Faith
What is it that distinguishes Christianity from other religions?
Like Judaism from which Christianity developed, Christians are monotheistic. They believe in one God present in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. They believe the divine became human in the person of Jesus, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and maintained his divinity in the Virgin birth. His incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection redeem Christians of original sin.
Christians also believe in the “communion of saints”--the spiritual union of all its members, both living and dead, except for those who are damned. Saints are united with Christ, and they, along with Mary, the mother of Christ and the first among all saints, intercede on behalf of the faithful.
Why does so much of early European art depict these tenets of Christian faith? Art was used to teach, to persuade, to demonstrate power, to reinforce social and political relationships, and to inspire awe. Biblical texts and writings by subsequent theologians and philosophers animated artists and their patrons, as these ‘narratives in paint’ depict the mysteries of the faith to the faithful.
Today, the power of these sacred works may be recognized by both believers and non-believers. They offer a spiritual gateway, transporting us into a different realm. They also reveal the relationship between making images and making meaning.
Morality
In Europe and its colonies, Christianity has been the traditional source of morality, providing principles to distinguish between right and wrong, good and bad behavior. The belief that people have souls and that those souls need to be saved drove the production of art for many centuries. Art offered lessons about morality and reminders of mortality; it depicted people (often%20saints) and acts that were good and should be imitated, and conversely, those that were bad and should be avoided.
With its foundation in ancient philosophy and humanism, scenes depicted in art, together with the language of symbols, were used to teach sound judgment and reflection. Christian lessons of morality intersected with the growing global movement of people and goods. The Dutch Republic, for example, newly independent from Catholic Spain in 1581 and embracing Protestantism, dominated trade in Indonesia and made inroads into the Caribbean, West Indies and parts of Brazil. Their industry and business acumen are recorded in numerous seascapes, views of productive mills, and the portraits of stoic burghers and learned civic leaders dressed in somber black suits and extravagant lace collars or flamboyant ruffs.