Research Article
Changes in Religious Figure Representation: A Study of the Holy Infant in Medieval and Renaissance Art
Abstract
The representation of religious content has been long dominating the development of western art. A great achievement has been made through decades when Christian artists gradually developed a system of abstract representation to keep a comfortable distance from the pagan past, as well as to keep a balance between the aniconic doctrine and the desire for visual presentation. This article takes one of the most popular themes of religious painting, the Holy Infant as research focus to explain the changing representations of different eras. By comparing the plastic art representations of the holy infant, it is argued that changes have been made through symmetrical spatial layouts, characterizations, and metaphors.
Keywords: The Holy Infant; Religious Art; Botticelli; Duccio
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