Different Kinds of Religious Art Ancient Indians Created Work

Religious Art
Christian, Hindu, Buddhist & Islamic Arts.
Primary A-Z Index

Detail from The Isenheim Alterpiece,
showing the Crucifixion of Christ.
By Matthias Grunewald (1512-xv) Musee
d'Unterlingen, Colmar. Ane of the
greatest religious paintings of the
German Renaissance.

Religious Art (700,000 BCE - present)
Definition, History, Types

Contents

• Definition/Pregnant of Religious Art
• Types
• Purpose and Toll
• History of Religious Art
• Themes of Christian Art
• Not-Christian Religious Art
• Art Involving Ancestor Worship
• Hindu Art
• Buddhist Fine art
• Islamic Art
• Native Religious Art

Statuary sculpture of Shiva
the Hindu God (Republic of india).

Definition/Meaning

What is Religious Fine art?

There are many ways of defining religious art. We can say it is:

(ane) Whatsoever artwork that has a Christian or Biblical theme (Christian fine art); or
(2) Whatsoever artwork which illustrates the worship of any god, or deity; or
(iii) Whatever artwork with an Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, Juche Judaic, Bahai, or Jainist theme, or any art depicting themes of the Shinto, Cao Dai or traditional Chinese religions.

The Sagrada Familia (begun 1882).
A wonderful example of modern
religious architectural design, by
the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi.

Significant OF ART
For details of differing types
of visual and fine arts, see:
Meaning/Definition of Art

However, on farther analysis, these definitions relate to religious "content", rather than religious "quality". For example, a painting of a crucifixion scene which drew attention to some fundamentally weird or cursing concrete attribute of the dying Christ would inappreciably merit the description religious art. Furthermore, certain religions (Eastern Orthodox, Islam) have sure rules circumscribing the type of fine art permitted: a sculpture of Muhammad would be regarded as a blasphemy, rather than a piece of religious art. Thus, to qualify as "religious", the painting, sculpture or architecture concerned must have some recognizable moral narrative, that imbues the work with the necessary sacred "quality." As with the assessment of all fine art, determining whether or not this moral aspect is present, is essentially a subjective practise, although in well-nigh cases the answer is likely to be adequately straightforward.

Therefore, our suggested definition of religious fine art goes like this:

Religious art is any work whose theme supports the moral message of the religion it purports to illustrate. In this context, organized religion means any set of human beliefs relating to that which they regard equally sacred, holy, spiritual or divine - whether or not deities are involved.

Common Types of Religious Art

Since Artifact, the almost common blazon of religious fine art has been painting and portable sculpture. However, the form of religious art with the greatest visual impact is undoubtedly architecture. From the Egyptian Pyramids to the Stonehenge stone circle, from the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul to the Umayyad Great Mosque of Damascus, from the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem to French Gothic Cathedrals, from St Peter's basilica in Rome to the Taj Mahal, religious authorities have consistently turned to compages to awe and influence their congregations. Interior and outside artistic decorations for these Christian, Islamic and Buddhist churches typically include a wide range of decorative arts, including: calligraphy, ceramics, crafts, icons, illuminated manuscripts, metalwork, mosaic, stained glass, tapestry and wood-etching.

For more about the function and design of pyramid tombs in Ancient Egypt, see: Egyptian Architecture (c.3000 onwards).

Purpose and Price of Religious Art

The function of religious art, directly or indirectly, is to win converts. Architecture is therefore the principal form, since a cathedral tin inspire, teach and firm a congregation. Public statuary can also inspire, while interior mosaics and stained drinking glass can illustrate divine stories - not unimportant in ages where illiteracy was the norm. By expounding the bulletin of an ordered Universe under God, Christian art also contributed to the creation and preservation of social order. Merely it came at a cost. Thus in their attempts to revive the grandeur, beauty and prestige of Rome with the finest architectural designs, sculpture and frescoes, Pope Julius Two (1503-13) and Pope Leo 10 (1513-21) nearly bankrupted the Church. In fact, Papal overspending on art was an important cause of the Reformation, as it led to college taxes on the common people, and greater corruption among the officers of the Church. Even and then, during at least the nine centuries between 800 and 1700, the Church building of Rome was by far the largest patron of the arts.

