![]() In Italian painting, there are countless examples of canonical scenes like the Nativity and the Crucifixion, but no two are exactly alike. Early Christian art, for instance, favored the miracles of Christ, while his Baptism and Transfiguration became important in Byzantine art, and his preaching and parables were preferred in Northern Europe at the time of the Reformation. The relative neglect of other parts of Christ’s life nevertheless distinguishes Italian painting of the Renaissance and after from many other European traditions. Both of these episodes convey fundamental aspects of Christian doctrine, for the former reflects the concept of the Incarnation, the idea that Christ became a human being though he remained divine, and the latter is inseparable from Christ’s resurrection and the promise of everlasting life. This perspective welcomed visual images that stressed his human existence and particularly favored themes related to his earthly birth and death. In late medieval and Renaissance Italy, theologians continually emphasized the humanity of Christ and the need for the faithful to lead lives modeled on Christ’s own. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, such pictures often occurred in series that allowed viewers to trace the progression of events ( 32.130.1), but the stories of Christ’s life were also represented in independent easel paintings ( 32.130.2), especially in the sixteenth century and after. Images were meant to enhance the experience of the faithful both in communal and in individual worship, and devotional treatises gave instructions for how to use pictures to enter more fully into sacred history. Scenes from Christ’s life were thus desirable in churches, on frescoed walls and painted altarpieces, and also in portable form, in illustrated books and small altarpieces suitable for private consumption. 590–604), images were valued both as lessons for the unlettered and as aids to worship. From the time of Pope Gregory the Great (r. The need for representations of Christ’s life in Italy was based on official practice within the Western Church. ![]() This essay concentrates on Italian painting, but much of what follows is true of other European traditions as well. The most ambitious illustrations of Christ’s life show full-blown inventiveness, and even lesser examples demonstrate the fruitful interaction of the artist’s imagination and society’s requirements. It is often assumed that such conditions would stifle creativity, but thoughtful observation shows that this is not so. In a society that laid great emphasis on religion and required religious images, artists performed an indispensable service and had to work within the structure of tradition. This explains the prevalence of scenes from Christ’s life in European art, and yet there is more to the story. ![]() From late antiquity forward, Christianity was integral to European culture, and the life of Christ was understood (as it is still) as an essential embodiment of Christian teachings. ![]()
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