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Art and ReligionReading:Elsen, “Images of Gods”

Terms/Concepts:iconic, didactic, institutional, aesthetic, bhakti, Vedas, Upanishads, Nataraja, Darshana, Samsara, Mandala, Garbhagriha, Four Noble Truths, Jatakas, Circumambulation, Thankga, Covenant, Torah Niche, Aniconism, Relic, Icon, Five Pillars of Islam, Kufic,

Key Monuments:Shiva as Nataraja (Lord of the Dance), Thanjavur, India, 12th century CE“The Creation of the World,” Sarajevo Haggadah, Barcelona Spain, 14th Century.Seated Buddha, Ghandara India, Schist, 2nd-3rd Century CEVladimir Virgin, Constantinople, 12th CenturyDome of the Rock, Jerusalem, 691-692 CE

Dimensions of Religious Art

1.Iconographic

2.Didactic

3.Institutional

4.Aesthetic

Dimensions of Religious Art

1.Iconographic

2.Didactic

3.Institutional

4.Aesthetic

Religious Art……may symbolize the holy and sacred.…may embody the sacred but not necessarily be sacred.…may provide the viewer with a connection to the divine.

Dimensions of Religious Art

1.Iconographic

2.Didactic

3.Institutional

4.Aesthetic

Religious Art……teaches the illiterate viewer about the divine.…imparts an understanding of the sacred that is not provided by verbal language.…communicates the history and culture of a belief system.

Dimensions of Religious Art

1.Iconographic

2.Didactic

3.Institutional

4.Aesthetic

Religious Art……is often governed by the hierarchies and structure of religious institutions.…either furthers or undermines the goals and support the hierarchies of religious leaders.…is often commissioned by religious institutions.

Dimensions of Religious Art

1.Iconographic

2.Didactic

3.Institutional

4.Aesthetic

Religious Art…… often has a style or “look” that is consistent.…has a “look” that provokes a specific emotional response.…depicts the divine in a way that follows the rules of its religion.

An Overview of the “Big Five”

Hinduism

Historical Overview4000 BCE: Traditional practices and beliefs begin to form.3000-2000 BCE: The Aryans bring the Vedas to India.2000-1000 BCE: Upanishads and Brahmanas were written.788-820 CE: Shankara reforms the Upanishads and Vedas.

Major IdeasWe are caught in an endless cycle of death and rebirth.Multiplicity of gods and themes.Fertility and abundance.Meditation and controlled breathing.Bhakti: Darshana: The viewing of sacred images.

Shiva as Nataraja (Lord of the Dance), Thanjavur, India, 12th century CE

“Light of Glory”

Dwarf = Ignorance

FireDrum

Shiva and Parvati, from Hinglajarh in Madhya Pradesh, India, 10th Century.

Shiva Parvati

Nandi

Kandariya Mahdeva Temple, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, India, 1000 CE

Longitudnal

Kandariya Mahdeva Temple (Plan), Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, India, 1000 CE

Stairs

MandapasGarbhagriha

Mithunas, Kandariya Mahdeva Temple, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, India, 1000 CE

Mithunas are lovemaking couples that emphasize unity of the sexes and abundance.

Garbhagriha, Kandariya Mahdeva Temple, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, India, 1000 CE

Judaism

Historical Overview18th Century BCE: God makes covenant with Abraham.1275-1250 BCE: Moses leads the Jews out of Egypt.1020 BCE: Saul becomes the first king of Israel.1000 BCE: David unites the 12 Tribes of Israel.586 BCE: Diaspora begins.

Major IdeasRules set up by the 10 Commandments.There is only one God.Questioning and reinterpretation is a major aspect of Jewish philosophy.There is not a single Judaism but rather many interpretations.

House Church

House Synagogue

Mithraeum

Dura Europos

Built c. 300 BCE. Inhabited until 256 CE.

House Synagogue (Exterior), Dura Europos, Syria, 244-245.

House Synagogue (Plan), Dura Europos, Syria, 244-245.

Assembly Room

Torah Niche, House Synagogue, Dura Europos,244-45.

Torah NicheTorah Niche

Torah Reading, Congregation Beth Israel.

Torah Niche, Dura Europos, c. 244-245 CE

Torah Niche, House Synagogue, Dura Europos,244-45.