History of Western Religious Art

Earliest Prehistoric Religious Art
No one knows for sure when man first started creating specifically religious art. We do know that various types of religious images began to appear during the era of Neolithic art: examples include: the "Enthroned Goddess" terracotta figurine (6,000 BCE) unearthed at Catal Huyuk, in Anatolia, Turkey; and the sandstone therianthropic figure known equally the Fish God of Lepenski Vir (dated to five,000 BCE), found at a Danube settlement in Serbia.

Religious Art of Antiquity (c.3,500 BCE - 400 CE)
Arab republic of egypt was home to a significant amount of religious art. The role of Egyptian artists was to exalt their Pharaoh - a secular King who was worshipped as a divine ruler, supposedly the incarnation of the god Horus. The main focus of Egyptian fine art was the pyramid - the tomb of the Pharaoh and his household - which was typically filled with paintings, sculptures and numerous other precious artifacts to help him survive and prosper in the afterlife. Temples were also built for the living Pharaoh, every bit they were for the gods of Aboriginal Hellenic republic and Rome, during the menses 600 BCE - 400 CE. Religious Greek fine art is best exemplified by the Parthenon (dedicated to the Goddess Athena) and other temples on the Acropolis in Athens. Upwards until 400 CE, surviving sacred artworks are almost exclusively architectural or sculptural. Near all painting has disappeared. It was the aforementioned in Northern Europe, where formalism - maybe religious structures began to appear from the terminate of the fourth Millenium BCE, such equally the Newgrange tomb in Ireland and Stonehenge in England.

Christian Art
Christian art (mostly Biblical art) emerged some 150 years after the decease of Christ. Initially early Christian fine art - including early Christian sculpture - was actually a type of Christian Roman art, combining Roman imagery with classical Greek motifs: the image of Christ in Majesty derives from both Roman Royal portraits and depictions of the Greek God Zeus. Over the coming centuries, Christian iconography was gradually standardised, and harmonized with Biblical texts. For the world'southward most aboriginal illuminated Christian manuscript, come across: the Garima Gospels (390-660) from Ethiopia'south Abba Garima Monastery.

[For a curt guide to Jewish art, see Jewish Art Museum Jerusalem, which has the world's most all-encompassing collection of Ashkenazi, Sephardi and Oriental Jewish arts and crafts.]

Byzantine Religious Art (c.400-yard)
Byzantine fine art in Constantinople created a number of extraordinary examples of Christian compages, including: the Chora Church, the Hagia Irene, the Church of St. Sergius and Bacchus, and the awesome Hagia Sophia (532-37). In addition they built the Church of St. Sophia in Sofia, Bulgaria (527-65), and the Church building of Hagia Sophia in Thessaloniki. Mosaic art was too common. For more than, see: Christian Art, Byzantine Period.

Russian Religious Painting: Icons, Murals (c.950-1700)
The technique of icon painting spread throughout the Eastern Orthodox area, notably to Kiev, Novgorod and Moscow. Indeed, it became a major feature of Russian medieval painting. For the greatest Russian iconographers, see: Theophanes the Greek (c.1340-1410), founder of the Novgorod school of icon-painting; his young pupil Andrei Rublev (c.1360-1430), famous for his masterpiece, the Holy Trinity Icon (1411-25); and Dionysius (c.1440-1502), noted for his religious icons for the Volokolamsky monastery. The Moscow Schoolhouse of painting (c.1500-1700) featured the Stroganov brothers, Procopius Chirin, Nicephorus Savin and Simon Ushakov (1626-1686).

Religious Art in Ireland (c.600-1150)
Protected from Romanization and Barbarian invasion by its isolated position, Republic of ireland became an important heart for early Christian art. Irish monasteries produced a number of outstanding illuminated manuscripts (eg. Volume of Kells), whose illustrations drew upon designwork from the La Tene Celtic culture. Celtic metalwork art was also exemplified in a range of Irish ecclesiastical vessels, such as the Ardagh Beaker, the Moylough Belt Shrine, as well equally processional crosses like the 8th/9th century Tully Lough Cross and the great twelfth century Cross of Cong. The 3rd type of Christian art produced by this fusion of monastic devotion and Celtic artistry was Celtic Loftier Cantankerous sculpture, which was produced in swell numbers across Ireland during the period 750 to 1150.

