In the New Testament, more specifically in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus ushers in a new way of thinking centered around Earthly suffering and the reward of Heaven. John the Baptist, a man of much faith, plays an important role in representing this theme; in Chapter 14 of the Gospel of Matthew, John, faces Earthly Suffering when he is unjustly put in jail and killed. Though the New Testament is an elaboration of the Old Testament, it carries different themes and teachings. Noticing this shift, Italian painter Michaelangelo Merisi da chose to depict the scene of John the Baptist’s death, elaborating on the bible verse and using his dramatic painting in order to provoke more emotion from his audience.
The beheading of John the Baptist in Matthew Chapter 14, though it shares themes from the Old Testament, is an example of how the New Testament differs from its precursor by utilizing the theme of Earthly suffering. King Herod arrests John the Baptist after John proclaims that it is unlawful of Herod to be with his wife, who some texts believe was his brother’s wife. Previously in the Old Testament, there have been stories of wrongful imprisonment, and this story makes use of the same theme. John should not be in Jail, but many times jail has been used to prove a lesson. Furthermore, though Herod imprisoned John and wanted to kill him, “he feared the
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Michaelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio’s “Beheading of Saint John the Baptist” is one painting that attempts to capture the moment of John’s murder. Caravaggio, an Italian painter, made this piece in 1608, following the Renaissance, and it is now located in St. John's Co-Cathedral in La Valletta, Malta. Caravaggio’s beheading of John the Baptist dramatizes the story, emphasizing the emotion and elaborating on the theme of Earthly
Imagine seeing the crucifiction of Christ. Seeing that happen would change everyone’s view of the world. Christ’s crucifiction affected many people, including His mother, Mary. Juan de Juanes, the artist, painted this scene realistically. This painting was made with oil paints on panel with long flowing strokes, which seemed to make it come to life. Juan de Juanes depicts many aspects in this painting such as historical significance, colors, and subject matter.
The ominous figure in the centre of the foreground - Jesus Christ hanging lifeless on the cross, in Luca di Tommè’s ‘The Crucifixion’, primarily catches the eye. The symmetrical arrangement of lamenting figures around the cross, as well as the gilded background, highlight him as the focal point of this artwork.
Giotto di Bondonne created “Lamentation” circa 1305. This piece depicts Jesus Christ removed from the cross as Mary the Virgin embraces Him. There are two figures in the foreground with their backs facing the audience. Dawning a new style of artwork creating a sense of depth. John the Baptist is seen flailing his arms backwards. Body gestures were stiff and stern in comparison to previous works. Bondonne is an early artist in “the revival of the visual arts” by painting a scene to suggest a story (Richards). For example, angels are captured flying in the distance watching the people care for the deceased Jesus Christ. They grieve in unison with the crowd down below. Bondonne successfully creates a feeling of three dimensions by including a cluster of people on the far left tucked away in the corner. The mass of people gathered around to offer praise for His ultimate sacrifice.
David M. Stone has made some great points in his article, “Signature Killer: Caravaggio and the Poetics of Blood.” Stone set out to explain his ideas about Michelangelo Merisi Caravaggio’s honorary knighthood and the social standing it gave him, and what it meant for Caravaggio to sign his name in The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, in the blood of St. John the Baptist himself. Stone gave great insight into the world of Caravaggio’s life and what he could have been implying through the act of signing in blood.
Prior to Raphael’s The Alba Madonna, there had been numerous paintings of the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus. What was unique about this one was the fact that a very young John the Baptist was included. In his painting, Raphael has John the Baptist holding a cross and the Baby Jesus grasping it. All three subjects in the painting are gazing at the cross. Church teachings state that Jesus had an understanding of his fate at a very young age. This painting signifies that understanding. Baby Jesus is accepting his future fate of suffering and dying on the cross. His mother Mary and cousin John are also accepting of his fate. Raphael has captured
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God by Johnathan Edwards details the significance of God’s wrath over the wicked and unbelieving Israelites. Johnathan Edwards cleverly explains the reasoning behind why God punishes the unbelieving, the way that he does. Edwards writes this sermon to inform sinners of the fatal agony that will be bestowed upon them if they continue to rebel in God’s name and do not save themselves. His use of vivid imagery, symbols, and content contribute to the power and persuasiveness of the torturous fate of God’s wrath to sinners.
Carlo Crivelli, in his piece Pietà, depicts a highly emotional scene in which Mary, Mary Magdalene, and John the Baptist mourn the death of Christ, who has just been removed from the cross after his crucifixion. The moment Crivelli captured in this painting seems to be the first moments that Christ has been returned to his loved ones. There is movement and intense emotion in this moment. Mary has thrown herself around Christ’s body and pulls him towards her. Mary Magdalene holds Christ’s left arm and seems to be bringing it towards his body as if still in the midst of receiving him from the foreground into the mid-ground where the mourners are.
