Cultural and religious beliefs play a significant role in understanding works of art that are emblematic of a particular culture or religion. By understanding what these beliefs are, it is possible for viewers and outsiders to gain a better comprehension of both the form and meaning of a particular work. There are certain aspects of Jewish architecture, for example, which point towards the location where Solomon's Temple was erected. Without

Another Victorian poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins, was more forthright in his beliefs. Biblical typology was a signature to his poetry, and his poems often included biblical phrasings and in the case of "The Barnfloor and Winepress," even a passage from a scripture as an epigraph. Hopkins addresses the sinning Christians and even unbelievers, and reveals to them the various gifts that Christ has rewarded them with, as a result of

Adorno's Negative Theology And The Religious Dimension Of Art Religion in art can perform a variety of roles. A religious picture, literary text or piece of music can be didactic in intent, spreading knowledge of religious teachings, ideologies and practices; it can serve a commemorative purpose, reminding present generations of the significance of past episodes, or the examples of particular individuals, in shaping present religious belief and practice; it can be

On the other hand, the geographical element needs to be discussed as well. Lippi works in Florence during the time of the Medici (and not any Medici, but the one who encouraged and promoted arts the most, Lorenzo de Medici), and not in Rome. As such, he does not fall under the direct jurisdiction of the Pope, but under that of the Medici, which means that he can enjoy a

Art Gustav Klimt was at the forefront of the flowering of artistic expression that characterized the early twentieth century. Globalization and cross-cultural encounters made Eastern themes fuse easily with Western ones. Klimt, like many of the Impressionist artists contemporary with him, drew themes, motifs, and painting techniques from Eastern art. The art of early Christianity and of the Byzantine Empire made an indelible stamp on Gustav Klimt, perhaps more than any

African Art The Trade Center/Royal Residence of the Great Zimbabwe Within the jungles of Southern Africa is a palace that has been standing there for more than seven centuries. This group of walls and buildings whose "beautifully coursed walls curved and undulated sinuously over the landscape, blending into the boulder-strewn terrain as if having arisen there naturally" (Tyson). Of course this was not a naturally occurring site, but the people who built