Click here (catholic-resources), and follow the links, to view various Christian interpretations of Ezekiel's prophetic-call vision as it later became applied to the Christian Scriptures' four Gospel writers...
Any favorites? What does such iconographic appropriation suggest about the conceptual fluidity of the prophetic texts?
6 comments:
I like John as the eagle.
Lisa
Like any worded literature, one person's aesthetic interpretation of the text will differ from that of another. These iconographic appropriations suggest that prophetic texts have central themes but fluid conceptions. In the instance pertaining to our reading, Ezekial's call, a four headed creature is mentioned. But how that creature is represented would depend on the person who is creating the artistic depiction.I enjoyed the statues at Siena and the paintings at Padua. My eye was caught by the four horsemen of the apocalypse. I was intrigued by the color distinctions. Ex- white/conquering, pale green/death, red/war, black/famine
Rudolf Koch's depiction of The Four Evangelists, as they are referred to here, really struck me. They appear simple compared to the other depictions in the chapels, for example, but they seem like more to me, maybe because of the writing accompanying them.
Like with the depictions of Elijah and the chariot of fire, the depictions are completely dependent on the artist's interpretation of the text, and then how much they want to 'enhance' or 'glorify' the image.
Sydney
My favourite image is Mark as the lion, and I really enjoyed the photos of the sculptures of the The Four Evangelists in Siena, and the depictions of them together on the doors of the Battistero di San Giovanni in Florence.
I like how all the depictions are different in one way or another, suggesting to me that there are many interpretations of the Evangelists and how they should look.
Lauren
I like in St. Augustine of Hippo, besides having a catchy name, how the four evangelists are depicted: Mark as the human, Matthew as the lion, Luke as the Ox, and John as the eagle. I really liked how each of the evangelists were depicted from church to church and how the animal they are associated with are showed as well, like having the people with the animals or just the animals as a representation.
Saryn
I thought they all were interesting and do not really have a favorite. the artwork is very well done.
Bob
Post a Comment