Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
A devil with wings outstretched stands ready to catch the viewer in its teeth, and if one is not careful his eyes are directed upward to the circling demons who parade in the air on their beasts, creating an uproar and ruckus. (These demons are of a unique variety as well -- like witches they reverse the order of nature and these beasts fly on fish, disrupting the senses, but in a weirdly humorous and fascinating way. Teniers' depiction of temptations achieves exactly what temptations set out to do -- distract.)
Line and Texture
The manner in which these demons distract is playful too: they disrupt, yet reinforce. They move in a circle, but the circle is hampered by the lines they effect. For example, one devil pierces another with a long shaft, while the flying fish add an aspect of horizontality to the circular motion of their flight. These circular/line contradictions evoke a devilish spirit, which is emphasized by the textures that each demon brings to their contradictory escapade: "In the air above, all is wild tumult; there are two knights who ride on fishes, and tilt at one another; one is a bird cased in an earthen mug for a coat of armor, and with a candlestick with a burning light in it stuck on his head by way of helmet; he pierces the other combatant with a long hop-pole through the neck, and this knight, who resembles a dried-up frog, seems to set up a fearful scream while he tosses his arms aloft" (Teniers 36). The textural description reveals the topsy-turvy nature of the demonic: it inverts the order of nature and reverses the hierarchy. The beasts of the sea fly in the air, while the fowl of the air wear armor made of earth. Juxtaposed with...
The scene is comedic and inventive, but should also serve to reinforce the seriousness with which the saint pledges his heart and mind to God -- and the instruction of the Lady should no less convince the viewer to do the same.
The saint is, after all, not enamored of the antics of the devils or of the beauty of the woman or of the doings of the peasantry: he is focused on one thing only -- meditation of the divine. The natural wood of the cross is what inspires him: and here the lines of the cross serve as the proper contradiction: the lines intersect in a symbolic gesture signifying the rejection of worldliness and temptations of the flesh: the contradictory circular and linear juxtapositions of the devils in the air are confounded by the contradictory lines in the cross. The lines of the cross should finally absorb the focus of the painting. In the world of Teniers divinity was reduced to a mere speck in a world of chaotic dance, but it remains nonetheless, and it is to this one small speck that St. Anthony devotes his life -- illuminating for us the way to sanctity in the process.
In conclusion, Teniers the Younger's Temptation of St. Anthony is more than an exercise in Flemish extravagance: it is also a religious reminder of the way to Heaven, which is through prayer and meditation on Christ -- rather than on the myriad distractions of the world.
Works Cited
Kugler, F.T. Masters in Art. Boston: Bates and Guild Company, 1907,
Teneirs, David. Teniers the Younger. Boston: Bates and Guild Company, 1907.
Works Cited
Kugler, F.T. Masters in Art. Boston: Bates and Guild Company, 1907,
Teneirs, David. Teniers the Younger. Boston: Bates and Guild Company, 1907.
St. Anthony is recognized as the head of the monastic family. His date of birth was in 251 and somewhere in Egypt. His parents died when he was only sixteen years old. He remained to be the guardian of his younger sibling, Dious. Six months after the demise of his parents, he went to the church to hear the word of our lord. 'If you would be perfect, go
Figures dressed in bright colors that are small and have impish expression upon their faces dance around him and engage in sin. However, most of the devils are portrayed as dark figures in the form of winged creatures. This creates a distinct contrast between the saint, the holy light of his practice, and the darkness of evil. Both paintings feature a contrast of color as well as theme. The supernatural
The man is carrying a white piece of paper as well. He seems to be sort of monk. Now the strange bird becomes a metaphor for this character. The viewer can understand that the monks have the role of carrying the message of god on earth. On a closer look, the bird can be interpreted as a birdman. The fact that the birdman is wearing skates means that he
Augustine, Anselm and Aquinas Question #1 from "Augustine Confessions 2nd edition. Translated by F.J Sheed: Please explain Augustine's theory that evil is the privation of good, and argue for its relevance to at least one other main theme in the confessions. Rather than subscribe to the prevailing theory that evil represented the polar opposite of good -- acting as a necessary counterbalance within the realm of human morality -- Augustine proposes
Exegesis To understand 2 Corinthians as a letter, one must first understand the context in which it was written. This was Paul's second letter to the Christian church at Corinth. His first letter had been less than kind, admonishing the Corinthian church for what Paul saw as many deficiencies in their manner of living and worship. As might be expected, the original letter was not exactly welcome by the Corinthians, and
Gnostics believed that they belonged to the "true church" of an elect few who were worthy; the orthodox Christians would not be saved because they were blind to the truth. Part E -- Content - if we then combine the historical outline of the "reason" for John's writings with the overall message, we can conclude that there are at least five major paradigms present that are important in a contextual