Examples of Religious Art
Range
Architecture
Traditional churches follow the cruciform
design, like York Minster (below left).
Wall Art
In Christianity, the earliest representations of
religious art that exist today, is the Wall Art of
the Catacombs in Rome, and of early Wall Art
in the ancient churches found there. Many
images are of Jesus the Good Shepherd, rather
than Jesus on the cross.
But more modern Churches use newer and more
innovative design to create the sense of the
numinous and wonder of God, for example
Liverpool Catholic Cathedral (above right).
Stained Glass
Statues
The great stained glass
window at York Minster,
depicts the beginning and the
end of the Bible, showing
Genesis, and the Book of
Revelations. It dominates the
building, and shows the power
of the word of God. The issue with the stained
glass, is how people would be able to learn from
the images there.
Illuminated Manuscripts
Statues can encapsulate
key moments of
importance and
consideration in a
religion. For example;
Michelangelo’s Pieta
depicts the sorrow of
the mother of Christ as
she holds Him after His death on the cross.
The decorated handwritten Bible, was the
first manufacturing
process. Monks sat for
months, creating their
masterpieces, so the
word of God was adored. Some Medieval
manuscripts, embellished with gold leaf and
bright colour exist today, such as the one found
at Malmesbury Abbey in Wiltshire (above).
Symbols
Religious paints contain key
significance in the religion.
They can be found in many
different forms. The
Transfiguration of Jesus by
Raphael (left) is one such
example, and can be found in
St Peter’s Basillica in Rome,
and depicts the image of Jesus ascending into
Heaven after He has defeated death.
Furniture
Christian symbols can be found
at the Catacombs in Rome, the
one to the left shows the image
of the fish or ICHTHYS, and the
Monogram of Christ (P with a
cross over it – called the ChiRo, and are the first two letters
for the name of Christ in Greek: Christos). The
first symbol is an anchor, representing eternal
life; the anchor holds the soul firm and secure.
Religious furniture is
often overlooked as an
art form, being practical
in its use. York Minster
Choir Stalls are
decorated with miserchiords, and carvings that
have many different meanings and took a long
time to create. The Lectern at the Minster is
also a finely crafted Brass Eagle lifting its head
towards heaven.
Paintings
Examples of Religious Art
Purposes
Didactic
Didactic art is that which is
educational and moralising, often
found in stained glass. An example
of this is found at St Mildred’s
Church, Tenterden, Kent. The
stained glass image shows the
image of the Good Samaritan
helping the wounded victim.
Aesthetic
Aestheticism focuses on the beauty
and glory of God. The art itself is
said to invoke some sort of
aesthetic experience and
connection with God. Salvador
Dali’s Christ of St John of the
Cross, is a great example of this
sort of religious art. It invokes a
reaction from many religious believers.
Aid to Worship
Iconographic
Icons are images or artworks of
saints, painted in a much stylised
form, by a priest or monk. They are
barely distinguishable by artist, all
following a very strict form. The
image of Jesus to the left is from
the 6th century and found in St
Catherine’s Monastery at Mount
Sinai in Egypt.
Institutional
The Sistine Chapel in
the Vatican, is the
greatest example of
Institutional Art, with
Michelangelo’s
instructions from the two
Popes to create a
masterpiece for his private chapel. The central
ceiling depicts the creation story, with the wall’s
Last Judgement.
Canonisation
There are many different
forms of art as an aid to
worship. Start with the
simplest of prayer cushions
(left), to the intricate
carvings on the pulpit, from
where the Priest gives his sermon. Consider the
act of worship itself with singing and dancing,
prayer as an art form, or mediation.
Propaganda
Sometimes art is used to help
the process of canonisation –
making someone a saint. An
example painting is St Louis of
Toulouse by Simone Martini
(left). The painting shows Louis
performing miracles and healing
the sick.
Power, wealth, status
Lucas Cranach created many pieces
of artwork, deliberately attacking
the Pope, which depicted him as
some sort of money grabbing
monster. The artwork was designed
to attract the attention of those
who could not read, and would understand the
message portrayed. The image (above left)
shows the Pope taking money for himself.
Sometimes religious
artwork was used in
order to display the
wealth and power of a
particular person or family. The Annunciation of
Mary, by Filipo Lippi (1450-3), (above left)
shows this with the Medici family’s floral symbol
in the centre of the picture, placing them firmly
in the centre of religious significance.