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The rise and expansion of Christianity
The rise and spread of Christianity
The rise and spread of Christianity
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Pope Sixtus IV commissioned Perugino, along with others, to illustrate the walls of the Sistine Chapel. Perugino chose a depiction from Matthew 16 of the Christian Bible. In this chapter, Peter the Apostle confesses that Jesus is Lord and Son of God. For this confession, Jesus blesses Peter and gives him the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. Perugino illustrates this by showing Jesus handing the key to the kneeling St. Peter while the Apostles, among others, congregate around them. Two temples are shown on either side of the central building. These two temples are modeled from the Arch of Constantine. Constantine is labeled as the first Christian Roman Emperor. In 312, the Roman Senate commemorated him with the Arches for ending a civil war fought at Rome’s Milvian Bridge. (Kleiner 225)
As a completely personal opinion, the central building appears to be a combination of Temple Mount, the Old St. Peter Basilica, and the (current) St. Peter Basilica. The old was commissioned by Constantine in 318, rebuilt in the 15th century, and is said to stand over the burial place of The Apostle, Peter. (Kleiner 242)
The significance of this piece comes from Matthew 16:18-20, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I wil give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.” (ESV) The Catholic Church asserts Peter was the first Pope and this is the point that birthed Catholicism. In Christ Delivering the Keys of the Kingdom to St. Peter, Perugino pays tribute to Jesus Christ, St. Peter, Catholicism, and to the city of Rome.
The spread of humanistic ...
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...med from various angles of visual interpretation, organization of patterns resulted, and how it all combines and is applied to a canvas.
Masaccio may have consulted with Brunelleschi while painting the Trinity. (Kleiner 464) The angling and alignments were drawn so that, when the horizon line is placed at eye level, one is looking up to the Holy Trinity and down at the sarcophagus. In Kahan Academy’s Masaccio’s Holy Trinity Dr. Zucker refers to Renaissance humanism as “A notion that man can observe, understand and to some extent control his world and that this is, and can be in, the service of God.” This illustration was visually appealing and appreciated by those who wanted that closer connection with the surrounding world. Also depicted were ancient Greek and Roman structures, both within the concentration of humanistic reform during the Renaissance. (Kleiner 448)
...is the focal point with the orthogonal of the gestures of the apostles lining up towards it. Masaccio makes good use of chiaroscuro, since his figures have soft, round edges and their bodies are apparent under their drapery. The drapery shows creases and edges which allow for that to happen. Masaccio also employs directed lighting in which the sun comes from the right and all the figures’ shadows are to the left, which is what would happen in real life. Furthermore, Masaccio uses soft, subdued colors, such as green, blue, and pink. The mood of Massacio’s painting is static with all the figures standing in contrapposto with their one knee sticking out and the individuals in Classical and naturalistic proportions. Masaccio placed his scene in the recognizable Arno Valley. Also, Masaccio’s story has no disguised symbolism and rather depicts a straightforward story.
The Hagia Sophia is a stunning, spherical-shaped building made of marble and gold (Doc. 4). Justinian built the Hagia Sophia, which means “Holy Wisdom” in Greek, after a church of the same name was destroyed in riots in Constantinople (outside information). Procopius, Justinian’s court historian, described the church as “suspended from heaven by the fabled golden chain” (Doc. 4). Undoubtedly, visitors to the Hagia Sophia are left breathless by its beauty (outside information). Other churches that Justinian built include the Church of St. Salvator in Chora and the Church of the Apostles (Doc. 5). Justinian’s churches were beautiful; however, they were created to be more than just a display. The churches caused people to feel a connection with God, which helped unify the empire under a single faith. The bonding of the Romans under one faith helped strengthen the entire empire. Moreover, the abundance of churches in Constantinople helped make the city the center of religious power (Doc. 5). Evidence of Justinian’s legacy can be found when one realizes that the Byzantine Empire’s revived culture influenced Orthodox Christianity, a major branch of modern
As early as 526-530 the church of SS. Cosma e Damiano was converted from what had been the offices and audience hall of the city prefect (Krautheimer 71). This building of state was placed in the Roman Forum and had been completed by none other than Constantine...
Jesus Washing the Feet of St. Peter (ca.997-100) and St. Luke (ca.997-100) illuminated pages contain the echoes of ancient painting and architectural perspective used in Roman wall painting through Byzantine art (Davies, et al. 341). Set in a gold Byzantine background, Jesus Washing the Feet of St. Peter depicts Christ and Peter as the central figures. As in Otto III Receiving the Homage of the Four Parts of the Empire, both Jesus and his apostle Peter are larger than the bystanders, thus visually reinforcing their importance. Jesus is standing and extending his three right fingers in a benedictory gesture to the seated Peter. This benedictory gesture echoes the cover page of the Godescalc Gospels, Christ Enthroned. Peter is looking up at Christ with his left foot in a bowl of water and both arms raised in a supplicant manner to receive his blessing. However, this depiction is also different from the static Christ Enthroned in that here is an emphasis on the shifting from “physical to spiritual action” (Davies, et al. 342). Once more here, Christ has a cruciform halo in which three arms are showing and along with the three fingers raised, eludes to the Holy Trinity. The eight apostles who are reduced to as mere bystanders are compressed into a small space on the right watching this blessed event. There are two male figures on left, one who is holding a bowl of water and another
During the Renaissance, people were dedicated to studying human works. They would observe from real life to gain inspiration, new ideas, and to try to recreate the world as they saw it in their art. New techniques such as scientific and atmospheric perspective were created, changing art forever. Artists would use their skills to create works for patrons, from the Church, various guilds, and other religious orders. During the High Renaissance, Julius II commissioned Raphael to decorate the Vatican Palace. The first of the rooms he decorated was The “Room of the Signature”, where he painted The School of Athens. Originally, this room housed Julius II’s personal library, but later on it would be the room where papal documents were signed. In 1508, Raphael began painting four frescoes that represented theology, philosophy, law, and the arts. As stated in Janson’s History of Art Volume II, This fresco “represents a summation of High Renaissance humanism, for it attempts to represent the unity of knowledge in one grand scheme.” Raphael’s The School of Athens is a prime example of humanistic art, as evidenced by the subject of the art itself, the classical elements in the piece, and it’s scientific and illusionistic rendering.
