SUBJECT AND CONTENT

A CONTINUATION…
 INTRODUCTION

GREEK AND ROMAN MYTHOLOGY ALSO RIPE WITH

REFERENCES FROM EPISODES THAT TRANSPORT
THE VIEWERS TO HEROIC ENCOUNTERS OF
ACHILLES AND AENEAS; WARNINGS ABOUT MAN’S
FOLLY LIKE THE VANITY OF ICARUS; THE WIT AND
CUNNING OF ODYSSEUS THE BEAUTY OF
APHRODITE AND THE ATHLETICISM OF MYRON.
“DISCOBOLUS” (ROMAN, 2ND CENTURY AD), AFTER A
GREEK ORIGINAL BY THE SCULPTOR MYRON OF 450-
440 BC BRITISH MUSEUM COLLECTION, LONDON
ANOTHER INTEGRAL ASPECT OF HUMAN LIFE IS
THE DISTINCT RELATIONSHIP WITH A HIGHER
CONTROLLING POWER. IF THE BELIEF SYSTEM OF
GREEKS AND ROMANS WAS POLYTHEISM WITH A
MULTITUDE OF GODS AND GODDESSES, THE
JUDEO-CHRISTIAN TRADITION STEMS FROM A
BELIEF IN A LONE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE.
GUIDED BY A HOST OF STYLES AND TECHNIQUES
VARIOUS MEDIA AND ART FORMS WERE ALSO
EXPERIMENTED WITH
1. PAINTINGS,
2. FRESCOS,
3. CHURCH ARCHITECTURE,
4. ICONS AND OTHER CARVINGS,
5. VESTMENTS AND
6. OTHER SACRED SCRIPTURES AMONG OTHERS.
COMMISSIONED BY POPE
JULIUS II, THE INTRICATE
FRESCO THAT LINES THE
SISTINE CHAPEL WAS
CREATED BY
MICHELANGELO. THE
IMMENSE DETAIL AND
VAST SURFACE HE HAD TO
COVER HIM WORKING ON
IT FORM 1508 TO 1512.
THE FORMATIVE YEARS OF CHURCH ARCHITECTURE
CAN BE TRACED IN THE FOURTH AND FIFTH CENTURY
BUT DIFFERENT STYLES AND PLANS WERE
DEVELOPED SINCE THEN. PREVAILING IDEAS AND
PHILOSOPHIES BECAME RESOURCES THAT WERE
USED BY ARCHITECTS TO REIMAGINE WHAT THE
CHURCH SHOULD LOOK LIKE. FOR INSTANCE,
GOTHIC CHURCHES WERE CHARACTERIZED BY
THREE THINGS: SOARING HEIGHTS (CEILINGS),
VOLUME (FLYING BUTTRESSES AND RIBBED VAULTS),
AND LIGHT (BRIGHT STAINED GLASS WINDOWS AIRY
GOTHIC STYLE ARCHITECTURE
IS OFTEN ATTRIBUTED AS THE
BRAINCHILD OF ABBOT SUGER.
THERE IS A DEFINITIVE SENSE
THAT POINTED TO THE FEELING
OF AWE ON THE PART OF THE
BELIEVER AND THE PERCEIVED
MAJESTY AND POWER OF GOD
ALL OF WHICH HAPPENED
DURING THE TIME WHEN INTERIOR OF
WESTMINSTER
RELIGION WAS AT THE HEART ABBEY
OF EVERYDAY LIFE.
 CONTENT IN ART

FACTUAL MEANING- THE MOST

RUDIMENTARY LEVEL OF MEANING
FOR MAY BE EXTRACTED FROM THE
IDENTIFIABLE OR RECOGNIZABLE
FORMS IN THE ARTWORK AND
UNDERSTANDING HOW THESE
ELEMENTS RELATE TO ONE ANOTHER.
 CONTENT IN ART
CONVENTIONAL MEANING-
PERTAINS TO THE
ACKNOWLEDGED
INTERPRETATION OF THE
ARTWORK USING MOTIFS, SIGNS
AND SYMBOLS AND OTHER
CYPHERS AS BASES OF ITS
MEANING. THESE CONVENTIONS
ARE ESTABLISHED THROUGH TIME,
STRENGTHENED BY RECURRENT
USE AND WIDE ACCEPTANCE BY
SUBJECTIVE MEANING- WHEN
SUBJECTIVITIES ARE CONSULTED A CONTENT IN ART
VARIETY OF MEANING MAY ARISE
WHEN A PARTICULAR OF MEANING
MAY ARISE WHEN A PARTICULAR
WORK OF ART IS READ. THESE
MEANING STEM FROM THE VIEWERS
OR AUDIENCES CIRCUMSTANCES
THAT COME INTO PLAY WHEN
ENGAGING WITH ART (WHAT WE
KNOW, WHAT WE LEARNED, WHAT WE
EXPERIENCED; WHAT VALUES WE
STAND FOR)
QUESTIONS?