Christian Wall Art is the religious art representing Christianity, as well as works of art with inspiration in Christian religious feelings. Their creation is to illustrate, supplement and represent in a tangible way the innate Christian message.
Since Christianity has dominated religious thought in Western civilization since the Fourth Century, Christian wall art identifies with most of the artistic productions of the Middle Ages in Europe. Moreover, it has also remained very important throughout the Modern Age, in addition to extending geographically. However, the secularization of society has restricted Christian art within the main artistic trends of the Contemporary Age.
The Meaning Of Christian Wall Art
As sacred art, Christian believers have the essential purpose of worship. Buildings, images (icons) and liturgical objects undergo consecration, which ceases to be simple works of art. From early Christianity, and especially in the Middle Ages, temples and monasteries had the relics of saints and martyrs. They contained it and even carried the name. This not only relates to the relics or the so-called vera icon, but many other images. These have acquired fame of miraculous and raised pilgrimages. Thus, reaching extremes of popular religiosity raised discrepancies among the clergy. It’s because while some defended the virtue of these devotions, others have condemned them as superstitious or even idolatrous.
Almost all Christian groups use or have somehow used art. Although the importance of art and its different manifestations exist, there are simply too many means, styles and representations. These tend to differ markedly between Catholics and Protestants.
Different Ways of Christian Wall Art
Even religious music and religious architecture, despite abstraction, express the differences or any message of intention or goals. Through liturgical chant or allegorical architectural forms, the open ellipse of the Plaza de San Plaza Peter is a great example. However, the radical rejection by opposing sects for Figurative Christian wall art has happened (religious painting and religious sculpture). And, although the themes are largely common, the representation of the cycle of the life of Christ and some cycles of the Old Testament are the main differences.
Art In Different Sects Of Christianity
The representations of the saints are more abundant in Catholicism, Anglicanism, and the Orthodox Church. In traditional Catholic temples, you can see the abundance and motley of all kinds of pictorial and sculptural representations. These are not only in the main altar but even in the multiple side chapels. Elements such as the pulpit or the baptismal font or even in the coffered ceiling of stained glass abound in general.
Differentiated according to the historical period, the walls has quite beautiful frescoes (or hidden with canvases or altarpieces). Additionally, with all kinds of architectural elements. These serve as support for the sculpture, and in areas, are not visible by the faithful. It is understood that the recipient of the work is God who sees everything. And even the ground is covered with gravestones. The decoration of Orthodox churches is even more overwhelming (iconostasis, mosaics, clothing, and religious goldsmithing).
On the other hand, the simplicity of the evangelical altars had imitations in some new constructions of Catholic churches from the Second Vatican Council.
Each piece of Christian art, regardless of the medium, or the character, event, biblical passage (the pericopes, the parables) or specific concept that it represents. It usually contains identifying symbols of the branch of Christianity that produced it.
The Features And Characteristics
Although there are some common, conceptual references, textual (the Bible) or iconic (the Cross, the Images of Jesus). None of them actually has a total identity, nor a common reading or interpretation, expressed in differentiated forms, sometimes subtly, but in a manner sufficient for each group to identify their own and consider those of others to be outsiders and heterodox. Neither the Bible is the same, nor in the parts that do coincide its reading coincides.
However, the iconography focuses on internal identification mechanisms. Each facial feature (if the apostle has a beard or is bald), each color (if the tunic of Christ is red or the mantle of the blue Virgin – usual, although not it is unusual to use others, for conceptual, aesthetic, and even economic criteria-, if the gold is used for the background or the numbers – in addition to its use as liturgical colors-). Every subtle gesture of the hands (that pray, bless, caress, offer, pray, reject, point,etc.), each object or part of the environment, are conventionally fixed. Also, repeated throughout the millenary Christian wall Art history in
Christianity.
