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In the painting The School of Athens we see Plato (428-348 b.c.) and Aristotle walking together. Plato emphasized the universals, which spurred on the neo-platonic movement. During Plato’s time, Aristotelian thought was widely excepted, which put emphasis on the particulars. Plato went against the popular idea. -
Aristotle (384-322 b.c.) is shown in The School of Athens pointing down with fingers spread wide showing the importance of the particulars. The Aristotelian thought, as it was later called, emphasized the importance of man, preparing the way for the humanistic movement. -
This event shaped Roman thinking. They were very much influenced by Greek thought. The Greeks and Romans had the idea they could build their governments upon their gods, ultimately resulting in the downfall of both empires. -
Ceasar (100-44 b.c.) brought peace and order to the Roman empire after he was proclaimed dictator for life by the Roman people. He elevated Rome to a position of power during the ancient roman empire. Becoming the center of the empire and portraying himself almost as a god. -
Berlinghiero lived during the Middle Ages from 1175-1236 A.D. His paintings portrayed religious significance as was prevalent during that time. He shows Mary and Jesus as symbols rather than realistic humans. This was very common during the Middle Ages and showed Christian dominance during that time. -
Thomas Aquinas lived from 1225-1274 A.D. and was one of the most influential theologians of the Middle Ages. Although Aquinas was a brilliant man he had a faulty view of the fall. He thought that man was only partially affected by the fall and that man’s intellect remained unaffected. -
The Renaissance began in approximately 1350 and ended approximately around 1600. The Renaissance focused completely on humans as almost gods, the church did not let the common people read the Bible for themselves, and self-portraits were painted portraying humanistic pride.
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Jan van Eyck was an artist of the Renaissance who lived from 1390-1441 A.D. He created very realistic art. The art pieces of that time were much more realistic than the artworks of the Middle Ages, showing the humanistic worldview, which was prevalent during the Renaissance. -
Leonardo Da Vinci was the quintessential Renaissance man and lived from 1452-1519 A.D. He was greatly influenced by the humanistic teaching of that time. His Mona Lisa portrays a focus on man, which was a reflection of the worldview of that time. -
Albrecht Dürer lived from 1471-1528 A.D during the Renissance and the Reformation. In his art, we see that he kept his morals even during the huge humanistic movement of the Renaissance. Although he lived mostly during the Renaissance he should be considered a Reformation artist because of his beliefs. -
Michelangelo lived from 1475-1564 A.D. and was one of the most renowned artists of all time. Michelangelo’s David is one of the most prominent symbols of humanism, showing the intellect, strength, and pride of man. But later he created the Pieta which portrays humility and gratitude, showing his conflict. -
In 1517 Martin Luther began the Reformation by printing the ninety-five thesis and nailing the ninety-five thesis to the door of the Castle Church. He was a great force in beginning the Reformation and pushed that people should have access to Scriptures. He lived from 1483-1546 A.D. -
John Walther (1496-1570) wrote the Wittenberg Gesangbuch, a hymnbook. He and his friend, Conrad Rupff worked on these hymns in Martin Luther’s home. Walther was greatly influenced by Luther and published Luther's own hymn called, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”. This all greatly contribute to the Reformation era. -
The Pieta is a beautiful sculpture by Michelangelo portraying Jesus after being taken off the cross. He is held in his mother’s arms lifeless. She bends over him holding him showing her surrendering her son. This begins the transition from the Renaissance to the Reformation. -
The Mona Lisa is the most famous piece of artwork in the world. Leonardo Da Vinci started this magnificent work in 1503 but never completely finished it. The Mona Lisa shows the humanistic worldview of that time, which put the focus on humankind rather than nature, or religious symbols. -
The David is one of Michelangelo’s most famous works of art. It portrays a significant humanistic worldview as it shows man’s greatness. The head is enlarged showing man’s intellect. As well as enlarged hands showing man’s strength. And the immense stature manifests the idea that man can do anything. -
In the painting, The School of Athens Plato and Aristotle stand together. Plato stands with one finger pointing up toward absolutes or ideals, while Aristotle contradicts Plato by pointing downward with his hand, emphasizing the particulars. This represents the conflict between the universals and particulars. -
St. Jerome in his study created in 1514 by Albrecht Dürer, is a very prominent artwork, portraying symbols of religion and human morals. The emphasis on St. Jerome translating the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin shows a reverence for the Scriptures. -
Luther’s ninety-five thesis catapulted the Reformation into full force. The focus of the Reformation was all about giving people the ability to read the Scriptures for themselves. People did not begin only from themselves but started with the Bible as the absolute authority. -
The Reformation began when Martin Luther published his ninety-five thesis. The mission of the Reformation was to strip the church of its pride and power so common people would have access to the Scriptures. This lead to a reverence for God and the Scriptures.
