Masaccio The Holy Trinity

The overall principle of art throughout the entirety of its existence points to an important concept known as mimesis. This Greek word -meaning imitation- is the basic and broad notion for the reasoning and explanations of every piece of artwork throughout time. The history of this word delves into some religious concepts from the ancient Greek time period. According to Plato, every single piece of artwork is an imitation of the world that is created by God. He even goes as far as to say that art is an imitation of an imitation, because what we humans see is almost always a faded representation of God’s work through bias and different perspectives. Nonetheless, each and every work of art stands as a representation of a particular experience …show more content…
This is a highly religious painting that draws emphasis to the holy trinity (the symbol for christianity) that includes the father, the son, and the holy spirit. In the painting the father is seen at the very top. It looks as if he is looking directly at the observer of the painting which can be interpreted as his prestige and importance over all. The holy spirit is symbolized with a white dove that can be seen right below the father's head. The son is hanging on the cross which is the main emphasis of the painting. The realism in this painting enacts the observer to draw more attention to the overall theme. Although Jesus is seen as a holy figure, he is portrayed with great detail as a human going through immense pain. The detail in his arm muscles and in the ribs/stomach emphasize the physical pain that he is going through, illuminating this overarching theme of human sacrifice. The entire basis of christianity delves on the sacrifice Jesus made for our sins, and this painting goes above and beyond with the realistic detail and inclusion of the holy trinity. A triangular themed texture is even included to draw increased emphasis on this important aspect of Christianity. “The holy Trinity” grasps the main concepts involved with christianity and expresses the influence that it had on this …show more content…
Another religious painting, this shows christ lying on a bed with Mary and John grieving on the left side. What’s unique about this painting is the perspective angle that the observer is looking at. We see christ’s entire body in a rather small amount of space. This gives us a more intimate and close view of the experience and draws the observer into this grieving scene. Holes are shown in christ’s body which shows where he was pinned into the cross. This gives the observer the inference that this occurred closely after christ sacrificed himself on a cross (as shown in “The Holy Trinity”). The state of Mary and John’s grievance furthermore confirms this claim. This perspective angle is also used to draw emphasis to the body of christ as a whole. The body itself seems shorter in length, yet it takes up a majority of the picture which gives this death a sense of importance. Drawing emphasis to this holy figure of christianity shows yet again the influence that christianity has on this renaissance era society. Wrinkles on the faces of Mary and John, the bloody holes all over christ’s body, and the detailed folds of the cloth over christ shows the detailed realism that gives this painting a stronger sense of its dismal nature. Realism made this painting feel more realistic and close to home to observers of the renaissance era, and preserved the emotions for viewers in future