Torah NicheTorah Niche Adoption of MosesAdoption of Moses

Samuel anointing

David

Samuel anointing

David

Aaron at his Temple

Aaron at his Temple

Elijah reviving a Child

Elijah reviving a Child

Temple of Dagon

Temple of Dagon

Mordechai being led to Achashverosh

Mordechai being led to Achashverosh

The Miraculous

Well

The Miraculous

WellClosed TempleClosed Temple

Prophets

The Parting of the Red Sea, Torah Niche, House Synagogue, Dura Europos, 244-45 CE

Moses

Moses

Egyptian Soldiers

Hands of God

Egyptian Soldiers

*Continuous Narrative

“The Creation of the World,” Sarajevo Haggadah, Barcelona Spain, 14th Century.

Buddhism

Historical Overview563 BCE: Buddha was born.592 BCE: Buddha encounters suffering.598 BCE: Buddha reaches enlightenment.598-643 BCE: Buddha spreads his teachings.

Four Noble Truths:The world is suffering.Suffering has a cause--attachment.There is an end to suffering through non-attachment.Non-attachment can be attained by following the eightfold path.

The Great Stupa at Sanchi, 1st-2nd Century CE.

Mandorla

Ushnisha

UrnaClosed, leaf-like eyes

Mudra

Serene Expression

Lotus Posture

Elongated Earlobes

Sangati

Seated Buddha, Ghandara India, Schist, 2nd-3rd Century CE

Iconography of the Buddha

1st Ring2 Evolutions:-Virtuous Action-Not virtuous Action

Holding the WheelYama “Lord of Death”

2nd Ring6 Realms:1. Hell2. Hungry Ghosts3. Animals4. Human5. Demi gods6. Gods

1

23

45

6

Buddha as sun:Feminine NatureWisdom

Buddha as moon:Masculine NatureCompassion

Center 3 Poisons:+Pig+Serpent+Bird

Outer Ring12 Nidanas or links1. Ignorance2. Creation3. Consciousness4. Name and form5. Six senses6. Contact7. Feeling8. Craving9. Grasping10. Existence11. Birth12. Aging/Death

3

21

4

5

67

8

9

10

1112

Wheel of Life, Tibet, 15th-17th Centuries.

Christianity

Historical Overview1 BCE: Annunciation0 CE: Nativity12 CE: Jesus’s presentation at the temple.30 CE: Baptism of Jesus.33 CE: The Arrest and Subsequent Crucifixion of Christ.313 CE: Christianity made legal by Constantine.

Major IdeasHas the same foundations as Judaism.God came to earth in the form of Jesus Christ.The crucifixion of Christ is seen as a sacrifice for the sins of all mankind.

St. Michael the Archangel, Ivory Panel, Constantinople, 6th Century CE

Could be another angel or an

emperor receiving this orb.

Could be another angel or an

emperor receiving this orb.

Diptych = Di (Two) Ptukhe (Fold)

Pantokrator

Christ Pantokrator, St. Catherine’s Monastery, Mt. Sinai, 6th Century CE

“The All Powerful”

Eleousa

Vladimir Virgin, Constantinople, 12th Century

“Virgin of tenderness.”

St. Denis

Church of St. Denis, Paris, France, 1140-1144 Century

Church of St. Denis, Paris, France, 1140-1144 Century

Church of St. Denis, Paris, France, 1140-1144 Century

Church of St. Denis, Paris, France, 1140-1144 Century

Islam

Historical Overview610 CE: Muhammad is approached by the Angel Gabriel.622 CE: Muhammad travels to Medina.630 CE: Muhammad returns to Mecca.632 CE: Muhammad dies.

The Five PillarsThere is only one God and Muhammad is the prophet.Prayer must be performed five times a day facing Mecca. The voluntary payment of a yearly tithe of 1/40 (2.5%) of one’s assets.Fasting from dawn till dusk during Ramadan.Pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in one’s lifetime.

The Kabaa, Mecca, Saudi Arabia, c. 630 CE

Tomb of the Prophet Muhammad, Medina, Saudi Arabia, c. 622 CE

Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem, 691-692 CE

Page from the Qu’ran, Syria, 9th Century.