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A major theme in art is spiritual beliefs. Many artists show their own beliefs through their art, and it can be interpreted differently. Our museum will showcase artwork that represents the Christianity religion. Because each artist’s depictions are different, we will be analyzing the different depictions of Hell. Even though Christians all have similar spiritual beliefs, they can be represented in many different ways. Also, we can look at the symbolism and spirituality of each painting and how they represent the religion as a whole. More specifically, we will look into the depictions of being damned to Hell. Fear of the unknown is a universal truth. Although Heaven is the goal to reach for Christians, Hell is a reality that people may also face. Through their paintings, artists show the fear and torment that humans go through while being damned to Hell because of the uncertainties they have in their own lives. These depictions can change based on the historical context of the time period they were created in. In turn, each depiction is unique in its own way, despite representing the same overall theme.

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Artist: Michelangelo
Date: 1535-1541 CE
Medium: Fresco
Find Spot: Sistine Chapel

The first artwork to be analyzed is the fresco painting the Last Judgement, by Michelangelo. From 1535-1541, Michelangelo painted this piece. It was painted on the Chapel wall in the Sistine Chapel, specifically the altar wall of the Pope’s Private chapel[1]. This was during the Protestant Reformation, and the piece was meant to show the legitimacy of the Catholic church.[2] Although the painting was meant to portray Jesus saving the blessed, it also shows the damned. The fear of being sent to Hell instilled in people was very significant in the Catholic religion. The various figures in the painting prove the idea that people believe that they will be tormented if sent to Hell. Michelangelo portrays this by the expressions of the people being sent to Hell. For instance, in the piece, there is a specific character known as The Damned Man, who is being pulled by a devil to go to Hell. His hand is covering his face because he cannot believe what is happening to him, but he has his other eye wide open with sudden realization of his fate[3]. This character accurately shows what the realization of being sent to Hell for eternity looks like. Some other characters represent different sins that the characters committed that led to their fate. For example, “Another soul- exemplifying the sin of pride- dares to fight back, arrogantly contesting divine judgment,”[4] which again shows how Michelangelo specifically added in the idea of sins because they are the cause of being sent to Hell. Another compelling character in the painting is Michelangelo’s self-portrait. His face is on the skin being held by St. Bartholomew. This is significant because the skin is just barely in the grasp of the saint, almost as if he is about to drop it down to Hell. This shows the viewer that even Michelangelo himself is concerned if he will be saved when the time comes. Overall, the painting shows the aspect of being saved and sent to heaven, but also shows a powerful representation of being sent to hell.

References

[1] “The Last Judgement by Michelangelo in Rome”, Florence Inferno, accessed Nov. 17, 2018, https://www.florenceinferno.com/the-last-judgement-michelangelo/.[2] Dr. Esperanca Camara, “Last Judgement”, Khan Academy, accessed Nov. 17, 2018, https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/high-ren-florence-rome/michelangelo/a/michelangelo-last-judgment. [3] Dr. Beth Harris, Dr. Steven Zucker, “Last Judgment (altar wall, Sistine Chapel),” Khan Academy, accessed Nov. 17 2018, https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/early-europe-and-colonial-americas/renaissance-art-europe-ap/v/michelangelo-last-judgment-sistine-chapel-ciling-1628-1629.[4] Dr. Esperanca Camara, “Last Judgement”

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Artist: Auguste Rodin
Date: 1880-1917 CE
Medium: Bronze
Find spot: The Rodin Museum in Philadelphia (First bronze cast)
Location of Picture: Stanford University Museum of Art in California

The second artwork to be analyzed is the bronze cast sculpture called The Gates of Hell by Auguste Rodin. Auguste Rodin is most famous for his sculpture called The Thinker. The original art piece was created for new decorative arts museum in Paris in 1880 CE. Unfortunately, the potential wasn’t realized in his lifetime. Once he was commissioned for this piece, he never stopped working on it and changed it by adding, removing, and moving things around. His inspiration came from the first part of the poem The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri in 1265-1324. Rodin’s imagination took off as he imagined the scenes of the play and interpreted them into his art how he imagined. The figures tell stories of forbidden love, punishment, and suffering. In his lifetime, the sculpture was never cast in bronze. He created it out of plaster, and after he passed, it was cast in bronze by Jules Mastbaum. The only fully-sized plaster sculpture is located in his studio in Meudon, which is outside of Paris. Overall, this piece shows the torturing and punishment that resides in Hell.

References

Art, Philadelphia Museum of. 2017. Rodin Museum:The Gates of Hell. Accessed November 20, 2018. http://www.rodinmuseum.org/collections/collectiontheme/4.html.

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Artist: Hieronymus Bosch
Date: 1480-1505
Medium: Oil Painting on Oak Panels
Find Spot: Museo del Prado (Madrid)

The third artwork to be analyzed is Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights, which is a triptych created by using oil paints on oak panels. The Garden of Earthly Delights creation began in 1480. In fact, it is considered a commissioned work for the Palace of Nassau in Brussels. The images included explore the themes of creation, existentialism, and damnation. When the triptych is closed, the outer panels display a circle that encapsulates water, as a man in the corner assumed to be god is holding what is thought to be a bible. The circle is symbolic of God’s interference and creation of earth, and there is a bible verse inscribed on the top of the panels. Once opened, the first panel on the left displays Gods introduction of Adam and Eve into the Garden of Eden. It is a compliment to God's creativity and ability to give life. But when compared to the middle panel, the point of creation is taken into question. The center panel consists of a multitude of different characters, thought to be the sinful children of Adam and Eve. It is as if chaos ensues, as people in the nude frolic among pieces of machine that lay in nature. The scene is most often interpreted as a caution to the sin of lust. Although there is no actual depiction of the so-called sin, the nonsensical gluttonous activity of the characters together infers it. This imagery questions God’s point in our creation, pondering why existence is so hard to make sense of. The right panel is a vision of Hell. It displays people being tortured by demonic animals and machines. The image focus on the destruction of mankind, and the purge of humans. It asks its viewers to question the afterlife, and what the consequences of living truly are. Overall, The Garden of Earthly Delights explores points of existentialism - if we are to be created just to sin, but then we are punished for that sin, then why live at all.

References

Hickson, Sally. "Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights." Khan Academy. Accessed November 20, 2018. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/northern/hieronymus-bosch/a/bosch-the-garden-of-earthly-delights

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Overall, each artwork shows the artist’s unique point of view on Hell. As you can see in The Garden of Earthly Delights, the idea of Hell is clearly there. However, the exact sins that cause people to get there are not specifically represented. Then, you contrast this with the Last Judgement. In this work, the exact sins that cause people to be damned to Hell become more apparent. Michelangelo represents these sins clearly in this painting. The difference between these two paintings begins to show the trend of artists depicting the causes of going to Hell more specifically over time. Finally, in the Gates of Hell, there are specific characters depicting a variety of different sins, such as forbidden love. Rodin utilizes specific characters from The Divine Comedy that Dante sees in Hell. Altogether, the idea of the fear and evils of Hell is universal, but overall each artist’s depiction differs. In general, the representation of being damned to Hell through artwork has become more and more specific to certain sins with time.