{"id":2057,"date":"2011-12-14T19:38:54","date_gmt":"2011-12-14T23:38:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www3.arts.umich.edu\/ink\/?p=2057"},"modified":"2011-12-14T19:38:54","modified_gmt":"2011-12-14T23:38:54","slug":"2057","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/2011\/12\/14\/2057\/","title":{"rendered":"Untitled"},"content":{"rendered":"

Throughout different time periods and spanning continents, artists have devised techniques through which they may convey specific spiritual messages with the purpose of instructing the faithful.\u00c2\u00a0 This is often accomplished through a reliance on commonly understood symbols that allude to religious stories or sacraments.\u00c2\u00a0 By pictorially recreating sacred scenes the artist has the ability to manipulate the emphasis of the parable in a way that is congruent with contemporary ideals important to their respective religion.\u00c2\u00a0 Two works demonstrating this are Rogier van der Weyden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Alter of the Seven Sacraments<\/em> and an early 3rd<\/sup>\/late 2nd<\/sup> Century stupa<\/em> called Scenes from the Life of Buddha<\/em>.\u00c2\u00a0 Though they are from vastly different eras and sections of the world, both works clearly use iconography already fixated in their cultures to instruct and pass on holy messages.<\/p>\n

Rogier van der Weyden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Alter of the Seven Sacraments<\/em> is a complex image that uses several methods in relating the sacraments and the Passion to the Church\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s laity.\u00c2\u00a0 The work, a triptych, superimposes the scene of Christ\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s crucifixion onto the everyday scenes of Christian worship.\u00c2\u00a0 The physical presence of Jesus on the cross, surrounded by worshippers seemingly unaware of this, accomplishes two things.\u00c2\u00a0 Firstly, it acts as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153reportage,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or the illusion that the work comes from a firsthand account of the crucifixion.\u00c2\u00a0 It also modernizes it, making it more relatable.\u00c2\u00a0 The holy figures are in Flemish clothing and are in the center of a clearly European church.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 The viewer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eye is even directed toward the center figure of Christ above any other image; the figures gesture in his direction and the pillars along the cathedral are parallel to the cross.\u00c2\u00a0 The panel containing the Passion is considerably more filled with natural light from the church\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s windows then the adjoining panels, which look bleak in comparison.\u00c2\u00a0 Van der Weyden also took great pains to demonstrate linear perspective and the illusion of space; the floor is elaborately tiled and the ceiling\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s overlapping arches rescind into the backdrop without the common appearance of flatness displayed in many contemporary works.\u00c2\u00a0 Including these embellishes, though they have nothing to do with the story of Christ, adds to the believability of the painting.\u00c2\u00a0 It gives the impression that the artist was present at Calvary and is not simply giving a vague or broad idea of what might have happened.\u00c2\u00a0 Also crucial in the placing of the crucifixion in the center of the cathedral is its relation to the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation.\u00c2\u00a0 Though the exact date of the triptych is unknown, it was most likely painted before 1450, only about 70 years before the Protestant Reformation and the clash between transubstantiation and consubstantiation.\u00c2\u00a0 In the van der Weyden, a priest can be seen in the act of presenting the Eucharist behind the central figures.\u00c2\u00a0 This could be an indication as to why the surrounding figures of the church take no notice of the crucifixion; it says to the viewer that though Christ cannot be seen during transubstantiation, he is still very much physically<\/em> there.<\/p>\n

The Altar of the Seven Sacraments<\/em> extensively makes use of common religious iconography that would be familiar to even the most infrequent of church-goers.\u00c2\u00a0 Van der Weyden includes typical imagery, like angels presenting the sacraments and the arma christi<\/em>, the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153weapons of Christ.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 Accompanying scenes of each sacrament is an angel displaying a banner about the holy act.\u00c2\u00a0 This is directly instructional to the viewer, whereas the central figures in the crucifixion are more useful as evidence of the corporeal nature of transubstantiation.\u00c2\u00a0 From left to right, the colors of the angels\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 robes darken; at birth the robes are white, symbolizing innocence or beginning, but slowly turn to darker shades as the sacraments progress with life.\u00c2\u00a0 The Last Rites are, of course, black.\u00c2\u00a0 Characteristic of the Catholic Church, this acts as a memento mori; <\/em>it reminds the viewer of the inevitability of their death but it also instructs them on how best they might live in order to attain eternal life with God.\u00c2\u00a0 Also meant to advise the faithful on how best to live in a manner pleasing to God are the arma christi<\/em>.\u00c2\u00a0 In \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Wound in Christ\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Side and the Instruments of the Passion: Gendered Experience and Response,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Flora Lewis writes that the arma christi<\/em> \u00e2\u20ac\u0153epitomize the desire to encompass and anatomize the Passion.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 Present in the Altar of the Seven Sacraments<\/em> are the cross, the nails driven into Christ, the wounds of Christ, the crown of thorns, and arguably the pillars which Jesus was tied to while being flagellated.\u00c2\u00a0 As \u00e2\u20ac\u0153weapons,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the arma christi<\/em> act as principles with which followers of Christ can defeat Satan in the struggle over their sponsa<\/em>, or soul.\u00c2\u00a0 These are particularly pertinent to the Altar of the Seven Sacraments<\/em> because they, like transubstantiation, emphasize the physical nature of the Christian doctrine.\u00c2\u00a0 The arma christi<\/em> evoke the brutality of the torture and subsequent execution of Christ while reminding the viewer of their fate in the afterlife if they do not follow Christian teaching, made all the more relevant by the juxtaposing of the life-cycle representing angels.\u00c2\u00a0 The Altar of the Seven<\/em> Sacraments<\/em> uses various symbols pervasive throughout European Christian society to underscore the importance of literal Church doctrine, like transubstantiation, and the need to follow Christian teaching, as seen in the arma christi<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Similar to the Altar of the Seven Sacraments<\/em>, Buddhist art also used familiar imagery to galvanize the faithful.\u00c2\u00a0 The late 2nd<\/sup>\/early 3rd<\/sup> Century stupa<\/em> from either Pakistan or Afghanistan, Scenes from the Life of Buddha<\/em>, shows the same sacrosanct duo as the van der Weyden: familiar iconography coupled with the purpose of instruction.<\/p>\n

