Question

Evaluate the role played by art in the revitalization of the Roman Catholic Church and Catholic theology during the 17th century. How did the art become propaganda and how did that affect Europe in general?

Answer 1

The 17th Century saw formation of a unique affiliation between visual arts and Christianity. The era was marked by a revivalist persepctive in the arts which led to the extension of the themes from the Bible in the oil paintings of artists such as Pouissin and Rubens. The period is popularly refereed as Baroque in art history and represents a classical adherence to certain rules of proportion and sobriety in the use of strict lines and rational control . It was the Baroque style’s ability to present emotionally charged subject matter as dramatic visual material to the viewers which caught the attention of the Roman Catholic Church to extend patronage to the artists of the time.

Baroque artists were given assignments for the murals and paintings in the churches and cathedrals beginning form Italy and then later in the rest of Europe, to stir the emotion of the masses while depicting religious themes and ideals. The renowned artists of the time like Caravaggio helped to draw an analogy between the perfection of the Heavens and the controlled and elaborate architectural space of the Church while the works like of Rubens helped to render a human form to the mythic figures and thus bring the Religious themes such as the birth of Christ, the day of Judgement, etc. closer to the imagination of the lay persons. Thus, it was in the Baroque movement that one saw a consolidation of the power of the Roman Catholic Church in the social and cultural life of the European society is the 17th century.