Italian Giants in Christian Art

Da Vinci's Madonna of the Rocks 

While I was reading in the Earlham Library the other day, I needed a break from Newbigin and wandered over to the oversized book shelves, my favorite. 

We had spoken in class the previous day about the many interpretations of Jesus that exist in the art realm, since Newbigin notes that (paraphrasing) when a missionary evangelizes, it is his or her conception of Christ that the listener receives and considers to be true, until his or her own experience replaces it. 

Raphael's The Sistine Madonna

I found large art books displaying the "Many Faces of Jesus" from various cultural perspectives. One of the things I've been wondering throughout this class is whether Jesus is all that important as an avenue to a spiritual community, even if at that community's center are the principles that Jesus espoused: love of neighbor, pacifism, the dignity of all, help for those suffering. I have had such doubts about the efficacy of the "Jesus narrative" today, since it has been so misused and people have such strong reactions against any invocation of his name. In my opinion, none of these cultural portrayals of him help all that much, because they emphasize him as a person and a deity, and not his message. 

I also found the book that I ended up checking out, Helen de Borchgrave's A Journey into Christian Art. While I find that she attributes too much of the artistic richness in Christendom to the individual faithful fervor of the artists (rather than the demands of their patrons, which often included the Pope), I do love looking at the art (which is all western) and seeing how the Western world completely commandeered the stories of the Bible. It's really outrageous. 

For example, you have to laugh at Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam. If nothing else, to keep from crying.

This morning I was reminded, as I read about the golden era that witnessed Michelangelo, Raphael and da Vinci at work, of Malcolm Gladwell's observation in Outliers that there are certain really good years to be born for some kinds of people. And for those with even an iota of artistic talent, the late 1400's must have been one of these lucky periods. Da Vinci was born in 1453, Michelangelo in 1475, and Raphael in 1483. 

At this time the Popes supported the arts and built all kinds of chapels and cathedrals which were then adorned with art by these and other masters. A good time to be born for a talented, cooperative, well-connected artist!