Date of Award

2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Anderson, Kim

Keywords

Religion, Art History, Human Figure, Painting

Area of Concentration

Art

Abstract

Renaissance and Medieval religion viewed the human figure primarily as a vessel for the soul. As a result, art that incorporated the human figure, particularly religious painting, often contained symbolism that alluded to the intangible essence of the soul. This symbolism included using light and color as an expression of the divine. Certain colors, such as red, yellow (gold), and blue, were presented in close proximity to divine figures and spaces as haloes, etc, and this proximity indicates their perceived connection to the divine. Light was also seen as expressive of divinity; in examples like Geertgen tot Sint Jans's Night Nativity (c. 1490), the holy figure is the light source, illuminating the surrounding scene. In other examples, terrestrial light sources like candles were conflated with the divine, often being overpowered by the 'divine fire' of holy figures. In this thesis, Seeing the Light, I express the intangible essence of the soul through portraiture. To accomplish this, I conflate terrestrial and divine light in my pieces by incorporating light imagery, particularly the candle. Unrealistic colors and obscure, shadowy settings imply a fantastical space. The figure can be interpreted as an expression of the spiritual through its visual connection to the 'divine' light source because it is immersed in a fantastical space and interacting with a light source that implies the otherworldly or divine.

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