The Golden Calf Symbolism

(Rothkope 15). Jeff Koons had a record for the highest selling piece of art. He achieved the record auction price for a living artist when someone paid $ 584 million at Chistie’s in Manhattan for his balloon dog, (Orange) 1955. Koons the States that all his works come from inspirations. (Lacayo 2014). He states that he hates when people focus on the price of his art he told New York Times “it’s not about the money, Other young artists I wanted to engage in the excitement of making art and sharing ideas, that’s what the art world means to me.

The sculpture portrays the God of Harvest, Dionysus, with his loyal satyr follower, Pan. A considerable amount of detail when into the carving of Dionysus; the multiple grapevines in his hair, his ceremonial staff Thyrsus, the goatskins and the cup of wine he’s holding are all symbols of Dionysus. The composition is very asymmetrical, and creates a contrapposto arrangement, which is distinctly Grecian (Gardner). It was carved out of beautiful fine marble, which also had another purpose in the way of making this piece of art last for many years. Along with the tree trunk between the two men providing support at the base, and the elongated arms providing more structural stability. The God’s head is even reinforced by his hair to make sure the head doesn’t break off. This sculpture is visually and aesthetically pleasing, but doesn’t serve a useful function, like textiles or furniture. Therefore, it is considered a figurative piece of art, which art that is very clearly modeled after real object or person(s), and is therefore representational

The Giraffe takes place in a small town, in what appears to be Italy, although that can only be assumed from the names, buildings and author of the text. The city plays what could be considered an important role if you were to assume that the subtext of the story is one centered on change and progress. That being that the small town represents likely a place that is not very adaptable or open minded as is often seen in smaller more close knit communities, which may be why the story is situated there. Furthermore, aside from that, the location in Italy may also play a role in the subtext of the story if you were to interpret it as a story with a biblical relation, Italy being a country heavily influenced by the catholic religion, and containing the Vatican, the center of the catholic religion. The biblical influences can also be expanded upon if you consider that the giraffe taking refuge inside the church is deliberate, indicating that maybe the church is a clue to the giraffe being some sort of Jesus metaphor or an indication of the giraffe needing some sort of sanctuary.

The work of art discussed here is a piece called "Bronze Statuette of Cybele on a Cart Drawn by Lions." This particular piece is mostly a

location this painting depicts. It seems to be of biblical nature, as both people in the

My Journey to The Sacrifice of Isaac by Peter Paul Rubens begin when I saw a painting at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art almost six years ago in a grand room, with tens of other paintings and high, echoing ceilings. I stood in front of a massive, Renaissance-era piece. Without looking at the title or artist’s statement, I knew it was of Abraham sacrificing Isaac. It had the iconic look of one of the most infamous stories from the bible.

Vivid images, from visions, to detailed explanations and accounts of places and events, to symbolic imagery used to explain parables, or teach and encourage the first century churches are driving forces within the Biblical text. Metaphorical language, by virtue of the fact that it preserves the literal meaning of the symbol, while intending an analogous secondary meaning, is able to communicate profound truths about reality, mainly by creating an alternative, symbolic way of seeing and understanding the world. (Liubinskas, Susann. 404) Throughout the New Testament of the Bible the most commonly used images are the body of Christ and vineyard imagery. These images work together to create a powerful example of the necessity for unity among individual

Throughout the Bible, God helps us understand beauty by using pieces of art. Francis Schaeffer helps his readers understand God’s appreciation of art with his book revised in 2006 entitled, Art and the Bible. Schaeffer helps the reader find new insights into the background of the arts in the Bible, intrigues the reader with at least three perspectives on art and helps the reader relate art to his or her life.

