Summary: Annunciation And Visitation

From the outside of the cathedral, I could see the scaffolding since it was going under construction. Even though the cathedral is beautiful on the inside, the outside does not do it justice. Approaching the cathedral, it is

perspective is used very well to make the mountains in the far distance appear quite a bit hazier than the church that is supposed to be a little closer to the viewer, and that is even slightly hazier than the brick wall, shrubs, and trees that are right outside of that archway. David also makes the objects that are meant to be closer much larger. That mountain, of course, would be massive. But, because of the perspective he uses, it appears to be only about the size of the top of the church. Additionally, almost all of the figures in the painting lead the viewer's eye right to the baby Jesus. Each of the angels, except the one playing the guitar, are looking directly at him so that when the viewer looks at them, they immediately look over to Jesus. Even Mary, who is also the subject of the composition, is looking down at the baby. Renaissance paintings often used tricks like that to draw the viewer's eye to the main subject, which was usually Jesus.

The cathedral was already a popular pilgrimage due to holding The Veil of The Virgin, a tunic said to be worn by the Virgin Mary. In the late 12th century the cult of the virgin was immensely popular, and the importance of the Virgin Mary grew, causing relics related to her to be highly sought after, by both churches and pilgrims. The cathedral of Chartres only grew in importance after receiving the skull of St. Anne (mother of the Virgin Mary). In my opinion the window also serves as a point of devotion, a place for people to be in awe and bask in holy divinity, whether that be viewed as the light that filters in behind Mary, or the spark of divine clarity that inspired the windows creation. While the name is a reference to the actual depiction of Mary, I believe that it is also used to indicate a closer connection to the queen of Heaven. The Cathedral at Chartres and in Paris are both dedicated to Mary and share the same name " Our Lady of" and so I think that choosing to name the window that elevates it from a work of art, and past even that of a reliquary to that of a holy site, and a place to

Some people go to the notre-Dame Cathedral which has a huge nativity scene and one of the most famous.

The edifice in itself was rather imposing. It was a large construction similar to European cathedrals. From the point of view of the religious feeling, I considered it to be more appropriate than catholic churches that resemble more to museums and are extraordinary in their art. Usually in catholic churches the edifice is impressive in its shape and construction and the first thought is to associate it to a pierce of art rather than a place of prayer. By comparison, this Orthodox Church was not that lavishing in details or artistic nature and the outside paintings set a religious feeling as I entered. A cemetery or a place for holy burials such as the former priests that served at the Church surrounded this church. This is not mandatory to happen but most of the times, Orthodox churches have in the vicinity the cemetery.

     I also observed many paintings in this gallery. One painting that caught my eye was titled, “The Mocking of Christ” by Hieronymus Bosch. It was an early 16th century, oil on wood painting. Christ was seen in the upper right next to Pilate and was surrounded by figured who looked more like friends than enemies that would crucify him. These so called friends of Christ were holding weapons and wearing bizarre headgear. In the painting, Jesus had a saddened look on his face while the others looked jollier. Another painting that I observed was a painting by Defendate Ferrari which showed the enthroned Virgin Mary breastfeeding the baby Jesus with Saint John the Evangelist, Catherine of Alexandra, Anthony Abbot, and a saint reading a book. I was attracted to this painting because I would never have thought to have seen a picture of Mary feeding Jesus in that way. This painting was originally an oil and gold on wood and was transferred to canvas. There were so many

Annunciation, the fresco, clearly demonstrates the focus on religion in the 15th century. The fresco is part of numerous frescos that were commissioned by the abbot of the Dominican monastery of San Marco. The purpose of the fresco was to give religious reminders and instill piety into the monks who were dedicating their lives to prayer. There is even an inscription at the bottom of the work that reminds the monks to say a Hail Mary when they pass the work. Fra Angelico was greatly influenced by two Gothic artists Gentile da Fabriano and Masaccio. The influence of Fabriano is evident in the drapery and detail of Gabriel's wings which give a decorative style to the fresco. The influence of Masaccio can be seen in the use of realistic depth. The work also uses linear perspective which can be seen in the line between garden and the architecture. However, the lighting and the proportions of the figures within the architecture are irrational. It could be said that these artistic 'mistakes' were

follows previous rules with the representation of divine figures in churches. The proportions of the piece utilizes the hierarchy scale with the most important figure--Christ. The figure of Christ is the largest image shown in the apse, and other figures such as the apostles, the four symbols of the evangelists, and the scenes from the New Testament are roughly the same size. The smallest figures appear in the windows--the sacrifice scenes with Cain and Abel. The artist employed a more decorative aspect to the drapery of the figures than a naturalistic

"real"; it is a good example of a human body. The rest of the figures,

While constructing both of these cathedrals there were sculptures created that represented narratives of theology and mysticism. Both were created for a place of worship that’s why sculptures and paintings of religious images were added. This showed a great respect for the belief in Christ and the surrounding believers.