Though the Buddhist work does not have the advantage of color like the van der Weyden and was created in a time and place foreign to linear perspective, it does find methods through which religious stories and their accompanying lessons can be passed.\u00c2\u00a0 Like the arma christi<\/em>, the Buddhist stupa<\/em> has various symbols that denote religious life as well as allusions to the central religious figure, in this case Buddha.\u00c2\u00a0 One of these symbols is the urna<\/em>, or forehead mole which marks a level of spiritual insight, like a third eye.\u00c2\u00a0 Another physical characteristic of the Buddha is the ushnisha<\/em>, or the bump on the top of his head that is often mistaken for hair.\u00c2\u00a0 It is meant to resemble an adage to the brain, a sign of Buddha\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s unique amount of knowledge.\u00c2\u00a0 Like the representations of Christ\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s torture and execution, these images are very bodily and connected with the religious figure.\u00c2\u00a0 They serve to remind the faithful, along with the Buddha\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s inward gaze and the empty space between him and the demons tempting him, that spiritual enlightenment comes from within.<\/p>\n

Important in this stupa<\/em> are Buddha\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gestures.\u00c2\u00a0 According to Vidya Dehejia, early Buddhist art places a strong emphasis on action versus inaction. \u00c2\u00a0Buddha is making calm gestures while seated but the demons surrounding him thrust violent gestures toward him.\u00c2\u00a0 Buddha signals to the Earth Goddess that he is about to attain enlightenment by making the bhumisparsha mudra, <\/em>or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153earth touching gesture.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 His arms are lowered in contrast to the raised arms of the demons.\u00c2\u00a0 The same can be said of the facial expressions in the stupa<\/em>; the demons\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 faces are twisted into rictuses of anger with eyes all pointed directly at Buddha.\u00c2\u00a0 Buddha, however, is stoic and faces the viewer, possibly a reminder of what the Buddhist should concentrate on.\u00c2\u00a0 Also notable is the difference between Buddha\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s possessions and those of the demons and how each makes use of them.\u00c2\u00a0 Buddha scarcely has any items, only a simple robe lacking any ornament.\u00c2\u00a0 His items are based on necessity.\u00c2\u00a0 The demons on his peripheral have more elaborate clothing and some have headdresses; they also brandish weapons and ride horses.\u00c2\u00a0 To a follower of Buddhism, the combination of violence and material possessions could be seen as directly in line with Buddhist teaching.\u00c2\u00a0 Though more subtle then the van der Weyden, Scenes from the Life of Buddha<\/em> instructs its audience through centrality and unity; it puts the religious prophet at the center of the teaching and encompasses symbols and gestures that reflect their teachings.<\/p>\n

Spirituality in art finds methods through which to pass on a message because its strength lies in its need to serve a purpose.\u00c2\u00a0 For the religious, a work of art can be spiritually inspiring as well as instructional.\u00c2\u00a0 Culturally pervasive iconography indicates to the viewer the purpose of the work and the artist has the ability to interpret how it is presented in any way they wish.\u00c2\u00a0 Symbols in works demonstrate an acknowledged and established understanding of doctrine which gives unity to the art pertaining to that religion.\u00c2\u00a0 Understanding symbols along with the artist\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s interpretation is crucial in understanding the work of art.\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Throughout different time periods and spanning continents, artists have devised techniques through which they may convey specific spiritual messages with the purpose of instructing the faithful.\u00c2\u00a0 This is often accomplished through a reliance on commonly understood symbols that allude to religious stories or sacraments.\u00c2\u00a0 By pictorially recreating sacred scenes the artist has the ability to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2057"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2057"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2057\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2059,"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2057\/revisions\/2059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}