The Transformation of Art from a Religious Perspective (original) (raw)

The hypothesis put forth in this dissertation is twofold. The first part is based on a view (supported by writers such as Hans Belting) that maintains that art lost its sacred character in the late Middle Ages, when art was emancipated from religion and the artist was recognized as an original Creator. The two first chapters examine this issue: The first chapter (A Religious View of the History of the Arts) discusses theories of religious art from the ancient Jewish drama and the Greek tragedy to the late Middle Ages. Psychological material, mostly drawn from Lacan and Jung, is used to explore the connection between art and religion in the East and the West. The second chapter (Anti-Leonardo) focuses on some important changes in the Renaissance which can be observed mostly in art, that have affected religious and social consciousness to date.