Additionally, Caravaggio transports this canvas to life with bright colors; bold contrasts of reds, golds and greens and many surfaces of velvets and soft fur. He also contrasts gestures and expressions and used the contrast principle to differentiate the bright from the dark, which creates interest in the characters portrayed. He intends to tell us that the atmospheric perspective used in this painting is to create depth, like the window behind the individuals. Additionally, the painting is mostly organic forms, but the window can be classified as an organic form. This painting, along with two others of St. Matthew by Caravaggio, was specially made for the Contarelli chapel situated in San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome (Biography.com Editors).
The subject of religion has captured the attention of artists for centuries, working its way throughout the years, in and out of various of styles and movements. The artists of this era often found themselves reliant on this subject matter due to Churches being a steady Patron throughout the Renaissance all the way to the Baroque period. Whether it was because of the rich cultural impact to society or the enforcement of strong divine beliefs, depicting biblical narratives have struck an everlasting cord within this medium. Two particular ones, in fact: The Deposition from the Cross (Entombment of Christ) by Jacopo Pontormo and The Entombment of Christ by Michelangelo Caravaggio. Both of which provide an excellent example of how culture and artistic style combined can alter the message of the same iconic scene and still evoke different emotions.
As a student, it’s been an experiences. Over the course; I have grown and learned more on different skills of writing. I been a student at Colorado Christian University for about a year. One specific experiences that I’d recall, was when I had to write a letter to a co-worker. I thought I communicated well, however the feedback that I received told me the opposite. The co-worker told me that I had broken English in my writing. He told me that he was confused on what I was trying to explain. Even though what he said was true, I was upset. I didn 't realize then, that it was important for his feedback. I had taken many English courses, and it taught me that in order to become a writer, was to write. One way that helped me improve and overcome my weakness of writing was feedback from my professors and other students. The next step was to find ways to keep organized when I began to write. In spite of all my mistakes and weakness as a writer, communication was important through writing, because we have to use strong academic language to write. To point out that these are just a few I listed as a reflection on my writing skills.
In this painting, he is being accused by the woman to the soldier. Caravaggio portrays the story of the Denial of St. Peter, as told in all four Gospels (Matthew, John, Luke, Mark) of the Bible. When Jesus was arrested, he prophesied that Peter, his disciple would denounce his name
The New Testament is characterized by the existence of imperative Biblical figures, with the likes of Jesus Christ, the Apostles, among many others. Peter was among Jesus’ first disciples. From his turning point, as manifested in the book of John 21, to his progress as a dedicated leader as manifested in Acts, to his final emergence as a co-elder as manifested in the Epistles of 1st and 2nd Peter, Peter exhibited traits of a transformational and charismatic biblical figure (Neil & William 409).
El Greco’s Lamentation of Christ is “a translation in paint of Michelangelo's late sculptured group of the Pietà in Florence Cathedral, at the time in Rome. The pattern and the feeling are the same. The figures of the Dead Christ, His Mother, Saint Mary Magdalene and Joseph of Arimathea make one compact group. Michelangelo achieved this by his new treatment of form; El Greco by paint, by employing broader, more continuous passages of color. The more vivid colors of Rome combine with the richer palette of Venice to convey the intensity of expression demanded by the subject. The horizontal composition of Venice, more suited to a narrative type of subject than to the single image, is given up and is only very rarely found appropriate in Spain. Michelangelo's Pietà group was not the only source on which El Greco drew: the arrangement of Christ's legs and his outspread arms, no less than the idea of viewing one of the two bearers of his body from the side and the other from behind, derive from Michelangelo's drawing for Vittoria Colonna, in which, as in El Greco's painting, the Virgin is placed behind and above Christ.” (Web Gallery of
John as we know today was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. He was also the brother of James, who was also an apostle. John was the son of Zeebee and of Salome. His father was a fisherman while living in Bethsaida in Galilee on the border of the lake Gennesareth. John's mother was one of many women who gave to the maintenance of Jesus Christ. John's parents were very good people, they loved God and his son. It is said that john and his brother James were fishing when Jesus came and chose them. They were soon known as the fishers of men. The John of whom I am talking about is John the Evangelist.
This essay will show contrasts in views on the Gospel of John regarding authorship,dates, and the relationship between John's Gospel and the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Some comparison of thought, concerning composition and life setting, will also be presented.