sistine Chapel has been continuously critiqued and analyzed. Many Christians struggle to interpret the event of a final judgment after reading it through Scripture. In analyzing Michelangelo’s piece, it is similar difficult to determine what he exactly meant to portray and what the various part of his masterpiece represent exactly. Many have examined this piece and made different regarding what exactly the various figures and objects are supposed to represent. The diverse interpretations of this work further shows the idea that when Christian ideas are reflected through artwork, it is hard to ascertain exactly what an artist intended to demonstrate. In addition, the controversies surrounding this piece represent the idea that when Christian ideas are revealed through art, there is potential for disagreement regarding what should and should not be included in Christian art. Michelangelo’s Last Judgment is just an example of what results when Christianity is brought into art.
All through the novel there are symbols of
... the way that the artwork is resembled in the religious background of the gospel but reconstructed in to a celebrating impression. Throughout the fresco painting it depicts the myth of the Christ’s three fold temptations relating back to the article that “distinction between fresco and panel painting is sharp, and that painters are seen as competitors amongst themselves discriminating also, between the difference in genuine attempts in being better then the other.” Baxandall, “Conditions of Trade,” 26. in relation, the painting concerns the painter’s conscious response to picture trade, and the non-isolation in pictorial interests.
...nciples of design used within the artwork help convey the message of confusion and turmoil. They also help make the piece more appealing to the eye, able to gaze at it for long periods of time. Since most Renaissance painters often depicted sciences from the Bible, there are plenty of illustrations depicting the same event. Despite this, I feel that Correggio did an outstanding job of capturing the event in such an articulate and accurate manner. As a result of the success from this painting and its skill, "His use of bold foreshortening, his brilliant, highly original approach to color and light, and the exquisite grace of his figure establish him as one of the most inventive artists of the High Renaissance" (2).
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.
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.
The artistic inheritance of the west is strongly identified with Catholic images that were brought upon heavily by the Church’s influence. The eighth and ninth centuries witnessed the growth of a destructive heresy called iconoclasm. Iconoclasm rejected the veneration of images of religious figures, and went as far as to reject the depiction of Christ and the saints in art at all. (115) This idea however, could not take hold, since it ran directly counter to the Catholic understanding of and appreciation for the created world. Woods provides this information to describe the influence and importance of the church in artwork, in which, as I strongly agree, sparked a period that created beautiful paintings, sculptures, stained glass, and illuminated manuscripts; which were major parts during the growth of Western civilization. Theologians referred to Catholic theological in defense of art that depicted Christ, the saints, and the religious scenes that have defined so much of Western artistic life, and broadly, Western Civilization. Woods is describing the influence of the Church, overcoming iconoclasm and having an enormous influence on the arts, which sparked the g...
Perspective is based on Jesus in this painting due to his outward “radiant glow of divine light” (1) extending to the other people in the painting. The main focus is on Jesus and the rest of the figures are diffused in an outward fashion from Jesus himself. The artist himself expresses an emphasis on individualism by implementing himself within the painting by appearing “twice in the Last Judgement: in the flayed skin which Saint Bartholomew is carrying in his left hand, and the figure… who is looking encouragingly at those rising from their graves” (2). This is an action that only a Renaissance painter would do, which is displaying individuality through a self-portrait because of the possibility of being judged for selfishness. Light and shadowing is prominent within the art which is shown in the painting when the lighter, more brighter colors are focused in the middle and then fade into darker tones while moving outward into the
There is a circle in the center of the symbol, which represents the circle of life.