Christian Art

Definition and Meaning

Christian art depicts biblical figures and events, as well as the content of the faith, through painting, sculpture, mosaic, stained glass, architecture, and other media. It has served to adorn places of worship, to convey the stories of the Bible to believers who could not read, and to confess the faith. Christian symbols such as the fish, the Chi-Rho, and the cross also fall within the scope of Christian art.

Biblical and Historical Background

The second commandment of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:4-5) forbids making graven images and serving them. At the same time, the tabernacle was adorned with cherubim (angels). Exodus 31:1-6 records that Bezalel and Aholiab were craftsmen endowed with wisdom by the Spirit of God. How these two strands are to be understood together has formed the basis of debates over art.

Early Christians painted symbols such as the Good Shepherd and the fish in the catacombs, the underground burial places of Rome. In the Eastern Roman Empire, a controversy over the destruction of icons (images of holy figures) broke out in the eighth and ninth centuries. In 787 the Second Council of Nicaea affirmed the veneration of icons. Thereafter the Orthodox Church made icons an important element of worship. In the medieval West, the stained glass and sculpture of Gothic cathedrals flourished.

During the Reformation, Martin Luther was relatively tolerant of images. By contrast, the Reformed churches, influenced by Huldrych Zwingli and John Calvin, removed images from their places of worship. The Heidelberg Catechism of the Reformed tradition likewise cautions against placing images in churches. Nevertheless, Protestant regions produced painters such as Rembrandt who frequently depicted biblical scenes.

Practice in the Korean Church

Korean Protestant sanctuaries are generally sparsely decorated; typically, little more than a cross is placed behind the pulpit.

• Presbyterian: In keeping with the Reformed tradition, some hold that depicting Jesus in pictures violates the second commandment. Nevertheless, illustrations of biblical figures are widely used in Sunday school materials and children's Bibles.
• Anglican: In accordance with its tradition of emphasizing liturgy (worship that follows prescribed forms), the Anglican Church of Korea makes relatively extensive use of sacred images and stained glass.
• Methodist and other denominations: Sanctuaries with stained glass windows can also be found.

Among works that attempt a distinctly Korean mode of expression, a well-known example is the series painted in the early 1950s by the artist Kim Ki-chang, which portrays the life of Jesus through figures dressed in hanbok set against Korean landscapes. Such efforts are sometimes discussed in connection with indigenization theology.