Almost from the very appearance of mankind, it has been brought up on parables and songs that are given in the Bible. In our time, the Bible has come through many centuries, overcoming many difficulties. She was forbidden to read, destroyed, burned in the fire, but she was still intact. Eighteen centuries were spent on its creation, about 30 ingenious authors who lived in different years and eras took care of it, 66 books of the Bible were written in different languages.
According to the school curriculum, children are necessarily told about biblical topics in the visual arts. Art in school thus introduces students to the biblical characters and stories described in the book.
Biblical subjects in painting. Great artist Rembrandt
Great world artists have used biblical themes in the visual arts. Perhaps more brilliantly left his mark on the brilliant artist Rembrandt. He managed to very truthfully and truly sincerely show the inexhaustible wealth of the inner world of man through biblical subjects in painting. His characters are like ordinary people, contemporaries, among whom the artist lived.
In a simple person, Rembrandt could see inner integrity, nobility and spiritual greatness. He managed to convey in the picture the most wonderful qualities of man. His canvases are filled with genuine human passions, a vivid confirmation of this is the painting "Descent from the Cross" (1634 g). The famous painting is “Assur, Haman and Esther,” written according to the biblical myth, which tells how Haman slandered the Jews before King Assur, wanting their death penalty, and Queen Esther managed to reveal the insidious lie.
Mysterious Bruegel
In the history of art it is difficult to find a more mysterious and ambiguous painter than Brueghel. He did not leave any notes, treatises or articles about his life, nor did he draw self-portraits or portraits of his relatives. On his canvases, biblical themes in the visual arts are shrouded in mystery, the characters have no memorable faces and all the figures are devoid of personality. In his paintings you can see the Lord and the blessed Mary, Christ and John the Baptist. The canvas “Adoration of the Magi” is as if covered with a snow-white shroud. Therefore, the paintings are so attractive. Looking at them, I want to solve the mystery.
The biblical heroes of Brueghel are depicted among contemporaries; they lead their everyday life in the Flemish city streets and in the countryside. For example, the Savior, burdened by the weight of his cross, is lost among many ordinary people who do not even suspect that they make their moral choices by looking at God.
Canvases of Caravaggio
The great Caravaggio painted canvases that amaze with their unusualness, they still cause heated debate between art lovers. Despite the fact that during the Renaissance festive subjects were a favorite topic for painting, Caravaggio remained true to himself, his tragic theme. On his canvases people experience terrible torment and inhuman suffering. Biblical themes in the artist’s fine art can be traced on the canvases “Crucifixion of St. Peter”, which depicts the execution of the apostle crucified upside down on the cross, and “The Position in the Sepulcher” depicting a folk drama.
In his paintings, there is always the everydayness and routine of human life. He in every possible way despised pictures with a fictional plot, that is, copied out of life, for him such canvases were trinkets and children's amusements. I was sure that only canvases depicting real life can be considered real art.
Icon painting
Iconography appeared in Russia in the 10th century, after Russia adopted the Byzantine religion, Christianity, in 988. In Byzantium at that time, icon painting and plots of the Old Testament in the visual arts, turned into a strict, canonical image system. The worship of icons has become a major part of dogma and worship.
For a couple of centuries in Russia, only icon painting was the subject of painting, through it simple people became involved in beautiful art. Representing moments from the life of Christ, the Virgin Mary and the apostles, the icon painters tried to express their individual idea of good and evil.
Icon painters always had to adhere to strict rules; they could not depict a fictional or fantasized plot. But at the same time they were not deprived of the opportunity to create, it was possible to interpret the biblical subjects in the fine arts at their discretion, choosing a different combination of colors. The icons of some icon painters differ among others in their special writing style.
Icons of Andrei Rublev
Often the subject of scientific discussion is the belonging of individual icons to the work of Rublev. The only work that Rublev accurately wrote is the Trinity icon. The authorship of the rest is still in doubt.
The Trinity depicts the extraordinary simplicity and “laconicism” of the biblical event. With the greatest skill, the artist singled out precisely those details that help to recreate the idea of what is happening - this is a mountain symbolizing the desert, the chamber of Abraham and the Mamvrian oak. Thanks to this icon, art that simply illustrates the Bible has become cognitive. Previously, no one dared to such a reincarnation of the sacred text in the picture.
Old Russian painting has always clearly followed the biblical text, its initial task was to recreate the image, which is described by the Bible and the Gospel. Rublev managed to uncover the philosophical meaning of biblical writing.
Subjects of the New and Old Testament and biblical themes in the visual arts
Plots from the New and Old Testaments occupy one of the main places in Christian painting. Representing biblical subjects, the artist should transfer the sacred text to the canvas, promote understanding, strengthen emotional perception and strengthen faith. Therefore, fine art and the Bible are closely interrelated, their history has changed together.
Christian art is not easy to reproduce biblical subjects. Talented artists created stunning paintings, each of which is unique, due to the fact that they tell in a special way about the biblical story.
Initially, Christianity arose as a new doctrine in Judaism; therefore, plots from the Old Testament prevailed in early Christian art. But then Christianity began to move away from Judaism and artists began to depict stories from the New Testament.
Abraham in the fine arts
One of the characters, uniting several faiths (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) is Abraham. In his image several faces are combined:
- the ancestor of the Jews, and through the children of Hagar and Ketura - various Arab tribes;
- the founder of Judaism, embodying the ideal of devotion to faith;
- protector of mankind before God and a hero warrior.
In Jewish and Christian views, there is the concept of “The Abraham’s womb” - this is a special otherworldly place for the repose of the dead righteous. The painting depicts Abraham sitting on his knees, in his bosom or in the womb, the souls of believers are sitting in the form of children. This can be seen on the canvases “Golden Gate”, “Princely Portal”.
Isaac's Sacrifice
But the most beloved story related to Abraham is the sacrifice.
The biblical scripture tells how God asked Abraham to burn his son Isaac in order to prove his allegiance. Father built an altar on Mount Moriah, and at the last moment of the sacrifice of Isaac an angel appeared to them and stopped him. Instead of a child, a lamb was burnt.
Such a dramatic episode suggests deepest thoughts about God's justice.
Biblical themes in the visual arts have always attracted artists. Despite the fact that biblical stories have long been in the past, painters manage to reflect through them the modern reality of life.