Romanesque & Gothic Religious Art (800-1400)
King Charlemagne of the Franks led the resurgence of Christian religious fine art from his court at Aachen. Carolingian art encompassed works of architecture, medieval sculpture, murals, illuminated gospel manuscripts, and more. Charlemagne's successors maintained these traditions during the era of Ottonian art - noted for its precious metalwork - supported by a revitalised Church based in Rome. Romanesque fine art and architecture followed from the 11th century until almost 1200 when it was superceded by Gothic architecture (both Rayonnant and Flamboyant) with its soaring arches and glorious stained glass windows. Gothic sculpture was more evocative and expressive. The Gothic period witnessed one of the corking flowerings of monumental Christian fine art, exemplified by a massive building program in French republic - see, for case, Notre Dame Cathedral (Paris) and Chartres Cathedral - and thereafter across Europe. Gothic Cathedrals were built in Laon, Paris (Notre Dame), Chartres, Soissons, Bourges, Reims, Amiens, Beauvais, Auxerre and other cities. In Germany, the Gothic style is exemplified past structures such as Cologne Cathedral, while in England cathedrals appeared in Lincoln, Wells, Salisbury, Canterbury, Durham, and Ely, along with York Minster and Westminster Abbey. Underneath the architects, an army of stone masons and other craftsmen were employed to produce a mass of decorative holy artworks including column statues, mosaics and statue sculpture. The Late Gothic era was noted for its exquisite altar forest-carving, past craftsmen like Veit Stoss (c.1447-1533) and Tilman Riemenschneider (c.1460-1531).

Northern Renaissance Religious Painting (1400-1600)
Altarpiece fine art was a regular characteristic of Netherlandish religious fine art during this period, as exemplified past The Ghent Altarpiece (1425-32) by January van Eyck (1390-1441) and Hubert van Eyck (d.1426), The Portinari Altarpiece (1475) by Hugo van der Goes (1440-82), The Isenheim Altarpiece (1515) by Matthias Grunewald (1470-1528) and The Degradation (1435), created by Roger Van der Weyden (1400-1464) for the Church of Notre Dame du Dehors (at present in the Museo del Prado, Madrid). Encounter also the extraordinary and compelling fantasy paintings Garden of Earthly Delights and The Haywain Triptych (1516) by Hieronymus Bosch, and the Belfry of Babel by Pieter Bruegel the Elder.

Italian Renaissance Religious Art (1400-1600)
Anticipated by Giotto'south Scrovegni Chapel frescoes (1303-ten), quattrocento Italian Renaissance art was financed by the Christian Church and also past secular leaders, similar the Medici and Gonzaga families, as was the more conservative Sienese Schoolhouse of Painting. Still, a huge proportion of early on Renaissance painting and sculpture had religious motifs or themes: famous examples include: Masaccio's Holy Trinity (1428) and Brancacci Chapel frescoes (1424-8), The Proclamation (c.1450) by Fra Angelico (1395-1455), and The Last Supper (1495-8) past Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519). High Renaissance painting included such religious masterpieces as the Sistine Madonna (1513-xiv) by Raphael (1483-1520), and the amazing Genesis fresco (1508-1512) and Last Judgement fresco (1536-41) in the Sistine Chapel, by Michelangelo (1475-1564).

The nearly famous work of Renaissance architecture was the redesigned and rebuilt St Peter's Basilica in Rome (1506-1626).

Venice
Venetian painting possessed a number of outstanding painters of religious themes, notably Titian (1477-1576) and Tintoretto (1518-94), as well as the colourist Paolo Veronese (1528-88) - noted for his huge Biblical banquet-scenes, such as Wedding Feast at Cana (1563, Louvre) and Feast in the House of Levi (1573, Venice Academy). Run into: Legacy of Venetian Painting on European art.

