In class on Tuesday we discussed iconography and its role in religious art around the Renaissance era. We defined iconography as the study of images and the ways a subject matter is represented. For the majority of class we unpacked the elements of Enguerrand Quarton’s Coronation of the Virgin. I was fascinated by the extraordinary attention to detail and unique representation of the Trinity. Being raised Catholic, I have spent a lot of time pondering this concept of the Trinity, and learning about the different ways artists have tried to make sense of a concept that eludes full human understanding was very interesting to me. This painting is quite astonishing, and one of the elements of it that I found to be most incredible is the fantastic attention to detail. My favorite tiny detail is of the Carthusian monk and Orthodox priest meeting on the street with arms outstretched (not far from people who are fighting). This wonderful little detail enriches one of the most important messages of the painting—that of the unification of the Eastern and Western Churches.