About Religious Art

Freedom from Want by Norman Rockwell

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)is one of the most beloved American artists. Freedom from Want is a classic illustration done in 1943 that is still relevant today. The artist created a warm loving environment in this picture that brings us all together at the Thanksgiving table. Although at first we may notice the succulent turkey and beautifully set table, it is the smiling and loving faces that remind us of the true meaning of Thanksgiving and ‘freedom from want”.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His love endures forever.” Psalm 106:1

Daniel

Daniel’s Answer to the King by Briton Rivière (1840-1920) depicts the Biblical hero Daniel who was thrown into a den of hungry lions. Briton Rivière produced a mix of contemporary genre, classical and animal subjects, which was his specialty. In this religious art piece, we can appreciate the realistic details of the lions and the artist’s use of rich colors and lighting used in the painting. We see Daniel (who refused to worship other gods and was arrested for praying) who was thrown into a den of hungry lions calmly looking up towards God as the lions surrounded him. This classic religious painting so beautifully depicts the story of Daniel in the lion’s den and how God protected Daniel and he was not harmed by the lions.

Silent Night Crucifixion of Jesus

Silent Night by christian artist Stephen S. Sawyer is a very unique portrayal of Jesus being crucified on the cross. It is a very dark, sad picture of Jesus; depicting His true pain and suffering when He was crucified, taking on the sins of the world, and feeling the pain and rejection of His Heavenly Father when He cried out “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?

“Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” In Matthew 27:45-46

The artist’s use of dark colors gives this painting a particularly dark, ominuous and even morbid feeling, reminding us of the significance of the crucifixion. The lighter blue colors and stars in the background can be seen as a glimmer of hope, foreshadowing the glorious resurrection that was to come.

The Sacrifice by Kate Austin Chris

 
The Sacrifice by Kate Austin is a unique piece of Christian Modern Art with a powerful message. The simple cross and broken pieces give this religious art piece a kinetic feeling, as if they are exploding towards us.  One can appreciate the rich symbolism of how Christ broke His body on the cross as a sacrifice for mankind, and the illuminated background can be symbolic of Jesus’ resurrection and how He overcame death. The artist, Kate Austin, wrote this poem to accompany this christian modern art piece:

This is a hard piece
It was hard to make
It is hard to see
Jesus had never known sin
Or darkness within
He was clean
He chose to carry
The sin of all mankind
From the beginning of time
To its end
Our sin broke Him
Into a thousand pieces
It was a hard thing He did
Let us acknowledge humbly
And accept thankfully