Art History.

This quarter I am taking Art History I, the study of art from Ancient Egyptian through, well, I am not sure where we are going to end up, but at least through the Renaissance. History has always been my favorite subject, so Art History is right up my alley. The thing I love most is that my instructor goes deep into the whys behind each building, painting, or sculpture. Each week he informs us about the culture, politics, religion, etc., of the time period and geography and how it impacted the artists' work.
A majority of the works of art we have studied are of Christ, Biblical stories, or Biblical figures.  I love how you can look at the line, chiaroscuro (light and dark), composition, form, color, brushwork, and medium and see deep into the artist's view of the subject matter. Here are some of my favorites I have studied thus far...

Masaccio, Tribute Money

Raphael, Madonna of the Meadow

Michelangelo, Pieta

Saint Matthew

Giotto, Kiss at the Golden Gate

Donatello, David

This class has expanded my view of how I see Jesus and made me think about what my "pictures" of him would look like. Would the line of his brow be furrowed in confusion and worry over his people or would he have a smile on his face? Would the crucifixion be filled with dark shadows or with light? Would my madonna and child painting be flat or full of volume? All I know is that when I study the images of Jesus and other figures from the Bible I want to love Jesus more and be loved by him more and more.