...tism. The dove which has been tactfully placed above the Christ’s head, symbolizes the Holy Spirit. The other characters are angels who believed to be witnessing the baptism. The nakedness of the Christ on the other hand symbolizes humility. The general landscape in this picture displays an extraordinary naturalism. The Francesca’s work also marked the era of excessive antiquarian style of sculpturing and tactful use of oil in painting (Prescott, 2005).
continues to hold great significance to the Catholic Church, and it is even where they
Construction spanning one hundred and eight years, the final result is magnificent. Having had many different architects working on the project, changing after either the leading Pope would die or the architect, it is a wonder the plans for the basilica came together and that the building has lasted so long. The original basilica, built by Emperor Constantine in the fourth century is the foundation to this building. To those of the christian faith, this building is the epitome of belief. St Peter’s Basilica is from where the catholic faith
Masaccio used a technique called linear perspective. This technique allowed Italian artists to measure space so that all the objects in the painting are in proportion to each other. In this painting, Jesus is put intimately close to the scene by using linear perspective. An illusionistic hole is painted into the painted wall and this makes his portrayal more believable. Masaccio also used the technique of tonal modeling which created believable, almost sculptural figures proportionally related to one another to occupy that space. Both of these techniques helps to create good proportions and make the painting more realistic. Another technique that he uses is stage modeling. This means that the holy trinity is meant to be viewed from below and at a distance, like actors on a stage before an audience. In particular, this approach is based on a more human- centered view, locating a single spectator that is standing at a particular spot. In this painting, Jesus is the focus of the painting. In contrast, the Annunciation panel (from the Merode Triptych), which was painted by Robert Campin uses other techniques that greatly change the way the painting is
As mentioned earlier, Humanism is the exploration and the expansion of knowledge in order to achieve a level of excellence. The humanists believed that the Ancient Greek and Roman classics contained 1.) All the lessons one needed to lead a moral and effective life and 2.) The best models for the essential Latin style. In The Trinity, Masaccio utilizes this ideology along with elements of perspective (he was influenced by the studies of Brunellechi) to depict a 3-d space and one which elevates the religious themes and imagery of the
The artists of the Baroque had a remarkably different style than artists of the Renaissance due to their different approach to form, space, and composition. This extreme differentiation in style resulted in a very different treatment of narrative. Perhaps this drastic stylistic difference between the Renaissance and Baroque in their treatment of form, space, and composition and how these characteristics effect the narrative of a painting cannot be seen more than in comparing Perugino’s Christ Delivering the Keys of the Kingdom to St. Peter from the Early Renaissance to Caravaggio’s Conversion of St. Paul from the Baroque.Perugino was one of the greatest masters of the Early Renaissance whose style ischaracterized by the Renaissance ideals of purity, simplicity, and exceptional symmetry of composition. His approach to form in Christ Delivering the Keys of the Kingdom to St.Peter was very linear. He outlined all the figures with a black line giving them a sense of stability, permanence, and power in their environment, but restricting the figures’ sense of movement. In fact, the figures seem to not move at all, but rather are merely locked at a specific moment in time by their rigid outline. Perugino’s approach to the figures’themselves is extremely humanistic and classical. He shines light on the figures in a clear, even way, keeping with the rational and uncluttered meaning of the work. His figures are all locked in a contrapposto pose engaging in intellectual conversation with their neighbor, giving a strong sense of classical rationality. The figures are repeated over and over such as this to convey a rational response and to show the viewer clarity. Perugino’s approach to space was also very rational and simple. He organizes space along three simple planes: foreground, middle ground, and background. Christ and Saint Peter occupy the center foreground and solemn choruses of saints and citizens occupy the rest of the foreground. The middle distance is filled with miscellaneous figures, which complement the front group, emphasizing its density and order, by their scattered arrangement. Buildings from the Renaissance and triumphal arches from Roman antiquity occupy the background, reinforcing the overall classical message to the
The Renaissance was a time characterized by a curiosity about human experience and the world around Renaissance thinkers. A main focus of the Renaissance was ancient Rome and Greece, which people studied in order to get a better understanding of their world. Artists and writers were able to express the ideals of the Renaissance by using an element of realism in their work that people of the time could easily relate to and understand.
Not only is the Pantheon one of the most amazing architectural structures of the Roman Empire, but it is also one of the most intriguing. It was built during the early second century under the rule of Emperor Hadrian to replace a temple built in 27 B.C. by Marcus Agrippa which had burned down in 80 A.D. Like the temple it replaced, the Pantheon was a dedication to the Roman gods. An intriguing fact about the Pantheon is that it was one of the first buildings where the focus is on the interior rather than the exterior. On the outside, the cella appears in the shape of a ...
affect on all of the arts as well as the visual arts; as artists began
Relationship Between Art And Society: Mimesis. The relationship between art and society: Mimesis as discussed in the works of Aristotle, Plato, Horace and Longinus. The relationship between art and society in the works of Plato is based upon his idea of the world of eternal Forms. He believed that there is a world of eternal, absolute and immutable Forms (the world of the Ideal) and thought that this is proven by when man is faced with the appearance of anything in the material world, his mind is moved to a remembrance of the Idea or an absolute and immutable version of the thing he sees.