The Role of the Church in the Renaissance Essay example -- Art History

The Christian Church was absolutely instrumental in the art of the Renaissance. It was the driving force behind every inspiration; without the Church, there would have been no art. The Church was the only institution powerful enough to be able to support the commissions of all of the artwork, and it was the only institution, in which people had enough faith and devotion to spend so much of their time and money creating pieces that—although beautiful—were not necessities. The role of religion in art actually began during the Byzantine era. During this time, all artwork was religious in nature, and most of it was done in a consistently similar style so that figures from the Bible could be easily recognized by everyone and so that people had a consistent view of religious matters. Art during this time was largely iconic, meant to inspire the awe of God in the viewer. Along with various versions of the crucifix, one of the most popular images of the Byzantine style wa s The Pantokrator, an image of Jesus Christ as shown from above. An example of one of these pieces was done in the twelfth century in the abbey church of Monreale in the city of Palermo. Jesus is a monumental figure that takes up much of the space across the apse of the Church. One of his hands forms a mudra as the other holds the scripture. His fully frontal and direct stance along with the glimmering gold background serves to strike awe and fear into the viewer. Clearly this piece was done with the intent to impress the value and mightiness of religion first and attention to the detail and technique of the art second. This emphasis on religion continued deep into the Renaissance, as the Church was one of the few organizations that could fund such massive un... ...udgment in the afterlife. Giotto’s Arena Chapel, Duccio’s Maestà  , and Masaccio’s Trinity are only a few examples of the Church’s overarching influence on Renaissance art. Without the Church, there would have been no art. It was the increasing popularity of the Church with new orders of monks in the 1200s that created a greater need for religious images, and with more production of art, the style began to change. Religion was such an integral part of Renaissance culture that it makes sense that it would be the focus of its creativity. Works Cited Adams, Laurie Schneider. Italian Renaissance Art, Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2001. Shearmann, John. Only Connect†¦ Art and the Spectator in the Italian Renaisssance, Washington, D.C.: Princeton University Press, 1992. Welch, Evelyn. Art and Society in Italy 1350-1500, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.