As with music and poetry, visual artwork has an extraordinary ability to stir up our emotions. In a way, this makes perfect sense. Man is both body and soul. We cannot treat one and expect to leave out the other. So our souls—and consequently, the emotions felt by our souls—are truly affected by what our senses see and hear.
This power of art can be used for good or for harm. Good artwork directs our emotions to feel rightly about a given subject. For example, it is right to feel awe at an expansive mountain landscape, or admiration for a noble man’s kind countenance, or tenderness towards a humble pastoral scene. Poor or harmful artwork, on the other hand, misleads or even corrupts our emotions: the mountain’s beauty is reduced to shabby abstraction, the portrait displays the man’s ugly vices, the pastoral piece presents only base and lustful pleasures. Because artwork’s influence is so easily abused, we should guard ourselves—and our children—against art that would do us harm. We need to ask: “Is this piece rightly instructing my emotions, or not?”
As Christians, we can also apply this question to art in the Church. What kind of biblical artwork will lead our emotions properly? An outstanding model is the medieval Italian artist Giotto (1266-1337). Giotto’s biographer Giorgio Vasari highly praises his talent as a painter and even asserts that Giotto was “born to give birth to the art of painting.” Giotto was known for depicting his subjects realistically from nature. He also had a keen ability to express poignant emotion in a figure’s face and gestures. These skills, coupled with his Christian piety, allowed him to create wonderfully edifying masterpieces.
To consider Giotto more closely, let’s have a look at his Life of Christ paintings that still adorn the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy. These frescos wrap around the walls of the chapel in two rows, beginning with the Visitation and ending with Pentecost. Giotto took care to depict each event with reverence. At the same time, he filled the pieces with life and warmth through vivid colors, graceful movements, and deep expressions from the biblical characters. The emotions Giotto evokes are neither empty nor misguided because they are all a direct response to the Gospel narratives themselves. Giotto’s work is not concerned with his own innovations and fancies (or our innovations and fancies, for that matter!). Instead, his work serves to aid the Christian’s conversation with the biblical text. And this directive rightly moves our passions. With the Magi, we are stirred to gladness and love and worship before our incarnate Lord. With the disciples at Gethsemane, we are wonder-struck at Christ’s resolve to His Father’s will, even in the face of Judas’ betrayal. With Saint John at the Last Supper, we, too, repose upon our Savior in perfect peace and trust, as He forgives all our sins and feeds us His precious body and blood.
Giotto uses the stirring power of artwork rightly: to move emotion toward its proper, God-given end of piety and love. What a gift to the Church, and what an inspiration to use our own talents toward that same end!
In Christ,
Miss Hahn
