By: Cole Henry

Sacrifice is something that is very influential in art, but mainly revolves around religion as sacrifice is mostly considered a holy act. Through these paintings, sympathy can be seen for what is actually sacrificed. Sacrifice is most often seen in religious art since it is a highly valued attribute in a religion. In these paintings, the first two heavily display the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the greater good of others. These paintings have much sympathy in them both in through the use of colors and position of the objects in the painting. Yet in the last painting sacrifice takes on a dark and evil sense, but still in the name of religion. The sacrifice of others is seen by many to be barbaric and sinful. We can see that sympathy is given to the one being sacrificed and hatred for one performing the act. These paintings were made in  such detail due to the age however. During the renaissance, religious art was heavily influential to artists of the time. For the most part sacrifice gives a heavy sense of sympathy and gratitude.     

Joan of Arc's Death at the Stake

This painting, Joan of Arc's Death at the Stake by Hermann Anton Stilke, was made in 1843 for the purpose of supporting that Joan of Arc’s death was met with injustice and bravery. She was condemned to death by an English court on the charge of heresy, but in reality she was condemned for supporting her people and so was seen as an enemy to England. But instead of having the discouraging effect on the French, as the English had hoped, Joan became a martyr through her bravery and sacrifice of her life.

The style of this painting is classic for the enlightenment period of art. The painting has the perfect symmetry that the renaissance sought to achieve. We can see this as Joan is based at the center on the stake, while she is edged on the sides by tall buildings that balance each other and also by crowds of people on either side of the painting.  The light in the scene shines solely on Joan’s body in the middle of the scene to make it perfectly clear that she is the center of focus in the painting. We can also tell from her facial and body expressions that sympathy and self-sacrifice are the main themes and message to be conveyed from this scene.
(Robert L. Faherty)

Christ on the Cross

Christ on the Cross was painted in 1627 by Peter Paul Rubens with the intent to display sacrifice in the name of religion. Here Jesus Christ is shown crucified on a cross with three women beneath him weeping with sympathy. Religion is the main influence in this painting, obviously, and sacrifice is therefore highly valued in religion.   

The painting itself is almost perfect according to the standards of the time during the renaissance taking into account the symmetrical balance, but yet the use of colors is somewhat different than the ordinary. Jesus is based in the center of the painting to clearly state that his sacrifice is the center of concentration and attention. Edged by groups of people on both sides of Jesus, the painting is symmetrical and balanced. Yet the use of colors here is the key that makes this painting of Christ on the Cross different from all the others. The colors are not bright and joyful as most paintings had in this period. With the use of these darker colors, the sacrifice of Jesus seems more sympathetic as it appears more brutish in color.
(The Ultimate Sacrifice)

The Sacrifice of Isaac

The Sacrifice of Isaac was painted by Caravaggio in 1617-1619 under the influence of the renaissance. During this period, especially, religious artworks were very common as this was before the ideas of the enlightenment even appeared.  Here, sacrifice is portrayed in a dark sense in the practice of human sacrifice.  More over sympathy is felt for the victim of the sacrifice with the appearance of an angel to save him. This sets a different view to sacrifice in painting, especially for religion, as an almost foolish or unnecessary. This shows that people will follow their god, or gods, blindly, with the utmost devotion of faith.        

The painting itself agrees and disagrees with the standards of the time. This painting makes perfect use of colors and the use of light and shadow. But it does not follow the ideals of symmetry as we can see as Abraham, Isaac and the angel take up the center, bottom, and right side of the painting, while the upper right side has nothing significant to balance them.
(What the Bible says about...)

Bibliography

What the Bible says about..., Sacrifice, http://www.biblemeanings.info/johnodhner/Sacrifice.html 

Robert L. Faherty, sacrifice, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/515665/sacrifice

The Ultimate Sacrifice, http://www.allaboutfollowingjesus.org/the-ultimate-sacrifice-faq.htm