Renaissance religious art in the provinces is perchance exemplified past the Assumption of the Virgin (Parma Cathedral) (1526-30) by Antonio Allegri da Correggio (1489-1534).

Religious Mannerist Paintings (1530-1600)
The Roman Catholic Church had an ambivalent attitude towards the stylized Mannerism fine art move. In Italia, for instance, following the Council of Trent, the stylized forms and artificiality of Mannerist painting was viewed as an unnecessary interference with the liturgical message. For an example of a Mannerist painter who changed his style in line with the Church'due south education, see: Federico Barocci (1526-1612). For more, see: Venetian altarpieces (1500-1600). In Spain, even so, the expressiveness of the new style was seen as a perfect vehicle to describe intense religious experiences.

Ane major evolution at this time, thanks to the likes of Antonello da Messina (1430-1479) and Caravaggio (1573-1610), among others, was the employ of more realistic human forms when depicting the Holy Family and other Biblical figures. See, for instance, Christ Crowned with Thorns (Ecce Homo) (1470) by Antonello da Messina. Religious Renaissance compages is exemplified by the Dome of Florence'south Cathedral, designed by the architect and artist Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446), and by the rebuilding of the ane,100 year erstwhile church of St Peter's in Rome (1506-1626) by Bramante, Raphael, Sangallo, Maderno, Michelangelo and Bernini. This project extended across the Loftier Renaissance into the Baroque era.

Spanish Renaissance School (16th Century)
The Renaissance in Kingdom of spain lagged backside that of Italy and elsewhere. Even so, Spanish piety and devotion to the religious dogmas of Rome was absolute. Non surprisingly therefore, their artists were heavily involved in propagating and illustrating the Christian message. They included: Alonso Berruguete (c.1486-1561) the greatest of all Renaissance sculptors in Spain, whose masterpieces include: the altarpiece for the monastery of La Mejorada Valladolid (1526), and the choir stalls in Toledo Cathedral (1539-43). Besides, Juan de Juni (1507-1577), the famous French Mannerist sculptor, who specialized in religious themes and in the dramatic expression of emotion, equally exemplified by his 2 groups of the Entombment of Christ (1544, Valladolid Cathedral) and (1571, Segovia Cathedral). Spanish religious painting of the Late Renaissance period is exemplified by the Mannerist painter El Greco (1541-1614), whose major works include: The Holy Trinity (1577); The Disrobing of Christ (El Espolio) (1577); The Burying of Count Orgaz (1586-88); Christ driving the Traders from the Temple (1600); The Opening of the Fifth Seal of the Apocalypse (1608); The Adoration of the Shepherds (1612-14); The Repentant Peter (1600); and Christ Carrying the Cross (1600).

Bizarre Religious Fine art (1600-1700)
Following Martin Luther'due south Reformation (c.1517), and the emergence of the new forms of Protestant Reformation Art, - the Vatican launched a vigorous campaign of Catholic Counter-Reformation art, designed to win back its wayward congregations in Europe. Painting, as well as painterly techniques such as Caravaggism, was a key element of this religious propaganda entrada. The church wanted to communicate its message directly to the faithful and demanded from its artists an uncompromising clarity. To comply with this, paintings had to be, above all, realistic, and Caravaggio's brand of unsophisticated realism was absolutely tailor-made for the Counter-Reformation campaign. By stripping away the intellectual and stylistic pretensions of late Mannerism - a style which had become appreciated only by an educated minority, he gave to painting the instant inspirational impact demanded by the church of Rome. Examples of his religious realism include: The Calling of St Matthew (1600), The Martyrdom of St Matthew (1600), Supper at Emmaus (1601), The Crucifixion of St Peter (1601), Conversion of St Paul on the fashion to Damascus (1601), Decease of the Virgin (1601-6) and The Entombment of Christ (1601-3).

Another blazon of art favoured by the Catholic Counter-Reformation was quadratura church fresco painting, designed to inspire congregations with illusionistic devices. See for example: Apotheosis of St Ignatius (1694) by Andrea Pozzo.

