The picture of the Altar of the Kings in the Cathedral of Mexico City from this week's lecture (below) reminded me of the gleaming gold and grandeur of the Cathedral of Toledo I visited a few years ago. This picture (left) is the retable of the High Altar in the Cathedral of Toledo. Though it was built well before the Cathedral of Mexico City, and the ornate gold decor surrounds statues, not paintings, the two seem like they would have a very similar effect on the viewer. And for good reason; Toledo was historically a region of competing religions, so, as with colonial Mexico, awe-inspiring religious art must have been a very effective form of social control... I wonder though if the similar religious art in Colonial Mexico and a different effect on its viewers because it was created by the people who were under control of the church, rather than hired Catholic artisans...
What an awesome picture of the Cathedral of Toledo! Breathtaking. I think you are very correct in drawing a comparison between the two. Art as a form of social control - seems shocking but unfortunately all too true as shown in history. I enjoy reading your blogs and am glad you're part of the class. Your viewpoint and perspective add depth to the class and I appreciate the artwork and poetry you've submitted so far.
I am continuously amazed by the creation and veneration of images in Catholic branch of Christianity. Your examples as splendid expressions of the Catholic faith. I grew up in a country that was Lutheran Protestant - a faith that promoted the destruction and the covering of images (with plaster) so one could focus on the word of God. The Cathedral images you put forward promote a very different imagery related to praying and faith as an individual enter these sacred spaces. I wonder how indigenous people responded to entering the cathedral in Mexico City when it was first built? What do you think?
Thank you Elizabeth! I love the blog forum as a way to share ideas with class mates; it makes online classes so much more personal! The Cathedral really was an amazing sight. It makes you feel so tiny! It is easy to see the power such a place can hold, even today, and even for nonCatholics. I can hardly imagine how the indigenous people felt entering the cathedral in Mexico city... Of course they had their own monumental architecture, but it must have been so alien... and just so "grand"! It seems like such a mystery how the Spaniards were able to convert so many of the conquered to Catholicism when they must have been so despised... maybe the power of their architecture played a role in that. I wonder...
The picture of the Altar of the Kings in the Cathedral of Mexico City from this week's lecture (below) reminded me of the gleaming gold and grandeur of the Cathedral of Toledo I visited a few years ago. This picture (left) is the retable of the High Altar in the Cathedral of Toledo. Though it was built well before the Cathedral of Mexico City, and the ornate gold decor surrounds statues, not paintings, the two seem like they would have a very similar effect on the viewer. And for good reason; Toledo was historically a region of competing religions, so, as with colonial Mexico, awe-inspiring religious art must have been a very effective form of social control... I wonder though if the similar religious art in Colonial Mexico and a different effect on its viewers because it was created by the people who were under control of the church, rather than hired Catholic artisans...
What an awesome picture of the Cathedral of Toledo! Breathtaking. I think you are very correct in drawing a comparison between the two. Art as a form of social control - seems shocking but unfortunately all too true as shown in history. I enjoy reading your blogs and am glad you're part of the class. Your viewpoint and perspective add depth to the class and I appreciate the artwork and poetry you've submitted so far.
ReplyDeleteI am continuously amazed by the creation and veneration of images in Catholic branch of Christianity. Your examples as splendid expressions of the Catholic faith. I grew up in a country that was Lutheran Protestant - a faith that promoted the destruction and the covering of images (with plaster) so one could focus on the word of God. The Cathedral images you put forward promote a very different imagery related to praying and faith as an individual enter these sacred spaces. I wonder how indigenous people responded to entering the cathedral in Mexico City when it was first built? What do you think?
ReplyDeleteThank you Elizabeth! I love the blog forum as a way to share ideas with class mates; it makes online classes so much more personal! The Cathedral really was an amazing sight. It makes you feel so tiny! It is easy to see the power such a place can hold, even today, and even for nonCatholics. I can hardly imagine how the indigenous people felt entering the cathedral in Mexico city... Of course they had their own monumental architecture, but it must have been so alien... and just so "grand"! It seems like such a mystery how the Spaniards were able to convert so many of the conquered to Catholicism when they must have been so despised... maybe the power of their architecture played a role in that. I wonder...
ReplyDelete