Spirituality in Art

Spirituality in Art

Spirituality has been a constant theme for artists because it represents man’s quest for understanding his place in this world and his destiny. The very first paintings by cave dwellers conveyed, not only everyday life, such as hunting, but also reverent depictions of the sun, moon and stars, indicating homage to unseen divine powers that granted them life. Thus, my paper is going to focus on four paintings, all portraits, which evoke the theme of spirituality when one looks upon them.

The first is a quietly powerful piece by Rembrandt Van Rijn, Aristotle With a Bust of Homer, (1653). In a muted, dark background, a tired, contemplative Aristotle reflects upon a bust of Homer. Though dressed in finery denoting his status, his gaze is forlorn, as if pondering the brevity of life and the uselessness of fame and riches when it will all be left behind.

The second is Carlo Crivelli’s Saint George, 1472, picturing a triumphant youth standing over a slain dragon. This portrait, while narrating a religious story, is irreverent because one of the great saints of Christianity is portrayed in the form of a young boy with a cheeky expression written over his face as he triumphantly stands over a defeated dragon, which represents evil. There is more to this picture depicting a spiritual battle than would meet the eye.

Lorenzo Monaco’s simple, Abraham, (1408-1410) is an austere example of Italian Gothic, which is reflected in the stern gaze of the title character, yet the colors are more vibrant than what was expected of religious art of that era. The last piece I will use for this paper is Edouard Manet’s The Dead Christ and the Angels, (1864), which he received a lot of criticism for because of his harsh treatment of the death of Christ.

With these four pieces of art, I intend to explore the timeless interest in spirituality in art as a medium for the expression of Man’s understanding of divinity, power and life. In all four pieces, spirituality is treated in different ways and they are in stark contrast to one another. For me, the most reverent of all four is Rembrandt’s Aristotle because Rembrandt painted a question that has plagued mortals, and his portrayal is treated with a sensitivity that renders the portrait a timeless classic.