In Spain, the devout Francisco de Zurbaran (1598-1664), strongly influenced by Castilian Quietism, produced holy paintings for numerous monasteries and Religious Orders (Carthusians, Capuchins, Dominicans, Jeronymites, amid others), also as Cathedrals and other ecclesiastical authorities. Amid his noted works are Christ on the Cross (1627), Embodiment of St. Thomas Aquinas (1631), and Admiration of the Shepherds (1638). The great Diego Velazquez (1599–1660), while famous as a virtuoso portraitist, too produced a number of holy paintings like The Immaculate Conception (1618), Joseph'due south Glaze (1630) and Christ Crucified (1632). Spanish Baroque religious sculpture is well represented past the Seville artist Juan Martinez Montanes (1568-1649), who was dubbed the God of Forest for his carving skills, sculpted mainly wooden crucifixes and religious figures. His best known works include The Merciful Christ (1603, Seville Cathedral) and the Santiponce Altarpiece (1613); and besides past the explosive Alonso Cano (1601-1667), known equally the "Spanish Michelangelo", whose masterpiece is The Immaculate Conception (1655, Granada Cathedral).

In Flanders, the greatest exponent of 17th century religious Flemish painting was Rubens (1577-1640), the undisputed leader of the Flemish Baroque school, post-obit in the footsteps of earlier religious artists like Robert Campin, Hugo van der Goes and Hans Memling.

In Italy, home of the Roman Catholic Church, painters like Nicolas Poussin (1594–1665), and Claude Lorrain (1600–1682) received numerous religious commissions. The greatest exponents of Italian religious sculpture were the incomparable Bernini (1598-1680) - meet his Ecstasy of St.Teresa (1645–52), created for the Cornaro Chapel of the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome - and his nifty rival Alessandro Algardi (1598-1654), both of whom were given numerous Papal commissions. The Catholic Baroque style gave rise to an emotional style of architecture, exploiting to the full the melodramatic potential of the urban landscape. This is exemplified above all past Saint Peter'south Foursquare (1656-67) and its approaches, in front end of St Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Protestantism had its own religious art. 17th Century Dutch painting features some outstanding Former Testament works by Rembrandt. In add-on, Dutch Realists like Harmen van Steenwyck (1612-56), Jan Davidsz de Heem (1606-83), Pieter Claesz (1597-1660), Willem Kalf (1622-93) and Willem Claesz Heda (1594-1681), introduced a genre called Vanitas painting (based on Ecclesiastes 12:eight "Vanity of vanities saith the preacher, all is vanity"), whose principal theme was the ephemeral nature of life and the applesauce of human vanities. See likewise the church building interior paintings of Emanuel de Witte (1615-92) and Pieter Jansz Saenredam (1597-1665).

Information technology was during the period roughly 1650 to 1750 that the nature of the European art market began to change. Up until 1650, most art had been public fine art aimed at the masses - mostly in the form of compages and sculpture, and about of information technology religious. By 1750, this blazon of public art had been superceded by portable easel art - mostly paintings for commercial customers. The era of large-scale spending past Church building government was over.

Reject of Religious Art (1700 onwards)
The 18th century was the era of absolute monarchs, whose despotic dominion was based on the so-called 'Divine Right of Kings' appointed by God. However, these monarchs, like Louis Xiv, Louis Xv, the Russian Romanovs, and the Austrian Habsburgs, were too concerned with exalting their own secular status and propping up their creaking empires to invest coin in religious painting, sculpture or architecture. Furthermore, except in the Iberian Peninsular, where Spanish piety never slackened, the power of the Roman Catholic Church had been severely weakened by the devastation of its monasteries during the previous two centuries. This combination of secular and ecclesiastical weakness meant that - with odd exceptions, such equally the Catholic commissions awarded to Giambattista Tiepolo (1696-1770) in Bavaria and Venice - there was a meaning reduction during the 18th century in the corporeality of money devoted to religious art. Moreover, this menses saw a huge increase in need on behalf of merchants and country-owners, for portraiture and topographical landscapes. As it was, the catamenia ended with the French Revolution, which heralded a modify in sentiment across Europe. Henceforth, art would celebrate people rather than deities.

