About christian art
Early
Christian art survives from dates near the origins of
Christianity. The oldest surviving Christian paintings are from the
site at Megiddo,
dated to around the year 70, and the oldest Christian sculptures are
from sarcophagi,
dating to the beginning of the 2nd century. Until the adoption
of Christianity by Constantine Christian art derived its style
and much of its iconography
from popular Roman
art, but from this point grand Christian buildings built under
imperial patronage brought a need for Christian versions of Roman
elite and official art, of which mosaics
in churches in Rome are the most prominent surviving examples.
During the development of Christian art in the Byzantine
empire (see Byzantine
art), a more abstract aesthetic replaced the naturalism
previously established in Hellenistic
art. This new style was hieratic, meaning its primary purpose was to
convey religious meaning rather than accurately render objects and
people. Realistic perspective, proportions, light and color were
ignored in favor of geometric simplification of forms, reverse
perspective and standardized conventions to portray individuals and
events. The controversy over the use of graven images, the
interpretation of the Second Commandment, and the crisis of Byzantine
Iconoclasm led to a standardization of religious imagery within
the Eastern
Orthodoxy.
The Renaissance saw an increase in monumental secular works, but
until the Protestant
Reformation Christian art continued to be produced in great
quantities, both for churches and clergy and for the laity. During
this time, Michelangelo
Buonarroti painted the Sistine
Chapel and carved the famous Pietà ,
Gianlorenzo
Bernini created the massive columns in St.
Peter's Basilica, and Leonardo
da Vinci painted the Last
Supper. The Reformation had a huge
effect on Christian art, rapidly bringing the production of
public Christian art to a virtual halt in Protestant countries, and
causing the destruction of most of the art that already existed.
As a secular, non-sectarian, universal
notion of art arose in 19th century Western Europe, secular artists
occasionally treated Christian themes (Bouguereau,
Manet) — but only
rarely was a Christian artist included in the historical canon (such
as Rouault
or Stanley
Spencer). However many modern artists such as Eric
Gill, Marc
Chagall, Henri
Matisse, Jacob
Epstein, Elizabeth
Frink and Graham
Sutherland have produced well-known works of art for churches.
Since the advent of printing, the sale
of reproductions of pious works has been a major element of popular
Christian culture. In the nineteenth century, this included genre
painters such as Mihály
Munkácsy. The invention of color lithography led to broad
circulation of holy
cards. In the modern era, companies specializing in modern
commercial Christian artists such as Thomas
Blackshear and Thomas
Kinkade, although widely regarded in the fine art world as
kitsch,
have been very successful.
The last part of the 20th and the first part of the 21st century
have seen a focused effort by artists who claim faith in Christ to
re-establish art with themes that revolve around faith, Christ, God,
the Church, the Bible and other classic Christian themes as worthy of
respect by the secular art world. Artists such as Makoto
Fujimura have had significant influence both in sacred and
secular arts. Other notable artists include Larry
D. Alexander, Gary P. Bergel, Carlos Cazares, Bruce Herman,
Deborah Sokolove, and John
August Swanson.
