Art of the Reformation Era

During the reformation era, artists tended to paint based on the social and political views of their time. Since religion was a huge aspect of their social lives, artists tended to depict many of their own representations of scenes from the bible and everyday life from a religious view.  The methods they used ranged from oils paints on wood or panels, to woodcut engravings… Yet despite their canvas or method of choice, the artists of the era had created some of the most beautiful and famous masterpieces that society has had the pleasure of witnessing.

This painting is a prime example of an artist of the era representing a scene from the bible… In this case, the New Testament. It depicts when Christ was carrying his cross through the city. This artist wanted to depict not only Christ, but the enraged people of Jerusalem that he had to pass through on his way to be crucified.  This current picture uses an oil paint on panel technique₁. The material of the panel is undefined, but during those times it was common that panels were made of hard wood such as poplar or mahogany due to their non-warping qualities.  However, paint cannot be directly applied to the wood itself because it will not properly adhere to the wood. The panel is prepared by applying two coats of hot hide glue to saturate and penetrate the fibers of the wood. After the coats are dry, a piece of linen cloth (slightly larger than the panel itself) is soaked in the hot glue and applied to the panel. After it is dried, the panel is then covered with two more coats of the hot hide glue. After this is done, the panel is painted with 15 to 20 thin coats of gesso which is “a white, plaster-like preparation made of marble dust, water and the hide glue.”₂ After the gesso is completely dried, the panel is sanded to a marble like smoothness and is then ready to paint.

For this piece of artwork, the artist used a woodcutting technique to engrave his representation of the four horseman of the apocalypse as read in Revelations of the New Testament. This technique is done by hollowing out areas of a plank of wood using a chisel. This technique was used to transfer the design to paper or other surfaces. “The transfer of this design onto paper is achieved by inking the surface with typographic ink and applying pressure with a press.”₃ This was done so that the artwork could be used to design and decorate large areas or mass produced.

The artists of the reformation era have showed their interest in representing images from the bible in multiple formats. The use of oils on panel technique has proved to insure their paintings to survive through time, and the use of woodcutting engraving has given their artwork a chance to be shared and used in multiple areas. The artwork of the time truly has become some of the most beautiful masterpieces that societies have had an honor in witnessing.

Resources:

₁- http://history.hanover.edu/courses/art/346art.html

₂-http://www.gsinai.com/rw/icons/panel_technique.php

₃-http://www.worldprintmakers.com/english/pmtechni.htm#Woodcut

The Catholic Influence, from the Middle Ages to Now

The world and all its current cultures have, in many ways, been influenced by cultures of the past. One of the most influential aspects of life has been that of religion. When it comes to religion of the Middle Ages, one thinks of Catholicism. The religion during that time dominated all aspects of life, from birth to death. Although this religion was a form of Christianity, it was the only acceptable form of Christianity to be practiced during that time. Yet despite the domination of the Catholic Church over people during those times, the Catholic Church has influenced and continues to influence every culture from that time forth.

During these days, the Catholic Church is one of the largest in the world with an influence in many countries around the globe. However, despite much of the influence from the middle ages… This catholic church of present time is not nearly as dominating or aggressive as the church of old. The church may no longer have a dominating rule over people’s lives, but they do have a strong influence over how people act and live their lives. The influences may range from personal faith to fear of eternal damnation, each influence challenging an individual’s moral character and encouraging them to do well and live by the standards of the church.

Fortunately, the church is no longer seeking to purify the world in the same ways as the past… mainly speaking of the crusades. However, there may no longer be physical fighting for purity and bloodshed like the crusades, but there still exists the endless fighting for our souls through countless debates and protests of other religions who are guiding the souls of the world to eternal damnation. This view is not just that of the catholic religion but of other religions as well, which fuels the fires of all the endless debating and bible bashing to prove each other wrong.

The Catholic Church during the middle ages may have influenced much fighting among other religions from that time forward, but it has also influenced people to seek to live good lives. Similar to how the monks of old devoted their entire lives to living the laws of the church, so do people today devote much of their lives to it. The monks of the Middle Ages may have taken the devotion to the extreme, but people have shown during these days similar dedication (as much as modern society will permit).

The influence of religion has had an astounding impact on every culture and every society from the dawn of time. Yet the impact of the Catholic Church has had an influence which is by far more astounding than preceding religions.  The church went from having complete and utter control, to giving up that control but becoming one of the largest and most influential churches in the world. The church has touched billions of lives, crossed over many countries, and influenced countless societies since the middle ages and will probably continue to do so for years to come.

Resources:

1-      http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/middle-ages-religion.htm

2-      http://www.wholesomewords.org/missions/greatc.html

3-      http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/daily-life-monk-middle-ages.htm

Stained Glass of the Medieval Times

During the early middle ages, much of the culture seemed to be centered on religion and all its aspects. This included everything from their lifestyle to even their art. One such art that was developed and mastered during this time was the art of staining glass. “In Europe, the art of stained glass reached its height between 1150 and 1500, when magnificent windows were created for great cathedrals.”₁ This art had been dedicated towards religious beliefs just as all other culture had been.

The art of stained glass had been developed and mastered by a monk named Theophilus. “An artist and metalworker himself, Theophilus described in his text,On Diverse Arts, how he carefully studied glaziers and glass painters at work in order to provide detailed directions for creating windows of "inestimable beauty."”₂ For stained glass to be made for great cathedrals and religious purposes, it seems as though a monk was in the perfect position to develop the art.

The glass itself was made by melting down sand and wood ash (the ash gave the glass a more “foggy” look) and then cooled into different shapes. For the colored pieces of glass, different kinds of powdered metals were added to it while it was still molten. Once the pieces of glass were made, they were arranged into images on a piece of board that had the image drawn on. Once they were placed together, if the artist needed to add details such as shadows or shading, they would do so by painting them on. Afterwards, they would solder the pieces together with H shaped pieces of lead. Then all edges would be lined with clay to make them waterproof. Then the entire panel was stabilized by an iron frame.  (Entire process described at http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/glas/hd_glas.htm)

During the construction of some great cathedrals, the men who created them believed “…that the presence of beautiful objects would lift mens’ souls closer to God.”₃ This belief was true among many people during that time. With the sun shining within their cathedrals during a sermon, lighting up the pictures of their saints, and filling the great halls with such a warming light… How could they not feel this way about them? Their beauty is astounding, as this art not only captures beautiful images created by the artists but it encompasses those images in the warmth and light from the sun (or even the moon). This art is unique in that way, where it creates different feelings in the viewer depending on the current lighting at the time.

As much of the culture during those times, stained glass also had a main focus on religious purposes. From lighting small churches to great cathedrals, the artists all had a similar goal with their artwork; to lift mens’ souls closer to God through their art, that it may encompass them in “heavenly” light as their worship. These idea and views on the art have led to the creations of some of the most beautiful pieces of art that man has had the pleasure of witnessing.

Resources:

₁- http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/glas/hd_glas.htm

₂- http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/glas/hd_glas.htm

₃- http://www.thestorefinder.com/glass/library/history.html