Portia Placino
teaching, blogging and researching on art and culture, viewing the world through the camera's eyes, continually contemplating on the world of aesthetics and art theory and expressing it in art criticism and discourse…
Art and the Church Lecture
Art and religion has a very complicated relationship, to say the least.
In art history, art played a key role in the development of the church, more particularly a belief system. In a society where few can read, they can certainly understand the visual language of the churches. Iconography was ingrained in the people, despite a period of iconoclasm. Early religious visual language also borrowed heavily from the more familiar “pagan” visual language, which they are still heavily dependent on until today.
This is very similar to what we have. Remember Poleteismo from last year? The visual language of religion and belief was so strong that removed from the familiar setting, it has become incomprehensible.
Four Evangelists from the Book of Kells
Christ Pantocrator, Monastery Church, Daphni
But early religious figure wasn’t really about Jesus, it was more about Mary in her blue dress, the iconography of the mother and child.
Madona and Child Mosaic, Trieste
Madonna and Child Enthroned with Angels, Cimabue
Madonna and Child Enthroned with Angels, Giotto
Roettgen Pieta
Very reminiscent of Isis and Horus, isn’t it? We’d talk about them next term…
Isis and Horus
Related articles
- The Language of Art (ruthmeharg.com)
- Fresh Talk: Basics of a Visual Language (mcdaniel2016.wordpress.com)
- Write With Images (adverblog.com)
- How to talk about art (salon.com)
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Real and Theoretical: Portia’s Art Blog
This blog is the extension of my classroom and of myself. I teach art, aesthetics and art history. I study, research, write and blog various aspects of the art world--real or theoretical. I look at the world through my camera's eyes and share such views to those who care to look. I hope you, who stumbled into this blog, would stop being a passive voyeur and engage in art criticism and discourse with me and the public...
Ms Portia, is this our 3rd lecture?
Yes it is. I hope you have no problems downloading it.