COMMON THEMES PRESENTATION: FAITH IN ART

Presented By: Elizabeth Green 05/09

Introduction: Faith in Art

This presentation presents a representation of faith expressed through art. As individuals began to find and unveil there faith within churches, they turn to art to reveal their faith through song and stories. Life of Christ and Apostles are learned through art. The understanding of these artworks have helped form our beliefs and shape our faith.

Faith Themes

Although there are numerous works that express faith through art, the three that we found most intriguing were: Faith in Painting: The Last Supper Faith in Writing: Mere Christianity Faith in Sculpture: Pieta

Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519)

Faith in Painting: The Last Supper

The Last Supper: Summary

The Last Supper (1495-1498) was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci for the dining hall of the monestary of Domincan friars in Milan. (Boorstin, 1992)

One of the innovative features of the painting is that the disciples are represented as real life persons, with very earthy characteristics. Until then, religious representations had little in common with the lives and emotions of the peoples of the times. (Life in Italy, 2004)

The Last Supper: Theme

The painting represents the scene of the last supper from the final days of Jesus as narrated in the Gospel of John 13:21, when Jesus announces that one of his Twelve Apostles would betray him.

Specifically, The Last Supper depicts the immediate moments after Christ announced that one disciple would betray him before sunrise and all twelve are reacting to the news with different degrees of horror, anger and shock. (Life in Italy, 2004)

The Last Supper: Sub-Theme

In the midst of the chaos among the disciples surrounding him, Christ is calm.

The deliberate use that is made of perspective to highlight and reinforce the image and message of the painting.

All of the elements of the composition direct the

viewer's attention to the central point, or focus, of the work, Christ.

(Life in Italy, 2004)

The Last Supper: Why is it compelling in diverse media? Christians find the origin of the Eucharist in The Last

Supper, at which Jesus established a New Covenant in his body and blood. In this ancient rite or sacrament, Christians eat bread and drink a cup as the body and blood of Christ (Wikipedia, 2009).

As an image, The Last Supper has been put on everything from mirrors, to mouse pads, to musical pillows.

The Last Supper, is the most famous, most reproduced and most parodied portrait and religious painting of all time (Gardner, 1970).

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963)

Faith in Writing: Mere Christianity

Mere Christianity: Summary

Mere Christianity (1952) was compiled from books written by C.S. Lewis’s broadcasts during WWII.

C.S. Lewis was asked to give a series of radio lectures addressing the central issues of Christianity.

Mere Christianity (1952) provides an unequaled opportunity for believers and nonbelievers alike to hear a powerful, rational case for the Christian faith.

(Lewis, 1952)

Mere Christianity: Theme

Right and Wrong as a Clue to the Meaning of the Universe

What Christians Believe

Christian Behavior

Beyond Personality: On First Steps in the Doctrine of the Trinity

Mere Christianity: Faith

Faith is used by Christians to describe two different levels:

Belief Complete Surrender

(Lewis, 1952)

Mere Christianity:Why is it compelling in diverse media? One of the most popular and beloved introductions to

Christian faith ever written (Lewis, 1952).

Millions of copies sold worldwide. Most influential Christian writers of his day. Many conversions to Christianity from reading this

book, including: Charles Colson, Francis Collins, and Josh Caterer.

A passage influenced the name of a famous Christian band: Sixpence None the Richer.

Quotes from the book used in songs and other books.

Michelangelo Buonarroti (1499)

Faith in Sculpture: Pieta

Pieta: Summary

Pieta is a sculpture made of marble of the Virgin Mary holding her son, Jesus Christ’s, dead body.

Pieta means pity in Italian.

Michelangelo’s depiction of pity on the Virgin Mary’s face was different from the many other paintings by others of the Virgin Mary holding her son.

Pieta: Summary

The others showed sadness on the woman’s face and they depicted her as a much older woman than Michelangelo’s Pieta did.

His sculpture depicted the Virgin Mary as a younger woman.

According to Michelangelo, a mother’s face is a symbol of eternal youth.

Pieta: Faith

The Pieta showed human suffering.

It was spiritual and Christian.

Compare and Contrast: The Facts

The Last Supper Mere Christianity Pietà

A painting created by Leonardo da Vinci

A written work by Clive Staples Lewis

A sculpture created by Michelangelo

Is located at the Santa Maria Grazie dining hall in Milan,

Italy

Began as transcripts to a series of radio broadcast

talks; ran from 1941-1944, during WWII.

Is located in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

A portrait of Christ sharing The Last Supper with his disciples before his arrest

Considered to be one of the leading treaties on Christian

apologetics.

A sculpture depicting Mary, the earthly mother of Jesus

Christ, holding his body after his death on the cross.

Compare and Contrast: The Last Supper

Like Pietà, The Last Supper centers around the event of Christ’s death.

Is considered to be one of da Vinci’s masterpieces.

Like Michelangelo, da Vinci was a contributor to the Italian Renaissance.

Like Lewis, da Vinci is considered to have one of the greatest minds of his time.

Like Lewis, da Vinci lived in war time, and contributed to the war effort by creating weapons.

The original painting has deteriorated over the years because of the base and materials used: “Early viewers testify to its extraordinary impact; however, the partly experimental technique led to the wall painting’s rapid deterioration, and it exists today only as a fragmented ghost of its former presence” (Kemp, 2007).

Similarities with other works Differences with other works

Compare and Contrast: Mere Christianity

Lewis found his inspiration from Christianity; Christ is a focal point of this work.