The 19th century produced even less religious art. Although the Industrial Revolution created significant surplus wealth for both nations and individuals, it wasn't invested in Christian fine art. Instead it went into the development of social and public services. The only regular commissions offered past Church authorities were for complimentary-standing sculpture to commemorate deceased Bishops and other clerics. And while a few painters continued to pigment Biblical scenes, the need for religious compositions slumped - a trend which continued into the 20th century. But come across A Burial in Ornans (1850) by the realist painter Gustave Courbet, and the strange symbolist works of the Belgian painter James Ensor (1860-1949), notably Christ's Entry Into Brussels.

20th Century Religious Art
A feature of modern Christian art in the Westward has been the temple architecture of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). Its evolution - from the simple church-like design of the Kirtland Temple (constructed 1830s), to the intricate Gothic styles of the early Utah temples, to the mass-produced modernistic temples of today - chronicles the evolution of modern religious architecture itself. The most contempo postmodernist churches include the Community of Christ Temple in Independence, Missouri; Unity Temple, the Unitarian Universalist in Chicago designed by Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959); the Pietro Belluschi-designed Cathedral of St. Mary of the Supposition (San Francisco); and the Jose Rafael Moneo-designed Cosmic Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (Los Angeles). Sadly, the 20th century has also witnessed enormous destruction: many beautiful churches and other religious works of fine art were destroyed by the Communist regimes of Eastern Europe. As far every bit sacred painting is concerned, 20th century painters have, with a few exceptions, ignored it, preferring to cater for the more secular modernist and contemporary art collector. Exceptional modern religious paintings include: Christ on the Cross (1936) by Georges Rouault (1871-1958); Ecce Human being (1925) by Lovis Corinth (1958-1925); Christ at Emmaus (1963) by Patrick Caulfield (1936-2005); Crucifixion iii.85 (1985) past Antonio Saura (1930-98); and the strange abstract piece of work St John (1988) by Gerhard Richter (b.1932). Meantime, postmodernist religious sculpture is surely exemplified past Virgin Female parent (2005) by Damien Hirst (b.1965), which stands in the Plaza of Lever House, New York City.

Themes of Christian Art

Painters and sculptors have been commissioned by Popes, religious and secular authorities to illustrate a very wide range of scenes from the Bible. The selection of scenes may exist determined by religious politics, likewise as the type of art grade and media involved. One of the almost famous themes of religious sculpture, for example, is David and Goliath: witness the three Davids sculpted by Donatello (1386-1466), Andrea del Verrocchio (1435-1488), and Michelangelo (1475-1564). Leonardo handled the difficult theme of the Immaculate Conception in his beautiful Virgin of the Rocks (1484-six, Louvre, Paris). Occaisonally, artists specialized in certain biblical themes: for case the female Bizarre painter Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1656) painted 'Judith Beheading Holofernes several times.

Popular Art-Subjects From The New Testament Gospels

- Annunciation - Adoration of the Magi - Ascension of Jesus - Supposition of the Virgin Mary - Coronation of the Virgin - Crucifixion eg. The Crucifixion by Tintoretto - Descent from the Cross - Kiss of Judas - The Lamentation - The Last Supper - The Last Judgment - Madonna and Kid

- Maesta - Mocking of Christ - Nativity of Jesus - Noli me tangere - The Parables eg. Return of the Prodigal Son by Rembrandt. - Pietà - The Raising of the Cantankerous - Transfiguration eg. The Transfiguration by Raphael.

Pop Art-Subjects From The Old Testament Gospels

- Adam and Eve - Cain and Abel - David and Goliath - Bathsheba with David'due south Letter - Genesis - John the Baptist

- Judith and Holofernes - The Prophets - Sacrifice of Isaac - Flight of the Jews Into Arab republic of egypt - Scenes from the Life of Moses - Hymeneals Feast at Cana

