Christians are not new participants or important benefactors of visual art that transcend time and culture. They produce works often reflecting deep spiritual truths, which are theology, storytelling and worship in image. Art has been the tool of religious communication, of biblical exposition, and of edification since the beginning of Christianity. In the early Christian period’s mosaics, frescoes and illuminated manuscripts, there is a deliberately nuanced marriage of artistic genius and theological depth.
The visual arts were an important medium for Christian discourse, especially in the medieval period, when literacy was low and images were the chief means of transmission of sacred messages. Eastern Orthodox iconography and Gothic cathedral windows show powerful ways in which artists translated deep theological principles into visual language. They were not ornaments; they were vessels of worship, prayer and instruction, the creation of a shared experience of Christian teaching and the bible.
In the Middle Ages, the church was the sole funder of the arts, commissioned great cathedrals, sculptures and stained-glass windows. These were not just buildings, they were liturgical tracts in stone and flame. Stained-glass windows, especially, broadcast the Bible to largely non-literate congregations, using light itself as a means of divine education. The Gothic, its great arches and carved details, communicated God’s divinity and power.
Later centuries in the Baroque saw the likes of Caravaggio and Bernini play with flashes of light and darkness to call out a divine mystery and grace. They were also works that tried to invoke wonder and devotion – a feature of the Counter-Reformation’s focus on art’s emotional and pedagogical force. Their works’ extreme realness and brusque spirituality enticed their readers to consider faith, crossing the threshold between sacred and corporeal.
The place of the visual arts in Christianity changed dramatically with the Reformation, especially in Protestant countries. Iconoclasm arose as Reformers such as Martin Luther and John Calvin called for pictures. But art still continued to depict scripture and engender private prayer. Protestant artists such as Rembrandt made religious scenes about grace and salvation, and usually introspective and emotional.
In Catholic Europe, the Counter-Reformation had also prompted a revival of religious art that was dramatic and educational. Baroque masters like Caravaggio and Bernini created art that engaged the mind and the heart, which complied with the Church’s mandate to make believers. Caravaggio’s chiaroscuro brought biblical scenes to bare-bones realness, so they could be encountered by the layperson.
Christians working in the visual arts continued to create in the 20th and 21st centuries by using new media and technologies to get their message across. The internet, photography and mixed-media installations were all tools for tackling religion in a world of flux. These modern texts are often at the crux of issues of social justice, environmental care and human worth, expressing a broader appreciation of the gospel’s message for today.
It is also possible for Christian artists to work with non-Christian audiences, expressing their works outside of the church. By playing on subtle symbolism, universalism and evocation, these artists invite viewers to ponder higher issues of life, virtue and transcendence. And in so doing they provide a dialogue between sacred and profane art.
The Christian contribution to visual art is as much an act of taking part as it is of composing. They are part of the conversation around beauty, truth and meaning, showing us that art is not necessarily an antipode of religion and artistry. This ongoing work is helping keep Christian voices alive and thriving in the changing fabric of the visual arts and helps generations to see the world through the gaze of God’s majesty and meaning.
After all, Christians’ greatest legacy in the visual arts is that they drew people towards God. From ancient mosaics to modern sculptures, they are always seeking beyond the earthly world to the transcendent. As Christians combined religion with greatness of art, they fertilised the cultural horizons and offered eternal meditations on the human condition.