Contemplate Christian Art

Write a short paper on a Christian work of art for extra credit.

Step 1:   Choose a great work of Christian art, such as…
A wall or ceiling painting from the Sistine Chapel
Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper
Michelangelo’s Pieta (Front, Right, Mary, Faces 1, Faces 2)
The Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Or a Christian work by one of these masters:  Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Raphael, Fra Angelico.  If you want to use some other artist’s piece first present it for approval.

Step 2:  After a short period of prayer, read (or contemplate) the piece by considering questions, including…
What is this piece called?
Who made the piece, when and where?
Who or what being is depicted?
Does it depict a scene from the Bible?  (Read those passages.)
What do you see? Is anything unusual?
[Remember that this piece could have been arranged in countless other ways, so why are details the way they are rather than another?]
What are the characters doing, looking at, saying, thinking, feeling?
How are the characters dressed? 
What are their surroundings like?
What symbolism is present?
What coloring/material is used by the artist and why?
What messages or truths are being communicated here to us?
What theological truths does it explicitly or subtly express?

Step 3: Write two pages (in 12-point New Times Roman font, 1-inch margins, double spaced) about the work of art.
Open with a few facts about the painting (by whom, when, depicting what), and quickly proceed to your insights (or your reading) of the piece. Be sure to include at least a black and white printout of the piece as a separate page.