What Is a Christian Painting
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10273890 |
|---|---|
| Authors | F David Martin (corresponding author), Susan Glyn (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1977 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 23 |
| Publication date | 1977-01-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Leonardo (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0024-094X • E-ISSN: 1530-9282 |
| Publisher | JSTOR (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.2307/1573622 |
| OpenAlex | W2330491807, W2334783944 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 2 |
The author proposes a distinction between subject matter, form (the style of depiction), and content in a painting. The subject matter is what the painting ‘is about’, but it is not directly perceivable when it has been transformed by the form. The content is the artist’s interpretation of subject matter as revealed by the form. Whereas decorative pictures are designed to please, fine art is also designed to inform. To reveal what is considered the religious a painter is expected to depict the sacred as awesome. In turn, the awe-fullness of what a religion considers sacred should generate the conviction in viewers that their relation to the sacred is of ultimate concern. Furthermore, a painting that belongs to a religious tradition will include in its subject matter a third basic component: institutionalized conventional symbols. These have the function of what the author calls ‘conceptual meditation’, that is, to visually articulate a religion’s understanding of its concern for the sacred. In our time, the response of Christians to conventional symbols of their religion has been declining. These symbols will die, be modified or be replaced. The adequacy of his analysis is tested by the author with reference to a series of paintings
Aesthetics · Art · Art history · Image (mathematics) · Inpainting · Painting · Visual arts · Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science · Media, Religion, Digital Communication · Religious Tourism and Spaces · Visual Culture and Art Theory
| Citations per year | 0.02 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1977 - 1977 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |