Christian Art
• Sarcophagus: funeral container for a corpse– Resurrection images absent = mysterious religion– Expensive!– Roman Christians
Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus
359 CE(Vatican City)
• Paintings
The Last SupperLeonardo da Vinci, 1498
(Milan, Italy)
– Roman Catholic Church– Helps depict figures or explain scenes from the Bible– For the illiterate
La PietáMichelangelo, 1499
(Vatican City)
• Sculpture
• Icons: flat panel depiction of a holy being or object– Eastern Orthodox Church– Canvas, metal, stone, cloth, mosaic…– Follows the commandment to not make “graven images”
Black Madonna of Częstochowa
14th century(Częstochowa,
Poland)
• Steeple: tall tower on a church, usually topped by a cross– Attempts to reach into the heavens– Guiding lights for the community
First Presbyterian Church of Caldwell
18th century(Caldwell, NJ)
• Cruciform Architecture– Roman Catholic Church– The ceiling of many churches
or cathedrals are in the shape of a cross
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
1878(New York, NY)
Islamic Art
• Dome: traditional roof structure– Cosmic shelter– Royalty– Direction of Prayer
The Sacred Mosque(Mecca, Saudi Arabia)
• Minarets: tall spire with onion-shaped crown– Call to prayer– Direction of prayer– Air conditioning
Twin MinaretsThe Sacred Mosque
(Mecca, Saudi Arabia)
• Islamic calligraphy: artistic practice of writing– Arabic language– Cannot represent God with images– Contains messages from the Koran
Timbuktu ManuscriptsCalligraphy in Arabic depicting
astronomy and mathematics(Timbuktu, Mali)
World Religions Connections
• What World Religion does this represent?• Why?• Wait…what religion?
Minaret of Jesus Great Mosque of Damascus
(Damascus, Syria)
Hagia Sophia(Istanbul, Turkey)
St. Peter’s Basilica(Vatican City)
Dome of the Rock(Jerusalem, Israel)