Abstract
Religious art has been present in art history for a long time. However in different periods it was used in different ways. In Early Renaissance people used to show their faith with it, whereas in the High Renaissance and later Baroque, it became a tool in the hands of the Church. Nonetheless, history and the process of art development have provided us with plenty of artists and their masterpieces for all the future generations to study. The works of Antonello da Messina, Leonardo da Vinci and Rembrandt van Rijn are considered the best examples of each period in question and are discussed below. Though not in the chronological order as the events take place in the Bible, we first look upon the “Christ Crucified”, then “The Baptism of Christ” and last but not least is “The Denial of Saint Peter”. They all have a lot in common, but at the same time are very different.
Paintings
Artist Antonello da Messina (1430–1479)
Medium oil on panel
Dimensions 41.9 × 25.4 cm (16.5 × 10 in)
Current location at the National Gallery in London
Artist Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)
Medium oil on panel
Dimensions 177 × 151 cm (69.7 × 59.4 in)
Current location Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Artist Rembrandt van Rijn
Dimensions 154 x 169 см
Medium Oil on canvas
Current location Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam
Description
Antonello da Messina “Christ Crucified”
The Mature works by Antonello da Messina reminds the viewer of a fusion of Italian and Dutch elements. This artist was one of the first in Italy to begin working solely with pure oil painting, largely due to following Van Eyck. The artist's style is characterized by a high level of technical virtuosity, careful study of details and interest in the monumentalism of forms and depth of the background, typical of the Italian school. The painting written by da Messina in Venice, like the “Christ Crucified” above, are regarded among the best works of the artist (Humfrey, 1995). Nevertheless, the "Christ Crucified" (1475, Venice) clearly proves the artists Dutch school of painting. On this painting we see a Latin cross, which the crossbeam fastened slightly below the top of the column; it is called the crux immissa (Latin - cross crossed). Such a cross is often depicted in painting by Western European artists and is regarded as a marked feature of Dutch Art: the dark neutral background, accurate transmission of mimicry model are among the top factors one can tell this is a piece by a representative of the Dutch school of art (Humfrey, 1995).
Leonardo da Vinci “The Baptism of Christ”
Being foremost a sculptor Andrea Del Verrocchio (1435 / 1436-1488) created all of his paintings intermittently, resulting that one of his paintings - "The Baptism of Christ" – he could not finish himself. Thus, he asked to complete the painting his pupil Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), a young, but already skilled artist had by the time already reached great success, although he did remain in the workshop of his teacher (Law, 2000). The central figure of the angel on the right has already been written in the typical manner of Verrocchio – with dryish, linear, with exquisite silhouettes figures. Leonardo, on the other hand painted an angel standing on the left, and had not used the tempera, as a teacher, but oil paints, drying and allowing longer to convey a soft chiaroscuro effect, enveloping the image with light haze. Thus the "sfumato" was born which later became the famous machine create by the inventor. The artist also wrote part of the landscape behind the Angels, the basis for which was the a drawing of the Arno Valley. The work of the young artist struck Verrocchio and became so popular that copies were made from this group of angels carried (Law, 2000).
Rembrandt van Rijn “The Denial of Saint Peter”
Man faces a choice. Man at odds with himself, in contradiction, is a Rembrandt contemporary. Rembrandt's painting is clearly follows the text of St. Luke's, but there is something remarkable, a literally transformed Rembrandt psychology in the sentence: "And the Lord turned and looked at Peter ". The coarse and vulgar figures of this group, forming a genre picture, the weight of their bodies and the mediocrity of existence suppress the Apostle, not knowing his dignity and greatness (Drury, 2002). A rough looking soldier sitting on the edge of the pit, put his short sword on its edge, pulled on his handsome, well-written helmet on his knee and is preparing to drink a strong sip from the flask. The maid also feeling confident, surrounded by her armed friends, shines her cheeky face at the apostle, clumsily putting her hand with a candle on his shoulder. She had said the words: "And this one was with him." The drinker removes his flask, his eyes darkening, listening, ready to grab the suspect. Monstrous tense moment! Peter renounces his teacher (Drury, 2002). His eyes are so innocent that nobody doubts it, but he does not stand up. He tries to get away, to escape. The movement of both hands gives away Peter did not even blush, or rather, Rembrandt, uses the strangely dim red light, filling the whole picture, making it so that no one notices, even those looking at the painting (Law, 2000).
Development
The Renaissance period was marked by the development of the Dutch school of religious art. The features of Dutch religious art period is illustrated by the Ghent Altarpiece by Jan and Hubert van Eyck, Portinari Altarpiece by Hugo van der Goes, the works of Roger van der Weyden, Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Bruegel the Elder. However, their school was soon changed by the Italians who studied first there, and then brought the new art form home to Italy. The Italian art of the Renaissance period was funded by the church and patrons - families of the Medici and Gonzaga. Most of the works of the Italian Renaissance are dominated by different religious subjects: "Holy Trinity" of Masaccio; "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci; "Sistine Madonna" by Raphael; the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo. Venetian art is represented by a number of paintings by prominent artists - Titian and Tintoretto (Humfrey, 1995). However, in the XV century works of Antonello da Messina, Caravaggio appeared. Their paintings differed significantly as they were influenced by Mannerism.
After the Reformation, Vatican began an active campaign of the Catholic Counter-Reformation. Painting has become one of the tools of influence. The church wanted to convey its message directly to believers demanding from the artists uncompromising clarity and realism of the images (Drury, 2002). The pictures were actually realistic images of objects. Examples of his religious realism: "The Calling of St. Matthew", "Martyrdom of St. Matthew", "The Crucifixion of St. Peter", "Conversion of Saint Paul on the road to Damascus", "Death of the Virgin" and "The Entombment of Christ." Fresco painting actively evolved. Famous artists and their work: Francisco de Zurbarán (Spain): "Christ on the Cross"; Juan Martinez Montanes (Spain): "Merciful Christ" in the Cathedral of Seville; Peter Paul Rubens (Flanders), "The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary"; Nicolas Poussin (France, Italy), "Landscape with the apostle John on the island of Patmos."
The Baroque style has changed the religious painting by means of adding new features: emotionality; dynamism; level of brightness; detailing. From the middle of the XVIII century the religious genre loses its relevance. More popular become the portrait, landscape, still life, mainly paintings for private clients (Drury, 2002).
References
Drury, J. (2002). Painting the word: Christian pictures and their meanings. New Haven London: Yale University Press.
Humfrey, P. (1995). Painting in Renaissance Venice. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Law, P. (2000). Saviour: the life of Christ in words and paintings. Chicago: Loyola Press.
