The Life of Christ - Book Report/Review Example

The Life of Christ An artistic and ecclesiastical exhibition spanning the Byzantine through the Renaissance periods offers a special opportunity to follow the creative development of mankind via the arts depicting the Life of Christ. Artists through time have honored Christ through their creativity. Thus, ten (10) pieces of art from Byzantine through Renaissance periods with the theme linked to the life of Christ has been carefully chosen. The selection is not chronologically arranged by the date the art pieces are created, but is in a way chronological based on the life of Christ. The Ghent Altarpiece or officially known as the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb was started by Flemish artist Hubert van Eyck and completed by his brother Jan van Eyck in 1432. This twenty-four panel painting depicting the early stages in the life of Jesus is considered one of the famous works of Jan van Eyck. It can be viewed in two ways: open on feast days and close on weekdays. When opened, the upper center panel depicts three central figures, the Virgin Mary, God the Father, and John the Baptist with the singing angels, Adam and Eve on the sides. The lower center panel shows the adoration of the Lamb of God with the martyrs, writers, prophets, saints and the pope on the sides. When closed, the upper panels depict the two sibyls and the prophets Zaccariah and Micah, the middle four panels show the annunciation to Mary, while the lower panels depict Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist. The altarpiece showcases much detail works not just in religious themes but also in earthly things like trees and other foliage manifesting the growing awareness towards natural elements. The presence of the images of the donors, a merchant named Jodocus Vijd and his wife Lysbette Borluut seen on the lower portion when the panel is closed, is also a manifest that iconic elements are not solely the focal point during the latter part of the Byzantine period, but patronage is greatly revered too. Today, the altar piece is located in Saint Bavo Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium. The Annunciation and the Nativity, a detail of the marble relief of the pulpit of the Pisa Cathedral baptistery made by Nicola Pisano from 1259-1260 depicts the naturalism style like human emotion and expression. In spite of the religious context of the sculpture, it depicts a return to classical artistry showcased in the deeply natural and human physicality of the figures. The Virgin of the Rocks oil painted on panel by Leonardo Da Vinci completed sometime in 1485 tells the story of the Immaculate Concepcion. The religious figures form a triangular position with the Madonna on center ushering the child John towards the child Jesus who is seated with the angel Uriel. The child Jesus raises his hands as if blessing the child John. The painting uses a contrast between light and dark, technically called chiaroscuro, giving the religious figures a luminescent effect against the darker cave setting. The rose window and its five lancets in the north transept of the Chartres Cathedral is a splendid display of art in stained glass depicting various biblical stories like the Glorification of the Virgin and the Virgin and Child. It also depicts stories of saints, heroes and kings, as well as everyday medieval life. A gift from Queen Blanche of Castille sometime in 1220s, its magnificence and strength serve as a true manifestation of the artistry of the people in the French Gothic period for it remain standing with all its original glory. The fresco in the interior of the Arena Chapel in Padua, Italy is considered as Giottos first mature masterpiece. The fresco depicts the life of Virgin Mary and of Christ. The fresco is composed of different life narratives through a sequence of events starting with the Story of Joachim and Anna, then to the Story of the Virgin, to the Incarnation and Infancy of Christ, then to the Ministry of Christ and the most extensive narrative is the scenes of the Passion, Resurrection, Ascension and Pentecost. The fresco in the Arena Chapel is constructed by a wealthy merchant named Enrico Scrovegni as a means to redeem his father from sins and to the save his own soul. He was shown in the fresco presenting a model of the chapel to the Virgin Mary. With the extensive design the fresco requires, Giotto and his assistants took two to three years to finish the fresco and it serves as an important milestone in the development of western painting. Pietro Perugino incorporated spatial science in his fresco of Christ Delivering the Keys of the Kingdom to Saint Peter painted in the Sistine Chapel. The art of geometrical method of perspective is shown via the parallel and converging lines of the pavement, the vanishing point located centrally, and how distance distorts an image. This method gives depth to the painting and the usage of perspective in the fresco is believed to have helped bring the Renaissance to Rome in the latter part of the 15th century. The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci is also a good example of a Renaissance painting incorporating the method of perspective. The windows and ceiling converge at a point on the center with shadows in corners illustrating depth. It represents the scene of Jesus dining with his apostles for the final time, and is painted on dry wall rather than in wet plaster like a true fresco thus did not stood the test of time well. The painting is requested by Da Vinci’s patron for nearly 18 years, the Duke of Milan Ludovico Sforza. The Death and Assumption of the Virgin is a late Gothic altarpiece created by Veit Stoss for the Church of Saint Mary in Krakow, Poland. The central panel shows the scenes at the death and assumption of the Virgin Mary, and the side panels, on the other hand shows the main events in the Virgin Mary and Christ’s life. The altarpiece expresses intense piety of the people of the Gothic period with which the effect was further enhanced with the use of paint and gilt. The Romanesque tympanum, the Ascension of Christ and Mission of the Apostles located at the center portal of the narthex of La Madeleine shows the characteristic of the Romanesque period with its variety of forms in figures, elongation, linear patterns and angular movement. Typically, it depicts the culture of the period in relationship to the crusades. The tympanum Death of the Virgin, from the south transept of the Strasbourg Cathedral is a great example of the German Gothic art influenced by French Gothic works. It shows French influences in its flowing drapery, fluid motion, dramatic poses and varied expressions. The relief which depicts a non-biblical scene shows the Virgin Mary with the grief stricken 12 apostles and Jesus Christ in the background and Mary Magdalene in the foreground. The strength of art varies and relies on different factors: the period; the creativity; techniques; execution, principles of design, the style of the artist or his genius, the subject matter; mediums used, cultural and social influences and even patronage system. What remains constant is the story to be told – the Life of Christ. Works Cited Hudson, Suzanne and Nancy Noonan-Morrissey. The Art of Writing About Art. US: Wadsworth Pub Co, 2001. Print. Read More