Although it does resemble Gothic architecture, it does so in a unique way that is characteristic of the architect Antoni Gaudi (The Sagrada Familia). However, Gaudi’s masterpiece does not follow the definition of Gothic style architecture. “This new architecture, based on the precision of geometry, can be effectively adapted to the new graphic and building technologies. As a consequence, the quality of the works in the Sagrada Familia increases clearly as the construction processes technology is improved. This project is therefore advanced for its time and is also very suitable to the technologies of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries” (Aguado et al., 94). Gaudi believes that the inside of La Sagrada Familia should be left strictly for worship and the outside should tell the story of the Catholic faith. The story that Gaudi wishes to portray can be told by the towers, the east entrance, and the west entrance, which all resemble different aspects of the life of Jesus Christ. This is uncharacteristic of Gothic style cathedrals and basilicas because there are usually small chapels inside the church that explain the stories that relate to Catholicism. Gaudi also has a unique style of architecture that uses geometry to create pillars, columns, arches, as well as allow more light to enter his Gothic style building that had never been seen before. His unique take on the Gothic style was

Religion was a huge motivator for both of these periods, and held deep emotional connections for many artists. I find this to be somewhat relatable, since I also need emotional attachment as a motivator to complete my artwork sometimes. These designs resemble those of today in the amount of effort and forethought put into planning and building them, however, the complexity of these older religious structures lies in the artistic and visual nature of the building, rather than the efficiency-related accomodations one would observe today. This demonstrates the metamorphosis of human priorities over the centuries. Both of the images to be discussed (Temple of Hera II and Palatine Chapel) speak to the

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Reims, northeast of Paris near Champagne was the coronation church of the kings of France and was an educational and cultural center. Also built of limestone, the architecture of the Reims Cathedral features Gothic style. It symbolizes an Early Gothic, Radiant Gothic and Flamboyant Gothic. The Reims Cathedral depicts a classic harmonic facade containing four levels. Its interior is defined by its towering heights and narrow proportions, and elaborate sculptural works. Because of the high quality of workmanship and materials used, Reims Cathedral features some of the most beautiful gothic art in existence. Five different cathedrals have been on the site on which Reims cathedral now sits since 401 CE. The current cathedral was built in 1211, after the previous cathedral had burned down. The new building was almost entirely finished by the end of the thirteenth century. 88 gargoyles were counted on the Reims Cathedral and are mainly used to drain off rainwater and are exceptional pieces of work, but do show the slight difference between Gothic and Romanesque styles. The stained glass windows are a beautiful part of Reims despite being damaged or ruined several times in the 18th century; the cathedral still has many 13th century stained glass windows, in the upper parts of the nave, choir and transept. On the opposite side of the great western portal, the Great Rose Window, dating from the end of the 13th century, represents “the Crowning

This mountainous structure is seen from about every point of Paris and beyond. From the front, you can see two towers jutting out of an ordinary street. The Cathedral also features large stained glass windows, that are one of the most beautiful features of the structures. From the side, you can see the long body of the Cathedral and the spire sticking out of the top. It is somewhat overwhelming being within feet of the structure, because of the immense height and width of the church. Looking at the back, one can clearly see the dome-like structures attaching to the organ room. From the outside, you can clearly see the sculptures depicting the scenes from the Catholic religion. The cathedral is gigantic, but it is easy to process all the sections because of the distinct styles of architecture. From an

Reims Cathedral was built within the Marne department of the Champagne-Ardenne region between the years 1212-1300. However, Reims genesis dates back to 496 AD as a previous cathedral once occupied the land on which the new cathedral was built upon. A fire destroyed the original cathedral structure on May 6th, 1210. 2 years after the fire, it was decided to initiate work on the construction of the new, cathedral that exists to this present day. This second cathedral is in the French gothic style and was designed to be much more capacious in contrast to its fire- destroyed predecessor. ”The nave and aisles of the western arm are broadened out in the eastern arm.” This logic permitted larger crowds to attend coronation ceremonies. The cathedrals predominant function is a place of worship under the denomination of Roman Catholics. An assembly of architects participated in the design over a period of 7 centuries due to adaptations and refinements materialised to its design. Such names consist of Jean d 'Orbais (1175-1231); responsible for the first initial design work of the cathedral, Henri Deneux (1874-1969); who laboured over the architectural restoration of Reims after bombing raids in WW1, Bernard de Soissons (birth date and death date unknown) noted as a participant with Jean in the initial design work of the cathedral. One fundamental aspect explored by studying Reims Cathedral is the quality of natural light and how it is affected by its both artistic and