Became a well-known work of Lewis which has influenced many lives and organizations; is considered a leading treaty on Christian apologetics.

Like da Vinci, Lewis is considered to have one of the greatest minds of his time.

Like da Vinci, Lewis lived in war time, and contributed to the war effort by offering encouragement through his radio broadcast.

Lewis talents were restricted to the art of writing and speaking; he had venues available to him at the time which were not available to artists in the past.

The book began first as a series of British radio broadcasts entitled: Broadcast Talks (1942), Christian Behavior (1943), and Beyond Personality (1944).

Unlike Pietà and The Last Supper, Lewis looks into other aspects of Christianity while looking to answer the “tough questions” of life and the faith.

Similarities with other works Differences with other works

Compare and Contrast: Pietà

Like Pietà, The Last Supper centers around the Christian faith, and the event of Christ’s death.

Became an inspirational icon: “The Pietà was a popular devotional subject in European painting and sculpture from the 13th century to the end of the 17th” (Watts, 2007).

Like da Vinci, Michelangelo was a contributor to the Italian Renaissance.

Michelangelo represented a more idealistic version of Mary and the Christ: rather than focus on the pain and suffering associated with redemption and the Crucifixion, he chose to represent the subject as something “beautiful.”

Similarities with other works Differences with other works

Mediums of Expression

"What counts most is finding new ways to get the world down in paint on my own terms.“

~Michelangelo

There are many different sorts of mediums of expression available to artists; as time progresses, more means become available.

Da Vinci and Michelangelo shared many mediums of artistic expression; da Vinci made many discoveries that contributed to the areas of science and invention.

Lewis lived in a time of war, and used powers of speech and radio to reach people looking for hope and meaning; at the same time, da Vinci used his genius to create new inventions for the cause.

Conclusion

We believe that C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity is the most successful at expressing the common theme. Mere Christianity has exerted faith among Christians and even non-Christians that will be retained forever. The areas discussed within the book go deeper than any painting and/or sculpture can. He accomplished to provoke thoughts in the human mind that gives a deeper insight to Christianity.

"C.S. Lewis is the ideal persuader for the half-convinced, for the good man who would like to be a Christian but finds his intellect getting in the way. "

—Anthony Burgess, New York Times

References Mere Christianity Review. (2004). Retrieved March 19, 2009, from HarperCollins Publishers Web

site: http://web.archive.org/web/20071224144240/www.cslewisclassics.com/books/mere_christianity-desc.html

Christian Apologetics: Lewis the Christian. (2005). Retrieved March 19, 2009, from BBC Web site: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/people/cslewis_10.shtml

Chapel of the Pieta. (2009). Retrieved March 20, 2009, from StPetersBasillica.org Web site: http://www.stpetersbasilica.org/Altars/Pieta/Pieta.htm

Elam, C. (2007). Michelangelo. Retrieved March 20, 2009, from Oxford University Press Web site: http://www.oxfordartonline.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/subscriber/article/grove/art/T067518?q=pieta&hbutton_search.x=0&hbutton_search.y=0&hbutton_search=search&source=oao_gao&source=oao_t118&source=oao_t234&source=oao_t4&search=quick&pos=1&_start=1#firsthit

Watts, B. (2007). Pietà. Retrieved March 20, 2009, from Oxford University Press Web site: http://www.oxfordartonline.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/subscriber/article/grove/art/T067518?q=pieta&hbutton_search.x=0&hbutton_search.y=0&hbutton_search=search&source=oao_gao&source=oao_t118&source=oao_t234&source=oao_t4&search=quick&pos=1&_start=1#firsthit

Kren, E., & Marx, D. (2009). Pieta. Retrieved March 20, 2009, from Web Gallery of Art Web site: http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/m/michelan/1sculptu/pieta/1pieta1.html

References Kemp, M. (2007). Leonardo da Vinci. Retrieved March 21, 2009, from Oxford University Press Web site:

www.oxfordartonline.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/subscriber/article/grove/art/T050401#F015437 Lewis, C.S. (1952). Mere Christianity. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco-HarperCollins. Wundram, M. (2007). Renaissance. Retrieved March 22, 2009, from Oxford University Press Web site:

http://www.oxfordartonline.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/subscriber/article/grove/art/T071412?q=renaissance&hbutton_search.x=43&hbutton_search.y=5&hbutton_search=search&source=oao_gao&source=oao_t118&source=oao_t234&source=oao_t4&search=quick&pos=1&_start=1#T071415

Boorstin, D, J. (1992). The Creators: A History Of Heroes Of The Imagination. New York, NY: Vintage Books.

Gardner, H. (1970). Leonardo da Vinci. Retrieved March 17, 2009, from Wikipedia Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci#cite_ref-HG_1-0

Life in Italy. (2004) The Last Supper: Leonardo Da Vinci’s Intriguing Work of Art. Retrieved March 22, 2009, from http://www.lifeinitaly.com/art/last-supper.asp

Origin of the Eucharist (2009) Retrieved March 22, 2009, from Wikipedia Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucharist_(Origins)

Statue Store. (2009) The Pieta by Michelangelo. Retrieved March 22, 2009, from http://www.statue.com/michelangelo-pieta.html

St. Peters Bascilica.org. (1965) Chapel of the Pieta. Retrieved March 22, 2009, from http://www.saintpetersbasilica.org/Altars/Pieta/Pieta.htm