After nearly two centuries completely lacking in images, early Christians finally developed a pictorial language to express their faith. The conventions developed early on would come to define the middle ages, an entire era of almost exclusively Christian images. Early Christians adopted classical conventions for their art, which would serve an opposing purpose for outsiders and initiates. For outsiders, the symbols meant no harm. But to followers of the faith, the images are loaded with meaning. The meaning inherent in the history of the symbol, when combined with a biblical context, creates a full and multi-faceted iconographic tradition. The purpose of this paper is to explore the roots of the recurring subjects and symbols evident in the funerary paintings in Catacombs of Domitilla in Rome.

The first subsection in the top left shows a bearded man and his right hand outstretched to the left side of the canvas, with his other hand hovering over a kneeling child, with another man standing behind him and some small animal, possibly a lamb, standing beneath the outstretched hand. According to Stokstad, this may be a depiction of the Binding of Isaac, in which Abraham passes the test of faith and willingly goes to sacrifice his firstborn son, Isaac, before divine intervention gives him a lamb as a replacement (Stokstad 168). This conclusion is consistent with the depiction, allowing the viewer to conclude that the outstretched hand is likely holding a knife and the figure present in the background is an angel, delivering the lamb in tribute. The subsection below the Binding of Isaac shows a seated man with a face of anguish, with two others standing over him, apparently

Symmetry is the backbone to the bible. It provides a comforting lull to the reader and it proves time and again to be effective at subtlety emphasizing the important motifs of the stories. The balance in the bible is found, also, in the characters. The authors of the New Testament used symmetry to their advantage and placed Mosaic motifs along with the story of Jesus of Nazareth. In doing so, the parallel between Moses and Jesus is a dominant theme that makes the New Testament both slightly predictable while also reinforcing Jesus’s role as the “lawgiver.” This archetype is interesting because religion is dominated by rules, and at the most basic level, the prophets created the rules in which followers of religion live by. The link between Moses and Jesus is inextricable and undeniable, causing the relationship to be so obvious even to the least experienced bible reader. The parallelism between the figures of Moses and Jesus is important because it emphasizes the necessity to have a leader in a religious group and illustrates the quiet difference between being the figurehead who receives the law of G-d versus the one who gives the law. In the symmetry, the figures of Moses and Jesus act as a balance where Jesus’ actions are representative, but not repetitive, of those biblical actions of Moses. Through water, numerical, and Passover motifs the story of Jesus is connected to the passages of Moses.

The altar is decorated with extravagant scrolls at each end each decorated with winged lions. It has a relief depicting Vestal Virgins, animals being led in a procession, priests and sacrificial animals. This relief sculpture on the altar could represent the real sacrifices at the dedication of the Altar in the year 9BC after its creation.

The “What makes Art Valuable?” video took the viewer through a journey of the top 10 most expensive paintings purchased. Oftentimes, these high tag prices were being sold in an art auction. Alastair Sooke took us on a journey through the art world, so that we could better understand the true value and key as to what makes art so valuable. Through this journey, we learned the political side of the art world in which the value of a painting was connected with the buyers based on love, prestige, investment, an ultimate luxury item, or approval of one's peers. Alastair Sooke started out with the number ten art piece that sold for a total of $$$$, then he ended with the most expensive art piece ever purchased called “Nude, Green leaves and Bust”

Salvador Dali’s painting, The Sacrament of the Last Supper (oil on canvas, 65 ¾ x 105 ½ in., c. 1995), has become one of his most iconic paintings from his “late” period. This painting portrays one of the most famous scenes from the Bible, the Last Supper, depicting the twelve disciples eating their final meal with Jesus. This scene has been created many times throughout history by many different artists. However, through Salvador Dali’s use of equal symmetry, the uncommon setting he chose and the interesting perspective and focal points, he was able to recreate a completely unique version of this common biblical scene while adding his twist of surrealism.

Samson and Delilah, an oil painting 47.4 x 36.8 inches, attribute by Italian Antonio Carneo in 1692. Now it is in the Agnes Etherington Art Centre at Queens’ University. It was a gift of Dr. and Mrs. Alfred Bader in 1976. The painting is Baroque style and depicts a Biblical story, gives viewers impression of shock and lead people thinking.