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Visual Art

Religion in Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century European Art

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Religion in Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century European Art

Art and religion have been in existence over time, and the two aspects have a significant relation. Individuals, alike, have had different perspectives on the relationship between art and religion and how art impart value on spirituality. For instance, while the Protestants in the 16th century criticized the cult images, the other religious believers from the Catholic Church ardently embraced the spiritual power of art. According to Catholicism, visual art played an essential role in guiding the faithful (Veldman, 1999). The individuals believed that the technique was as crucial as the written or spoken word and even more significant because they could easily be understood and accessed by the learned and unlearned.

Moreover, the emphasis from the Church on art’s pastoral role necessitated the artists to experiment with the new and more direct means to engage their viewers. Thus, art played an essential role in religion in joining the faithful. However, some artists like Michelangelo have their relationship strained, especially with the Catholic as he grew to detest the opulence and corruption of the Church.

The Isenheim Altar, created by Mathias Grunewald, had a significant portrayal of the religion. The artist created an impressive altarpiece between 1510 and 1515 for the monastery of the order of St. Anthony at Isenheim. The altarpiece was shown to the individuals that were suffering from Saint Anthony’s fire, a painful disease (Lewalski, 2014). The individuals believed that the beauty of the art and the image of Christ’s suffering would help the patients. Thus, in the case, the painting was used by the religious believers as a source of healing to the sick and those who were suffering from various conditions. It shows the firm belief that people had on the paintings in the era. Also, the image was supported by the aspect of the resurrection of Jesus, especially from its second view, and this was of great value to the Christians.

The Calling of St. Matthew y Michelangelo was used as a proof of Caravaggio’s capacity to show the scenes in a more realistically and unfolding way before the eye of the viewers. The paintings in the period were associated with realism to keep with the Counter-Reformation ideas of spirituality though sometimes shocking naturalism got rejected by patrons as unsuitable. The artists had established a love of authenticity, and his emotional directness got unrivaled in the painting, and this produced a mostly religious value (Lewalski, 2014). Moreover, the Elevation of the Cross (Rubens) was used to show the Christians the burden that they had. The burden was supported by the strong diagonal reinforces that showed how a man struggles to lift the weight of their responsibility. The image was essential to the faithful because it helped individuals realize that they should not give up with their challenges but instead struggle to succeed with faith (Lewalski, 2014). Also, the image presented grief to the fate of Christians, and this was evident from the left panel where St. John the Evangelist and Virgin Mary stood in the shadow of the rocky outcrop above them.

The Four Apostles y Durer had numerous questions around the painting. However, a clear depiction of the art at the time represented an indication of evangelical sympathies, for the inscriptions that had won against the false teachers and prophets (Harris, 2005). It also described the religious hypocrites, something that can be likened to the today’s Gospel text in Mathew 23:1-12. The painting also presented the Durer’s view of personal witness of the artists for his biblical based Christianity.

In conclusion, the artwork by various artists in the 16th and 17th centuries had brought significant value to religion. Even though the artwork was also subject to criticism, especially from the Protestants, the Christians faithful, especially the Catholics, had immense belief in the values that were associated with the paintings as some even saw them as a sign of healing to those who were suffering especially the senheim Altarpiece.

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