We continued our discussion of the chapel from the last class today. More specifically, we discussed how the artist created a sense of connectivity throughout the pieces by accounting for left to right movement and similar or continuous backgrounds.
After this, we discussed the Life of St. Francis. In order to discuss this piece, we were first given more information on who St. Francis was. One of the prominent moments in his life was when his brotherhood was recognized by the pope in 1210 which allowed his followers to properly organize themselves. We also discussed The Lamentation Over The Dead Christ which was interesting because it is a work that was created using life size painted terracotta and placed a focus on the lamentation process of the death of Christ rather than depicting the actual death itself.
However, what truly caught my eye during this class was the discussion on The Garden of Earthly Desires. This painting stood out from the very beginning because it is a painting that depicts religious images yet is a work that will not be shown in churches. Looking at it in closer detail told us that the painting was modeled upon the alchemic process of distillation and purification but a part of this process was represented through copulating figures which was why it was not meant for churches. This work also had an interesting depiction of hell as it represented the putrefaction process which is why it showed burning objects and eternal fire.