1. Religion and Visual Arts
Adult Sunday School
Sunday, June 20 and 27
By Brent Baggaley

2. Discussion Questions
What do you know about religious or spiritual art?
What are its purpose, history and materials?
What is the difference between art and idolatry?
How can we use religious art to deepen our relationship to God?

3. Different Periods of Art History
Orthodox use of icons (Byzantine, Greek, Russian art )
Roman Catholic cathedrals, statues, painting (Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque in Italy and France )
Protestant realist paintings (German, Dutch, English )

4. Orthodox Icons
The term 'icon' comes from the Greek word eikona, which simply means image. The Orthodox believe that the first icons of Christ and the Virgin Mary were painted by Luke the Evangelist. Icons are filled with symbolism designed to convey information about the person or event depicted. For this reason, icons tend to be formulaic, following a prescribed methodology for how a particular person should be depicted, including hair style, body position, clothing, and background details. Icon painting, in general, is not an opportunity for artistic expression, though each iconographer brings a vision to the piece. It is far more common for an icon to be copied from an older model, though with the recognition of a new saint in the church, a new icon must be created and approved.

5. Roman Catholic art
Roman Catholic art consists of all visual works produced in an attempt to illustrate, supplement and portray in tangible form the teachings of the Catholic Church. This includes sculpture, painting, mosaics, metalwork, embroidery and even architecture. Catholic art has played a leading role in the history and development of Western Art since at least the fourth century. The principal subject matter of Catholic Art has been the life and times of Jesus Christ, along with those of his disciples, the saints, and the events of the Jewish Old Testament.

6. Protestant art
The Protestant Reformation during the 16th century in Europe, ushered in a new artistic tradition that embraced the Protestant agenda and diverged drastically from the southern European tradition and the humanist art produced during the high Renaissance. In turn the Catholic Counter-reformation both reacted against and responded to Protestant criticisms of Art in Roman Catholicism to produce a more stringent style of Catholic art. Protestant religious art both embraced Protestant values and assisted in the proliferation of Protestantism, but the amount of religious art produced in Protestant countries was hugely reduced. Artists in Protestant countries diversified into secular forms of art like history painting, landscape painting, portrait painting and still life.

7. Parable and Painting Read Luke 15: 11-32 and Henri Nouwen’s book 62-69
Compare to Rembrandt’s painting The Return of the Prodigal Son
Discuss meanings of parable and painting

8. Hands-On Activity
Use the drawing paper, pencils and colored pencils to create a drawing or sketch of your favorite parable or Bible story.
If you don’t feel comfortable drawing your own picture, then trace one out of the art books provided.