Non-Christian Religious Art

In this brief overview, phrases similar Hindu fine art, Buddhist art and Islamic fine art, are no more umbrella terms for arts and decorative crafts created inside the territories occupied past the civilisation concerned. Architecture and sculpture (oftentimes combined) are the two almost visually arresting fine art forms. See, for instance, the 11th century Kandariya Mahadeva Temple (1017-29) in Republic of india, the 12th century Angkor Wat Khmer Temple (1115-45) in Cambodia, and the famous 17th century Taj Mahal (1632-54) - all of which are outstanding examples of non-Christian religious architecture. Other art forms include relief sculpture, body-painting, statuary-casting, calligraphy, carpet-weaving, ceramics, costume ornament, drapery, drawing, embroidery, confront-painting, friezes, piece of furniture making, gemstone carving, goldsmithing, illumination of manuscripts, ivory carving, jewellery-making, lacquer-painted bookbinding, lustre-ware, metalworking, mosaics, painting, pottery, tapestry fine art, textile design, wood carving, amongst others.

Art Involving Ancestor Worship

This type of faith embaces a variety of dissimilar practices and beliefs regarding the spirits of deceased relatives. Societies whose arts and civilisation were closely continued with the celebration of religious ancestor worship, include several from the ancient civilization of the Mediterranean area - encounter, for example, Aegean Fine art (2600-1100 BCE) - as well as Asian art from Japan, China, Korea, SE Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Ancestor worship was peculiarly widespread in ancient China. For a close look at the Chinese cultures involved, encounter the following resources:

- Chinese Neolithic Art (7500-2000 BCE)
- Xia Dynasty Civilisation (2100-1600 BCE)
- Shang Dynasty Art (1600-1050 BCE)
- Zhou Dynasty Art (1050-221 BCE)
- Qin Dynasty Art (221-206 BCE)
- Han Dynasty Fine art (206 BCE - 220 CE)

Hindu Fine art
Hinduism, dating from the 2d Millennium BCE, is the chief organized religion in India, with about 850 million followers and some 64 types of traditional art. Hindu painting, for instance, is exemplified past early and medieval works from Ajanta, Bagh, Ellora and Sittanavasal, while Hindu sculpture is marked not past a sense of plastic fullness but rather by a linear character with an accent on outline, as in the Shiva statuette [left]. Hindu architecture embraces temples like the Akshardham in Delhi, Hoysaleswara Temple at Halebidu, Chennakesava Temple at Belur, the Kesava Temple at Somanathapura, Brihadeeswara Temple, Thanjavur, and Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam.

Further Reading About Hindu Art
For a brief survey of Indian art, see: India: Painting & Sculpture.
For more specific articles, see the following:
- Classical Indian Painting (Up to 1150 CE)
- Post-Classical Indian Painting (14th-16th Century)
- Mughal Painting (16th-19th Century)
- Rajput Painting (16th-19th Century)
- Indian Sculpture (3300 BCE - 1850)

Buddhist Art
Buddhism, founded by Siddhartha Gautama effectually 600 BCE, has near 380 million adherents spread across India, cardinal and southern Asia and Japan. Buddhist architecture is mainly devoted to temples, monasteries and shrines, including stupas, dagobas and pagodas, across Asia. But Buddhist iconography used in arts similar sculpture, varies according to region: in Southeast Asia (Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia), Theravada traditions encourage images of Buddha in mediating or reclining positions; in central Asia (China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, Kingdom of bhutan, Vietnam, Afghanistan), Mahayana traditions take led to a wider range of representations, including dissimilar Buddhas, saints, bodhisattvas and other deities. For more, see Chinese Buddhist Sculpture (c.100-nowadays). Buddhist iii-D art is illustrated by the sandstone sculptures of Mathura, India. (For more than, run across: Japanese Art, and Chinese Art.)

