The Sacred in Art: Extra Credit

Up to 5 points extra credit on homework/class participation grade, depending on the quality of work.

How do artists depict religious figures? How do artists depict deities? We have been looking at early Christian images of Mary and the Christ child and are tracing the depiction of religious figures in art from an abstracted icon to a figure closer in form to ordinary humans. This assignment will allow you to investigate how other world religions depict the sacred in art. Choose any two of the following religious traditions: Islam, Buddhism, or Hinduism. Visit the sites provided for the two traditions you chose. Then answer the following (typed, double spaced, NO MORE THAN TWO PAGES):

How does this religious tradition depict sacred figures, such as prophets or gods? Are there strict rules that guide these depictions? Do artists from this tradition represent their deities in human form? Do they represent holy figures in an abstract or in a naturalistic way? How is this similar and/or different from early Christian art?

Islam

Figural Representation in Islamic Art
The Birth of Islam
Islamic Figurative Art and Depictions of Muhammad

Buddhism

Buddhism and Buddhist Art
The Iconography of Gautama Buddha in Laos and Thailand
Buddha Iconography
Buddha Iconography (Victoria and Albert Museum)

Hinduism

Hinduism
Hindu Murti (images of divine spirits)
Murti Puja