religious art

…kind of key to convey religious concepts and the visual, auditory, and kinetic representations of religious ideas and events. Symbolism and iconography have been utilized by all the religions of the world.

The prevailing religion puts its stamp on the consciousness of every group, providing common elements in areas that share the same religion, even though the groups are not in contact. Roman Catholicism in the West (and, similarly, Buddhism in the East) provided rich…

…most capable of convincingly expressing religious ideas in visual form.

…the 12th- and early 13th-century church took on a brilliance, even harshness, in contrast to the surrounding darkness, the artisans of the period logically composed their windows with a palette of deep, rich colours. When for doctrinal or economic reasons only clear glass could be used, it was decorated with…

…of the scale of the cathedral windows and to develop their art in accordance with its own intrinsic potentialities, such artists have been collaborating with some of the best architects in Germany to create the most impressive body of stained-glass windows since the Middle Ages.

…as representations of the great goddess, whose cult was widespread. Some of these figurines depict elegant, slender women, others heavy, corpulent ones. Of five found at Buret, one is unusual in that it is of a clothed woman wearing a one-piece trouser suit with a hood attached to it comparable…

Indian art is religious inasmuch as it is largely dedicated to the service of one of several great religions. It may be didactic or edificatory as is the relief sculpture of the two centuries before and after Christ; or, by representing the divinity in symbolic form (whether architectural…

…to religious buildings, and all sculpture served religious purposes. The elaboration and adornment of palaces was an innovation of Assyrian times (see below Assyrian period).

Religion and ritual strongly influence every aspect of Oceanic life, and their association with the arts is especially close. Religious symbolism infuses not only the objects, dances, and speeches used in ritual but also the materials and tools used to create them. The individual who…

…widespread in the Pacific, and religious objects are often works of visual art (though not invariably). These objects are not considered sacred in themselves, however; they are humanly worked things into which supernatural beings can be induced for human purposes. These supernaturals are always powerful, unpredictable, and thus dangerous. In…

Art often portrays incidents relevant to the study of Greek religion, but frequently essential information is missing. On a well-known sarcophagus from Ayías Triádhos in Crete, for example, a priestess dressed in a skin skirt assists at a sacrifice, flanked by…

Hellenistic sacred art and architecture has remained a basis of Christian and Jewish iconography and architecture to the present day. Figures such as Alexander the Great inspired a vast body of religious literature, especially in the Middle Ages. Many of the symbols and legends associated with…

Much of Greco-Roman art was executed for use in the mystery communities. The Dionysiac monuments are by far superior to all others in artistic quality. This is to be expected, because the worship of Dionysus often took the form of a…

A vast gallery of architecture, sculpture, numismatics, painting, and mosaics illustrates Roman religion and helps to fill the gaps left by the fragmentary, though extensive, literary and epigraphic record. Starting with primitive statuettes and terra-cotta temple decorations, this array eventually included masterpieces such…