Annotation: Chinese Buddhist art - notably painting, sculpture, and building design - proliferated during the Eastern Jin (317-420), the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-581), the Sui empire (589-618), nearly of the Tang (618-906) and the Song (906-1279) eras. For more, see the following resources:

- Arts of the 6 Dynasties Menstruum (220-589)
- Sui Dynasty Art (589-618)
- Tang Dynasty Fine art (618-906)
- Song Dynasty Art (906-1279)
- Yuan Dynasty Fine art (1271-1368)

In Korea, where Buddhism arrived from China around 370 CE, Buddhist civilization remained strong for longer: for details, see Korean Fine art (c.three,000 BCE onwards). In India, the relationship betwixt Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam has been extremely complex. Hindu art was influenced by the younger Buddhist art, until Buddhism faded around 950 CE century partly as a outcome of the growing influence of Islam (and Islamic fine art) in parallel with Hinduism. Because of this influence, Hindu architects adjusted their designs to accomodate the traditions of the new religion, every bit illustrated in the design and construction of Taj Mahal, and Gol Gumbaz. But notation also the contempo disharmonism of religious ideologies which occurred in Afghanistan, when Taliban muslims destroyed the monumental stone sculptures known as The Buddhas of Bamyan.

For more about the evolution of Buddhist arts and civilization in Eastern asia, see: Chinese Art Timeline (c.18,000 BCE - present).

Islamic Art
Islam, founded by the prophet Muhammad in the 7th century CE, has around 1.5 billion followers. Like its fellow faiths, Islamic fine art is a mixture of many cultures. Although it reflects the Muslim creed concerning the absolute power of The Ane God (Allah), it combines elements from Greek and early Christian art, as well as the dandy Centre Eastern cultures of Egypt, Byzantium, and ancient Persia, along with the eastern heritage of India and China. Nonetheless, the influence of the Arabs, who conquered the ancient Islamic world, is paramount. Information technology has propagated the Koran (Qur'an), the Arabic form of writing, the Kufic and Naskhi scripts of traditional Islamic calligraphy, an infinite variety of abstract ornament, and an entire system of linear abstraction (Arabesques) that is peculiar to all forms of Islamic Art. This abstract designwork balances the Islamic ban on figurative reproduction.

Other notable Islamic craft include: ceramic fine art notably lustre-ware, rock-carving, material silk art, and wall painting. Book illumination was an Iranian specialty, every bit exemplified by the Manafi al-Hayawan (Usefulness of Animals) manuscript (1297), and the Jami al-tawarikh past Rashid al-Din. Enamelled glass and metalwork were as well highly prized, take for example the exquisite metal basin of Mamluk silverwork known every bit the "Baptistere de Saint Louis" (Syria, 1290-1310). Islamic compages is especially famous for religious structures such as: The Dome of the Rock (Jerusalem, built by Abd al-Malik, 691); the Swell Mosque of Damascus (finished 715); the Alhambra Palace (Granada, c.1333-91); the Cracking Mosque of Samarkand (begun 1400); The Ottoman mosque of Sultan Ahmet I ("the Blueish Mosque") (Istanbul, 1603-17); the domed mosque of Shaykh Lutfullah (1603-18), built by Safavid architects in Isfahan; Mughal compages includes the palace complex of Fatehpur Sikri (c.1575) congenital during the reign of Akbar, as well every bit the sublime Taj Mahal (1630-53), built by Emperor Shah Jahan in retentivity of his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal.

Native Religious Fine art
Tribal art (aka Primitive Native art), significant arts and crafts produced by indigenous natives from tribal societies in Africa, the South Pacific and Indonesia, Australia, the Americas and Alaska, typically is much more than sacred or religion-oriented than Western art. This is because tribal religions were all-pervasive. Thus tribal pictorial imagery (paintings), sculpture (stone or wood-carving) or three-D models (masks) embodied the vital forces believed to exist in all living matter. Sometimes these images represented the spirits of the dead, the vital essence of tribal ancestry. Unfortunately many such artworks accept perished or been bartered abroad with white explorers. What remains is mainly stonework (sculpture, temples), some digging, or various forms of rock fine art. Even so, some extraordinary finds of native religious art have been fabricated, including: (i) prehistoric paintings in the Laas Gaa'l caves at Hargeisa in Somalia, which contained drawings of men and women worshipping cattle and performing religious rituals; (2) paintings at Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg, South Africa, portraying animals and humans which, co-ordinate to experts, represent religious behavior. For more details of archaic religious art, see: Tribal Fine art.

• For more about Christian, Islamic, Hindu, or Buddhist arts, encounter: Homepage.

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ENCYCLOPEDIA OF Art
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