Madonna and Child by the Master of St. Cecilia
Madonna and Child (1290-1295) by the Master of St. Cecilia is a tempera and gold leaf on panel depiction of the Mother of God and the Christ Child. Its iconic imagery perfectly represents and reflects the ideals of the medieval world, of Christian Europe as it existed under the guidance of the Roman Catholic Church. The Church during this time served as the social, political and religious example for all the nations and peoples of Europe. This icon by the Master of St. Cecilia depicts the ideal that the Church wished to convey to its followers, whether princes or peasants -- namely, that all mankind should honor and humble himself before the majesty of the Mother of God, whose fiat to the Archangel ensured that the Son of God would be born to redeem mankind and pay the price for his sins. This was the central concept of medieval society -- that Christ died to redeem mankind; kings from Alfred the Great to St. Louis of France to Charles V recognized and adhered to this doctrine of the faith, and so too did the various classes of peoples throughout Christendom. This icon thus reflects not just a religious belief that was prescient everywhere in Europe at the end of the 13th century but also it reflects a fundamental foundation of Europe's social and political atmosphere -- respect for the Virgin Mary and Her Son, the Redeemer of the World. This paper will illustrate how this icon conveys these ideas.
The first thing to be noticed about this icon is its shiny gold leaf, which shimmers and attracts and excites the eye. Gold is the ornament of glory and greatness and here on this panel it serves as the illuminating backdrop of the more prominent presence of the Madonna and Child. The panel was most likely created to adorn the walls of a church or to decorate an altar where the religious sacrifice of the Mass would be offered on a daily basis in Italy at that time. The gold is thus in keeping with the thematic ornamentation...
A romanticism that was rooted in the legendary European past served well to bring comfort and a sense of place in space and time to people who might otherwise have felt rootless and adrift. In its eclecticism the Richardsonian Romanesque house gave visible expression to the deepest needs and of an age. Works Cited http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=99883293 Gowans, Alan. Styles and Types of North American Architecture: Social Function and Cultural Expression. New York: Icon
The rococo was aimed towards the French court and nobles. The main message was not a religious one, but aimed the upper classes and focused on their lives, houses and celebrations. In France this style gave way to the austere neoclassic style at the end of the xviii century and disappeared with the French revolution in 1978, suddenly and completely. Neoclassicism appeared as a return to the classical ideology in
Shakespeare's Antony And Cleopatra William Shakespeare is important because, as T.S. Eliot said, Shakespeare (along with Dante) divide the world between them; there is no third."[footnoteRef:1] Eliot's point is that Shakespeare represents the height of modern drama and remains the ultimate "truth teller" for the modern world.[footnoteRef:2] Thus, Shakespeare's depiction of the classical figures of Mark Antony and Cleopatra, while not strictly historically accurate, is accurate in a more dramatic sense
Technology and art have been married in a number of ways, showing how the two may complement one another: Mathematics provides a framework for artistic expression while art can awaken mathematical intuition, revealing aspects of mathematics that are otherwise hidden within abstract formulations (Cipra 748). The marriage of technology and art has engendered considerable interest in academic circles, and among the recent developments have been a meeting of more than one hundred
Grave Goods of the Avars in Medieval Carpathian Basin The objective of this study is to examine the burial styles and grave goods of the Avars. This includes such as buried livestock and artifacts. As well the variability in the relationship between different several sites from this similar time period, and some specific burial sites of interest will be examined as well as the various traditions relating to positioning of bodies
Feminist Art as Evolution Rather Than as a Movement Feminist art as a named movement evolved in the context of the late 1960's early 1970's political climate. The movement contextually cannot be separated from larger civil rights movements and specifically those relating to women; like the sexual revolution, the women's liberation movement, and the formation and growth of groups like the National Organization for Women. Strictly speaking there can be no
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now