What Goes 'Round and Round' in Art
The circle represents infinity, eternity, and the cyclic nature of the universe.
The sphere represents unity. I will discuss both in relation to art.
Circular halos (discs of light) for Christ (gold), Mary (decorated) and the saints (plain) were used to represent the illumination of light.
A rainbow touches both heaven and earth.
In Revelation 10,1 "then I saw another mighty Angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head."
The "Astronomer" (1668) by Vermeer shows the scientist with a globe.
The circle dance can be found in many cultures. "The Last Judgement" detail by Hieronymus Bosch shows (7) unclothed figures dancing around a musical instrument. Bosch considered dance and music lustful and lewd. After all, this was the Middle Ages.
"King Henry VIII" (1520) by an unknown Anglo-Netherlandish artist shows the king removing a gold ring from the left finger of his right hand. In this example, gold represents wealth and power. The right hand may represent divine intervention.
Albrecht Durer's engraving "Fortune" (1501-1502) shows the winged figure of Fortune standing on a globe. This can be seen at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA), MN.
During the Middle Ages there was a fascination with numbers and geometry. Therefore, the rose window in cathedrals such as Chartres (1145-1220).
Stonehenge, built in 3000 BC, is in a circular stone formation to align with the sun's rising and setting. It is the only stone circle with lintels.
Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvador Mundi" (1500) shows Jesus holding a clear crystal orb representing celestial sphere of the heavens.
The mandala in Sanskrit means "circle and center" or "holy circle". It is an example of "squaring the circle".
Leonardo da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man" (1490) shows a man inside a square and a circle.
Swiss psychotherapist and psychiatrist Carl Jung said, "The circle symbolizes processes of nature or of cosmos as a whole."
Some examples of contemporary artists using spheres in their work are: Jeff Koons' "Gazing Ball (Diana)" (2013), Barbara Hepworth's "Pelagos" (1946), James Turrell's "Light Reignfall" (2011), and Louise Bourgeois' "Cell (Glass, spheres and Hands)" (1990-1993).
The sphere represents unity. I will discuss both in relation to art.
Circular halos (discs of light) for Christ (gold), Mary (decorated) and the saints (plain) were used to represent the illumination of light.
A rainbow touches both heaven and earth.
In Revelation 10,1 "then I saw another mighty Angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head."
The "Astronomer" (1668) by Vermeer shows the scientist with a globe.
The circle dance can be found in many cultures. "The Last Judgement" detail by Hieronymus Bosch shows (7) unclothed figures dancing around a musical instrument. Bosch considered dance and music lustful and lewd. After all, this was the Middle Ages.
"King Henry VIII" (1520) by an unknown Anglo-Netherlandish artist shows the king removing a gold ring from the left finger of his right hand. In this example, gold represents wealth and power. The right hand may represent divine intervention.
Albrecht Durer's engraving "Fortune" (1501-1502) shows the winged figure of Fortune standing on a globe. This can be seen at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA), MN.
During the Middle Ages there was a fascination with numbers and geometry. Therefore, the rose window in cathedrals such as Chartres (1145-1220).
Stonehenge, built in 3000 BC, is in a circular stone formation to align with the sun's rising and setting. It is the only stone circle with lintels.
Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvador Mundi" (1500) shows Jesus holding a clear crystal orb representing celestial sphere of the heavens.
The mandala in Sanskrit means "circle and center" or "holy circle". It is an example of "squaring the circle".
Leonardo da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man" (1490) shows a man inside a square and a circle.
Swiss psychotherapist and psychiatrist Carl Jung said, "The circle symbolizes processes of nature or of cosmos as a whole."
Some examples of contemporary artists using spheres in their work are: Jeff Koons' "Gazing Ball (Diana)" (2013), Barbara Hepworth's "Pelagos" (1946), James Turrell's "Light Reignfall" (2011), and Louise Bourgeois' "Cell (Glass, spheres and Hands)" (1990-1993).
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