The biblical Jesus, described in the Gospels as the son of a carpenter, was a Jew and a champion of the underdog.
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How to recognize the Four Evangelists
How to identify the Christian figures of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John by their iconography, or symbols, in art
The lives of Christ and the Virgin in Byzantine art
The stories behind the art—a quick guide for understanding Byzantium's most common images.
Who’s who? How to recognize saints…
Why does St. John the Baptist carry a lamb? Catherine a wheel? Mary Magdalene a jar?
The problem with Christ
Neither words nor images fully capture the Christian God. Despite this inherent difficulty, painters still tried.
Unspeakable images: when words fail
Empty, blank, or unfinished spaces leave paintings open to the viewer and create compelling ambiguities.
So near and yet so far: visions and thresholds
In paintings as in sacred spaces, curtains play with revelation and draw attention to the limits of human vision.
This world and the next: Christ on earth; Christ in heaven
Temporal and spatial ambiguity imbue two images of the Virgin and Child—and this portrait of Christ’s suffering.
Time and eternity: Yesterday, today, and always
Like place, time is an important theological category and, like the divine, it can be hard to comprehend.
Putting God in his place: here, everywhere, and nowhere
Renaissance painters like Lippi devised spatial metaphors in order to convey the mystery of Christ’s conception.
Christ is not like a snail: Signs and symbols
Where does a painting end and our reality begin? Crivelli’s humble snail prompts more questions than answers.
Architecture and liturgy
Liturgy provided the script, architecture the set—and the altar sat center stage.
