Between Two Lamentations Essay

The threnody of Christ is one of the most ordinary subjects in the realm of Christian Art. It became extremely popular from the 11th century to the early 18th century, encompassing vast art completions from the Byzantine art period under the gallant era of art, to the Baroque period of the Renaissance. Numerous works have been created, centering on this one scene that is of great import, not only to the Christian community but to the art being itself. One of the most popular scenes in Christian history, the Lamentations showcases Jesus Christ, brought down after just having died on the cross.His mother Mary is shown often with Jesus in her arms weeping and grief the death of her son. Surrounding them are several other mourners, comprising of Christs friends and family. As it is also a popular issue in the life of Christ, it is also included in many depictions of the Life of Christ, a form of Christian art that serves as a narrative or an early form of sequential art that tells the story of Jesus Christ from his conception to his resurrection and ascension into Heaven. This led to many diverse artists coming up with diametrical versions of the scene.The numerous renditions of the same scene, scatte red ink from the 11th century to the 8th century, is a good way o gauge the development of art at a fixed period of time. One of the first few examples is a fresco in the Church of St. Panteleimon, a small Byzantine church in Macedonia. The picture was made by an anonymous artist, known only as Meister von Nerezi or skipper of Nerezi. The piece, Lamentation over the Dead Christ in the Church of St. Pantaleimon, was through in 1164 which was the bosom Byzantine period.During the time, Christian art revolved around a rigid set of rules which restricted many artistic ideas, and as the reach was that of the period of changes to the Byzantine style, the art for the Master of Nerezis Lamentation piece was something relatable to Maniera Byzantina (Lasareff 279) . Lamentation over the Dead Christ in the Church of St. Pantaleimon (1164) Obvious at bottom his work is the ability to evoke feelings of empathy and even sympathy from its beholders, perfectly capturing the essence of distress and boilers suit sadness of the scene. This despite the images adherence to the strict formal rules of Byzantine art.It also features a to a greater extent definitive sense of emotion as opposed to other works of the era which tended to keep a more solemn depiction of things. Also of note is the Master of Nerezis composition of the piece, having Mary hold Jesus tightly, arms wrapped around the asleep(predicate) body, while a disciple bends over to hold his stone-dead masters hand to his face. The resulting placement of subjects evokes a spatial setting that proves ceremonious and well thought-out. Giottos Lamentation on the other hand, is a fresco showcased at the Arena Chapel in Padua, and is one of the most popular Lamentation pieces created.It too de picts the mourning of Jesus Christ, portraying him laid on the ground right after dying from his crucifixion, surrounded by friends and family, with Mary at his side, mourning and expressing great sadness in their faces. Giotto di Bondone, or simply Giotto, as he is more widely known, was a famous artist in the late Middle ages who specialized in createing and architecture. His works attributed to his being considered one of the first artists whose works led to the eventual birth of the Italian Renaissance, the period which signaled the end of the Medieval ages and gave rise to Early Modern Europe.The Lamentation is one of the best examples of his work, which was famous for the fuller, more three-dimensional style of painting that would only become more bombastic in the Renaissance period, which wasnt to become popular until around century after Giotto. (Webmuseum 2010) The Lamentation (1305 1306) Dating bear out to around 1305 1306, Giottos work on theLamentation featured Chri st being held by Mary, Jesus Christs mother, at the head, and possibly Mary Magdalene at the feet as the woman is shown with red hair and Mary Magdalene is known to have washed Jesus feet.In terms of the paintings composition, Giotto foc utilise on the sad scene of mourning in the lower left area, having Jesus and Mary framed by the six other people who are seemingly spaced appropriately to bing the watchers attention to the Mother and Son. Surrounding them are disciples of the fallen savior, as well as hallowed saints all of them in mourning, effectively conveying the overall mood of sadness about the image. Immediately behind the gathered crowd is a scraggly rock mound its sharp, downward line leading to the images central point of Jesus and Mary.Above them are angels, flying around with sad,mourning, grieving faces, their figures notably foreshortened to denote a deeper, more three-dimensional feel to the piece. Looking back at the fresco done by the Master of Nerezi, the Ita lo-Byzantine style of art is still most obviously definitive in his work basically prostrate whilst combining elements of the Byzantine art style with those of the natural world, the Lamentation over the Dead Christ in the Church of St. Pantaleimon features a flat-looking image which is iconic in its nature.Done during the Comnene Dynasty of rule which lasted from 1025-1204, the Master of Nerezis Lamentation was timely as due to the Comnenans being staunch supporters of the arts, the general art direction went towards the depiction of emotions, with themes much(prenominal) as the Lamentation and the Virgin and Child being among the most popular of the day. Whereas Giottos work was done as a part of a series depicting the Life of Christ, which was part of the Arena Chapel whose interiors were decked with frescoes by Giotti. It was finished in 1306, during that time when the Byzantine style of art was still somewhat general among artists.Considering the relative gap between the cr eation of the cardinal Lamentation pieces, it isnt surprising to find that there is a huge difference between the two art styles used where one used a more traditional Byzantine style of flatness while the other utilized a more realistic and natural mode which was at the time, a style of the artists own but considering that at the time of Giottis work, the style used by the Master of Nerezi was still what was of standard, then it denotes a significant leap forward in the art medium.Both pieces being of the same topic which is the closing of Jesus Christ, the overall theme of sadness and mourning over a death is reflected effectively by means of expressing emotion on the faces of the characters as pictured by their frowns and sad eyes and faces. Their postures are also indicative of the plight they are going through in the image. Also common is the disciple bend in to meet his masters hand,hence the posture of bending over, creating a line that leads to the point within the imag e wherein Mary keeps her face close to the dead Christ.In the case of the Lamentation over the Dead Christ in the Church of St. Pantaleimon, despite being tied to the art style of the Byzantine time then which often featured religious pieces in symmetrical compositions, the image remains asymmetrical as is common in Lamentation pieces. Perhaps the study difference in terms of the subject matter for both images is that there are more characters in Giottos piece.Aside from Jesus friends family, and disciples who mourn by his side, in Giottos version, angels decked in bright colors are flying around above them, sobbing and weeping as well. In general, both paintings clearly get the message across to the beholders, and almost always evokes feelings of sadness and understanding from its onlookers as well. In summary, the analysis of the two paintings which are different renditions of two different artists on the same theme, gives a peek of what the development of art styles was at the time.From the Lamentation over the Dead Christ in the Church of St. Pantaleimon by the Master of Nerezi in 1164s Byzantine style of art, to the groundbreaking realism and classicism as well as the incorporation of three-dimensional elements in Giottos Lamentation, it shows that art, give care many other aspects of human culture and society, also develops at a rate that coincides with the development of humanity as a whole. Works CitedHistory of create History World 22 May 2010. http//www. historyworld. net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories. asp Lasareff, Victor. Early Italo-Byzantine Painting in Sicily. The Burlington Magazine for Connoiseurs Vol. 63 No. 369 (1933) Giotto di Bondone Webmuseum 22 May 2010 http//www. ibiblio. org/wm/paint/auth/giotto/ Arena Chapel Britannica Encyclop? dia Online 22 May 2010 http//www. britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/33443/Arena-Chapel