Religion In The Renaissance Essay

Lastly, Brescia carefully used lines to give a naturalistic feel to the painting. The lines used in Jesus’s body emphasize his anatomical structure and breath life into him. This gives the appearance that Christ is still alive and fighting to pick himself up. The lines that Brescia used in the figures’ faces stress their despair. In particular, the crow’s feet around the Virgin’s and the Magdalene’s eyes allow the spectator to focus on them. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, and here they show the grief that these women are feeling. Additionally, in the clothes the lines are used to create folds and creases to give a realistic feel. The creases in the Virgin’s white scarf draw attention to her melancholy stare. Also, the lines

It is an altarpiece. They hung it in the highest portion of the building, and it was divided because they wanted to segregate men and women (Bayer). Religious pieces in The Renaissance had a naturalistic feel to heighten the emotional and physical depth of the artwork. Many artists like Da Vinci, Raphael, and Michelangelo stressed the importance of anatomy in their pieces. Brescia also followed this ideology, particularly in Christ’s body, with his muscular abdomen and arms. This focus on anatomy humanizes Christ and gives him a three dimensional appearance. Brescia wants us to understand the significance of Jesus’s burial. The realistic aspects of Christ evoked a sorrowful feeling in the observer, which is exactly how I felt as I looked at it. During this cultural period, there was also much emphasis on body placement. In particular, many religious pieces would have figures with their arms outstretched or their arms would be entwined with another’s body, which shows affection and adoration. Brescia made Jesus’s arms limp, with the Virgin’s arms wrapped around his lifeless body. The Magdalene has her arm wrapped around his hand and Saint John holds his other arm. Nicodemus and Joseph do not touch Jesus, but they hold two important items from the crucifixion: the crown of thorns and the nails from the cross. Finally, Renaissance painters paid great attention to conveying emotion in the figures’ faces, from fervor