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  • Essay / Divinity through decoration: Christ in majesty with...

    The increase in wealth in the 12th century allowed artists to express their talents in churches. The apse entitled Christ in Majesty with the symbols of the four evangelists of the church of Santa Maria de Mur presents the representation of the divinity through its subject, technique and style. In the apse, the main subjects revolve around scenes from the Old and New Testaments with Christ as the central point. For the technique, the artist used fresco instead of mosaics to show the images. The apse style avoids any sense of realism by hiding the bodies of the figures in the draperies and using the hierarchy of scale. Considering its age of over eight hundred years, Christ in Majesty with the symbols of the four evangelists remains in remarkable condition. condition. However, pieces of the original apse, originally from the Catalan chapel in Spain, have disappeared. Portions, especially those at the bottom, have disappeared over time. Although it was transferred to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, it has not been fully restored. The artist identified each of the apostles of Christ in Majesty with the symbols of the four evangelists, but the writing became fainter, creating difficulties for art historians. Another key element of the overall story depicted has faded, and that is one of the lamps or incense holders beneath Christ. The position of the stories in the apse shows the importance of the characters represented in the images. The placement of Christ in the center of the apse holding a book in his left hand offers a direct relationship with the Bible. His right hand raised in blessing illustrates his divine power toward the people, who receive the sacrament on the altar below him. Christ is also surrounded by stars, which... middle of paper ... creation stories occurred before the sacrifice of Cain and Abel, and this would follow the same standard as the New Testament stories here below. The representation of divinity was clearly defined in Christ in Majesty with the symbols of the four evangelists through its subject matter, technique and style. Christ serves as the central point, but the artist also used different subjects from the Old and New Testaments to decorate the apse. Unlike the mosaics in the apses of Byzantine churches, the artist used the classical fresco technique. The artist also applied decoration to the figures with the hierarchy of scales and geometric style of draperies instead of maintaining a sense of realism. Works Cited Kleiner, Fred, Gardner's Art through the Ages: A Global History, XIVth edition, Book B (Boston: Wadsworth, 2013), 348.