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Rene Descartes was a French philosopher whose emphasis was on mathematics, as well as science. He believed that one could begin from themself and resolve problems within a society. Although he was named the father of modern philosophy, most people now consider him to be one of the older philosophers. -
Rembrandt (1606-1669) was a Reformation artist who believed Christ came to die for each person’s sins. In 1633 he painted Raising the Cross, which portrayed Rembrant raising Christ on the cross, showing that Rembrandt felt responsible for the death of Christ. He was a massive force during the Reformation. -
John Locke (1632-1704) played an important role in the acceptance of freedom without chaos. He stressed inalienable rights, the right to take arms, and the separation of powers, as well as government by consent. He based all these upon a biblical base, expressing the importance that God is central. -
This painting by Johannes Vermeer used a realistic style to accentuate the roughness of the picture. This masterpiece was created during the Baroque period, meaning the painting was very dramatic and conveyed emotion through light, colors, and objects. -
Sir Issac Newton, a man loyal to the Bible, contributed to the rise of modern science. His invention, the lightbulb, as well as his discovery of the laws of motion, jump-started modern science. Newton stressed the importance of starting with the Bible as the base for science and absolutes. -
This exquisite painting by Rembrandt shows the biblical scene of the prodigal son returning to his father. The lighting of the painting places the father and son at the center of the painting, conveying intense emotion and feelings that were used during the Baroque Period. -
Johann Sabastian Bach was one of the composers coming out of the Reformation. His music was a result of the culture and Christianity of that time. Bach was very influenced by Luther. Bach’s music represents phrases such as “To God be the Glory”. He lived from 1685-1750 A.D. -
Rousseau was a philosopher who believed everything was a machine, even man. He also held that man was good by nature, and that freedom from an all-knowing, all-powerful God is a freedom that each person has the right to. -
John Witherspoon (1723-1794 A.D.) brought ideas of freedom without chaos to the United States Constitution. He became a member of the Continental Congress from 1776-1779, and 1780-1782. He was the only clergyman who signed the Declaration of Independence and played important roles in the Continental Congress on several occasions. -
Charles Peale was a brilliant painter who was often referred to as a Renaissance man. However, his worldview made him more likely to be known as an Enlightenment man. He made a great contribution to society through his paintings as well as his ideas. -
Created by George Handel, this hymn shows great emotion and religious significance to the culture now and to the society when he wrote it. The Bible stands at the center of the piece. After coming out of the Renaissance this was a welcome reprieve from the humanistic approach to life. -
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer who carried expression into his music even though he became completely deaf by the age of 44. The Romantic Era greatly influenced his music emphasizing emotion and feeling, throughout his pieces. -
Charles Peale created this spectacular painting with the intent to fool the viewer's eye. The style of the painting makes it look as though you could walk right into the painting. However, what separates this painting from other trickery paintings is that it is lifesized and therefore much more believable. -
Thomas Cole was an American idealist whose paintings showed the Western Expansion Movement. He advocated against Western Expansion showing the debate raging across the country. He was also a creationist who added proof of the creationist viewpoint to his paintings. -
This worldview tried to cut out the deity of Jesus. However, trying to prove he was simply a man and nothing more ended with the acceptance that either Jesus was the Son of God or he was a lunatic. He could not simply be a moral teacher.
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Thomas Huxley was the one who popularized Darwin's idea of “the survival of the fittest". He was a biologist, educator, and advocate for Charles Darwin. He was eventually known as Darwin's Bulldog. He played a huge part in culture as we know it today by popularizing evolution. -
The Oxbow portrays the difference between the beauty of God’s untouched creation and the simple cultivation of God’s people. This piece accentuates the tension in the United States during this time. The Oxbow truly brought to light the debate regarding western expansion. -
Monet along with others began the impressionistic movement by presenting their art through a fragmented view. However, when Monet carried impressionism to its conclusion reality tended to become like a dream. This emphasized the particulars and excluded the universals. -
Friedrich Nietzsche, a brilliant German philosopher, was the first modern philosopher to declare that God is dead. Even though Nietzsche understood where this assumption would leave man, he still held to the fact that man as an absolute authority is enough. -
Impressionism started with Monet and other artists painting with a style no one else had used before. They painted exactly what they saw at that moment. However, this leaves the viewer wondering what the real meaning behind the painting is. Reality became a dream.
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Alfred North Whitehead, a leader in the modern scientific era, and respected philosopher and mathematician stressed that science has risen only from a Christian worldview. Although he was not a Christian he recognized that the Christian worldview and science work in harmony with each other. -
Claude Debussy, a French composer, opened the door to fragmentation through his music. The changes suggest a shift in the culture as well as the overall worldview. Fragmentation changed the music from full of emotion and smooth to choppy and random. This completely shifted the entire modern music industry. -
Monet created this masterpiece to display what he perceived from the scene and the moment he saw it. This began the Impressionism movement. Once Monet carried Impressionism to its conclusion, the paintings tended to become dream-like as seen in this painting. -
Albert Schweizer was a great contributor to religious liberalism. He attempted to hold on to the historical Jesus without the deity of Jesus. However, this showed the impossibility of a historical Jesus without the supernatural as well. -
This influential painter brought fragmentation to its fullest point. Showing impressions and a fragmented man. However, his art became so fragmented and abstract that it was difficult to tell what he was painting. This art along with other masterpieces marked the birth of modern art. -
Aldous Huxley was an English writer who in essence said we should give people drugs so they can find truth in their own heads. He wrote multiple books advocating for the use of drugs to find your truth and have an experience. -
Justice Lifts the Nations is an artwork by Paul Roberts showing justice with no blindfold pointing her sword toward a book in the foreground titled “The Law of God ''. This expresses that God should be our guide instead of a flawed man-made guide, just like Reformation thought. -
Marcel Duchamp, a skilled artist, helped to carry fragmentation along in his Nude Descending a Staircase. In this painting, the man disappeared and was unrecognizable. When carried to its conclusion, all fragmented things and art become absurd and unrecognizable. -
The Modern Age has been a time when people have focused completely on the particulars and have tried to substitute universals with worldly things such as drugs, false religion, and psychedelic rock. God has completely been lost and we have drifted away from His Word.
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This book was one of the first times Aldous Huxley openly advocated for the use of drugs, as a mechanism for one to have an experience. It was a way for people to escape from the world and its problems.