Art Appreciation Week Two DQ

Art Appreciation Week Two DQ

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Art Appreciation Week Two DQ

Part One

Art is an important part of many religious ceremonies and can be seen in many religions. In different religions art is seen throughout the churches from beautifully carved crosses to stunning stained glass windows. Art is found in the physical artifacts within the church as well as the architecture of the church building but it is also found in the music (Urmann, 2010). The most common art images and symbols are crosses and images of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin, or other idols, such as Buddha. These symbols have become an essential part of religious ceremonies and faith. Symbols of art provided a physical representation of their faith.

These images have been used repeatedly over the centuries because they have become important representation of the religion. The Buddha clearly marks the Buddhist religion while Jesus clearly represents Christianity. These symbols are not claimed by other religions and become a part of the religion. When art was originally created it was created for the idol being worshipped and for religious structures, such as churches. Art and religion are intertwined and is represented in the artifacts and the architecture.

Part Two

Images used consist mostly of the idol in which people worship. For example if the religion is Hindu the most common image show at their religious ceremonies will be cows, that are worshipped, or the OM symbol. For Christians the most common symbol is Jesus on a cross or the Christmas tree while for Jewish people it’s the Star of David (Allocco, 2007). In some cultures one symbol is used to represent a birthday while in America it’s the birthday cake and balloon. Every culture has unique symbols that represent important traditions and ceremonies.

Traditional images in my community year after year are Christmas lights are Christmas and pumpkins at Halloween. Mardi Gra is an important holiday in my community celebrated with parades and throwing beads while St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated with parades but women kiss men dressed as leprechauns on the check for a flower or beg for a giant cabbage thrown to the crowd. On Valentine’s Day it is flowers and candy and when fall is ushered in up goes the hay bales and festive scarecrows. These traditional images should stay the same to remind people of what is truly important.

References

Allocco, V. (2007). Religious artifacts and Symbols. Retrieved March 28, 2014 from

http://activerain.com/view/42989/religious-artifacts-and-symbols

Urmann, D. (2010). Christianity: Importance of Religious Symbols. Retrieved March 28,

2014 from http://symbol.ezinemark.com/christianity-importance-of-religious-symbols-31b