Literature
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The presence of symbols generally characterized the early Christian art through a depiction of imagery on various works of architecture that include the church’s walls and the paintings on the tombs. The Bible was divided into multiple categories such as the allegorical, moral, goodness and the spiritual aspect of what contributed to the development of art in the early Christian artworks. A significant proportion of the early Christian work was depicted influenced by faith.
A majority of the paintings and sculptures depicting the life of Jesus and others figures of faith that included the likes of Abraham who almost sacrificed his son as an offering to God. Daniel who was thrown into the lion’s den and the three men who refused to bow king Nebuchadnezzar but instead demonstrated their faith for God making and disobeying their king who threw them into prison and to whom the doors opened miraculously. For all the faith figures, angels were seen guiding the named individuals, and the Christians believe that it was Jesus himself who came to provide protection for his loyal followers.
It is therefore through the existence of the early believers that the work of art developed as a sign of loyalty and dedication to serving. Some of the images contain the paintings of Jesus as he underwent through his missionary life such as riding on the donkey and raising of Lazarus. These incidences greatly influenced art in Christianity since it was seen as a way of adoring the actions that were portrayed by Christ himself who is considered as the way and the helper. The paintings of Jesus depicted humbleness, dedication to serving, the hope of life after death and an assistant in the time of difficulty. The inspirations of the holy figures were of great significance as they offered hope to the believers and this significantly contributed to the influence of music. Jesus is considered as the most influential figure in the Christian music and art and therefore if Jesus was not born, the music that is currently more different from what we are used to and the same applies to other art as people pay tribute to the Messiah. It is through the influence of the early Christian that the music and art of today are based and is primarily aimed at the honor of God with the early Christian work that was considered to live an exemplary life full of righteousness. It is vivid that up this century the art of the early Christians continues to dominate in places of worship such as the temples and also in music in honor of the almighty the protector and provider.
From the video ‘The First Christian,’ various issues in the society influenced the early Christian work. Symbolism was one of the factors that influenced the work of art in the early Christian period. An example can be deducted from the tomb of Antonia to whose grave there are drawings of an anchor and fish on both ends. The anchor in early Greece was used to depict or imply the presence of hope. The Christians here are portrayed as being fish swimming and depending on Christ for hope. Imagery is another concept that was adopted into the early Christian art, for example, the depiction of heaven through drawn images depicts of how the early Christians used images to unravel the hidden treasures for the believers making the art seem so convincing, compelling and attractive. Literacy, on the other hand, can be attributed to the influence of the art of the early Christian as the artist were able to use the different styles of art with each of them depicting a unique identity and representation. For example, the symbolism was one of the much-used techniques that indicated that the artist was literate.
Another social issue that influenced the early Christian work is the power. The leaders such as emperor Justinian were among the powerful individuals and to whom used their power to the development and integration of the early Christian artwork into the society. The emperor built up temples and oversaw them decorated with religious figures such as those of Jesus and Moses indicating that the place is holy. From such acts, the power here is used to make sure that the people from such kingdom abide by the Christian teachings as their leader is not opposed to Christianity.
Reference
The First Christian Art and its Early Developments – Lord Richard Harries. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/dcQ9NB3D_ho?t=1224
