devotional
Quick Summary
Devotional art is art created for religious worship or practice. It aims to express a particular attitude towards the relationship between humans and God. This can involve portraying powerful, remote beings or using imagery intended to inspire faith and hope for salvation.12
In various cultures, devotional art has been influenced by prevailing religions. For instance, Roman Catholicism in the West and Buddhism in the East have provided rich visual traditions that have spilled into folk art. This includes images of saints, the Virgin Mary, and biblical scenes, often combined with secular decorations. In Hinduism, visual arts like sculpture and painting are deeply symbolic, with icons representing divine power and mythological events. These images are not mere imitations but are believed to be temporary expressions of a god's nature, helping devotees understand the divine.345
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
- Hans Memling
Many devotional diptychs (two-panel paintings) such as this were painted in 15th-century Flanders. They consist of a portrait of the “donor”—or patron—in one panel, reverently gazing at the Madonna and Child in the other. Such paintings were for the donor’s personal use in his home or…
Read MoreMany devotional diptychs (two-panel paintings) such as this were painted in 15th-century Flanders. They consist of a portrait of the “donor”—or patron—in one panel, reverently gazing at the Madonna and Child in the other. Such paintings were for the donor’s personal use in his home or…
Read More - paintingDevotional
…subjects in different forms of devotional painting express a particular attitude to the relationship between human beings and God. Early Christian and Buddhist murals, for example, portrayed an all-powerful, remote, and mysterious being, painted as a flat, formalized head or figure whose stern gaze dominated the interiors of temples, churches,…
Read More…subjects in different forms of devotional painting express a particular attitude to the relationship between human beings and God. Early Christian and Buddhist murals, for example, portrayed an all-powerful, remote, and mysterious being, painted as a flat, formalized head or figure whose stern gaze dominated the interiors of temples, churches,…
Read More
