Church Wall Paintings in Early

Church Wall Paintings in Early Christianity

Visual Analysis and Discussion of a Work of Art

Artwork found in the churches and remains of churches of early Christianity is an expression of the morals and beliefs of the early Christian Church and doctrine. Looking to the work titled "fresco wall painting in the apse of a church," depicts a scene of the risen Christ who is above the church, the angels in heaven, and first and beyond all other earthly creatures. The work, in addition to being art, is a visual rendering of the doctrine and faith, and, in early Christianity, art on church walls, according to Pamela Sheingorn's (DATE) translation of the Book of Sainte Foy, and Rudolph Carel Goldschmidt (1940), served to create a pictorial for those individuals not able to read. Thus, when we look at early paintings on the walls of churches, such as that mentioned above, we see not just that which serves to remind the viewer that Christ is over the church, one looks up to view Christ; but also an image that captures the winged cow, so that the viewer knows, too, that Christ stands as the authority over paganism. Christ is, as depicted by the figure at the "foundation" of the church wall, the foundation, the building, and over it.

If the painted scenes and figures on the plaster walls were in better condition, we see a brilliance in the colors whose beauty would serve to inspire awe in the viewers. The sense of awe helps the viewer understand the sense of that which faith inspires, and to exemplify the ultimate sensation, beauty of the truth in the sacrifice made on behalf of Christians. Once the viewer, presumably many of whom were unable to read, was drawn by the vibrancy of the colors above and around them, then they would begin to more closely examine the specific images.

We see that the figure of Christ is dressed in traditional Jewish garb bearing weaved patterns that are found in early depictions of the life of Christ. Except for the cobalt blue color of the sky, the colors are earth tones, more easily obtained by early artists. There is less emphasis on the exactness of the physical facial features of Christ. The greater emphasis, thus, is not on the image itself, but on the Word of God, which is contained in the book resting on the knee of Christ. There is, too, an angel near Jesus, who, too, holds a book, presumably the Word of God.

The surface upon which the images are painted has given way to time, and there is substantial flaking causing a loss of much of the peripheral images. The spaciousness of the ceiling image of Christ seated above the church, gives a sense of the vastness over which Christ rules the heavens and earth. The images directly beneath Christ, appearing above the foundation of the Church, appear to be the angels who serve God, because they are not in the heavens with the angels, but on the earth and are framed by images of Saints; it conveys the concept of the Saints as the anointed disciples of Christ who have direct access to God through the angels.

It also suggests to the viewer that developing a relationship between the viewer and the Saints is one way in which to be linked directly to Christ. The image directly below Christ, is pointing up, to remind the viewer that Christ is above them, but that their position suggests that they are between Christ and the viewer. The angels hold a sphere, while one Saint (or priest) holds the Church in his hands, and the garb of the Saint suggests Eastern Orthodox, as does the architectural style of the church that he is holding. The other Saint holds the Book, or the Word of God. There is a hierarchal relationship depicted here.

Each of the religious figures, and the Christ, too, are ethnic in appearance, depicting a period before Christian art began to reflect a European appearance in iconology.

At the base, the foundation, of the church, is a man pointing upwards, and we see his shadow, thus, he is of the earth, the sun, and the moon, because he has a shadow we know he is not a heavenly apparition. There is, too, a cross, and we can see the shadow of the cross in the foundation of the Church.

The artwork conveys the seriousness of the scene, the tradition, the sacrifice, and the promise. The depiction of form was not as important to this artist as was the depiction of tradition, of worship, and of the promise of eternal life.

The medium used is probably oil or tempera on plaster. That it has held up so well over what has obviously been hundreds of years, it is probably tempera paint. The image of the arch angel holding a staff and orb with a cobalt blue background has retained the most vibrancy and clarity in color. The depiction of the fabric of his tunic is consistent with that of the pattern used to portray the ethnicity of time of Christ. Shading with white has been used around the wing-span to create the sense of exaltation and the light that is associated with inspired expressions of faith. When comparing the dress and figure to the Christ figure, by way of figures, not authority or inspiration, we notice a distinct difference in the dress, although they are of the same period. The arch angel actually has a more feminine appearance to it. The Christ figure has a shaded beard area, and is much more masculine in its portrayal, even though it is weeping large tears for mankind.

The deep reds, deep blue-green, gold, brown are colors that have a significance in ancient Hebrew life and tradition, and are consistent with the period during which Christ lived. The detail work on the robe that covers the throne upon which Christ sits is well done, and has withstood the test of time; again, suggesting a tempera paint was used. In all of the figures, it is possible to gain a sense of texture of the woolen cloth, and to gain a sense of physical form beneath that cloth.