Religious Paintings

Throughout human history, religion has had a huge impact on society, touching every aspect of it. This is especially true in art. Religious subjects have become one of the main sources of inspiration and imagery in the works of many artists. The topic of religion can cause a lot of controversy or rejection, but it would be a mistake to deny its importance for art. But what importance and value did religion brought exactly? Why did artists for centuries approached the sacred? The main function of religion at the beginning of its emergence was the explanation of what still young humanity faced. Anything: from natural phenomena to problems of an individual or social life. This is how polytheistic religions arose, in which a separate deity was responsible for a specific sphere. This can be traced in the beliefs of various peoples of the world, but the most popular example can be considered ancient Greek mythology. So people of that time tried to determine the cause of rain, lightning, fertility or drought. And the main thing is to answer one of the central questions of one's own existence: what happens after death. The religious genre is embodied in the depiction of gods on ceramic products, majestic temples and statues or ritual figurines, in the paintings on the walls of the pyramids. Thus, humans sought to feel that the divine is near.

Many of the masters of painting addressed religious matters, primarily of Christianity, using scenes and characters to create their works. Thus, one of the most famous frescoes was The Last Supper (1497) in the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan by Leonardo da Vinci. The plot of Christ's farewell meal with his disciples is full of convincing emotionality. Every facial expression, every movement or gesture conveys the whole essence of the moment, that's when Jesus announced that someone among them would betray him. A remarkable detail is that the fresco is located in the dining hall of the nuns, but due to non-compliance with the fresco painting technology, the original painting was almost lost. Leonardo's colleague and rival, Michelangelo Buonarroti, also went down in history as the author of one of the most recognizable and well-known works of art. The Creation of Adam (1512), a painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, is filled with symbols and details open to interpretation. There is a version that such a position of the fingers of Adam and God indicates the free will of man, but at the same time the constant presence of the Creator nearby. In contrast to the idealistic images of the previously mentioned artists, the work of Hans Holbein the Younger The Body of the Dead Christ in the Tomb (1521) scares with its eeriness and realism. The horizontal canvas depicts the picture as if the viewer is looking in a section, which enhances the effect. This painting asserts that Jesus did indeed die, as evidenced by the traces of decay and flesh beginning to decay. But this only emphasizes the wonder of resurrection and victory over death. After that, not one of the great artists of our time referred to religious themes, be it Paul Gauguin in his work The Yellow Christ (1889), or Picasso and Dali with their versions of the Crucifixion. The genre diversity is also quite impressive. Drawings on a religious theme are constantly updated and interpreted, as they change form or acquire new meanings, which emphasizes their significance for people even today.