Christian Art

Christianity is the religion based on the life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His followers are called “Christians”. Christianity emerged in the Levant (now Palestine and Israel) during the mid-1st century AD. It has spread to different places, from the Eastern Mediterranean throughout the Roman Empire and beyond. Since then, it has made a huge impact, especially in the history of Western art.  It has also influenced language, politics, law, family life, calendar dates, music and art.

A few centuries after the death of Jesus, Christians were presented with few opportunities for artistic and architectural expression. Christianity was considered illegal and was often oppressed by the Roman Empire. However, this all changed when a Roman soldier named Constantine became the Roman emperor. During his reign as the emperor, he recognized all existing religions including Christianity. He also began the legalization of Christianity. Afterwards, Christians were given the freedom to experiment with their own distinctive forms of art. They further developed their style and this has led Christian art to be more monumental and iconic in aspect.   

In my experiences, I have always been intrigued by Christian art. I remember seeing the stained glass window in our local church when I was young. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my whole life. I was so astounded, that I decided to recreate it in one of my paintings. I’m also amazed by their architecture. I have seen lots of architecture from different periods but I consider Christian architecture as my favorite. It gives me a feeling that I can’t quite explain. It exudes elegance, purity, and mysteriousness. I always try my best to capture these traits when creating my artworks. I hope more artists become aware and influenced by Christian art.

References:

Christianity. (n.d.).  patheos.com . Retrieved January 25, 2015 from http://www.patheos.com/Library/Christianity.html

History of Christianity. (n.d.). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 25, 2015 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Christianity

Early centers of Christianity. (n.d.). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 25, 2015 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_centers_of_Christianity

What is the history of Christianity? (n.d.). gotquestions.org. Retrieved January 25, 2015 from http://www.gotquestions.org/history-Christianity.html

Christian art. (n.d.). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 25, 2015 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_art

Pfingsten, M. (n.d.). Early Christian art and architecture. education-portal.com. Retrieved January 25, 2015 from http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/early-christian-art-and-architecture.html

Constantine the Great and Christianity. (n.d.). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 25, 2015 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_the_Great_and_Christianity

Early Christian art and architecture. (n.d.). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 25, 2015 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Christian_art_and_architecture

Christian art. (n.d.). visual-arts-cork.com. Retrieved January 25, 2015 from http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/christian-art.htm

Images:

cambridge.tab.co.uk

romedriver.com

bizlocallistings.com