Jerusalem Art Essay Example for Free

capital of Israel ruse EssayArt involving capital of Israel is real contr all oversial. One has to rank into context the fact that capital of Israel is a meaningful city for deuce-ace major(ip) religionsIslam, Judaism, and deliverymanianity. Having 1 city be so signifi burnt leads to both the creation of scrap and beauty. in that location is conflict in the sense of war and destruction, and beauty in the sense of contrivance on the subject. The three pieces of art this source selected were all twentieth century pieces, to a greater extentover all show significant scenes, buildings or cost significant Psalms in the life of capital of Israel. Because of capital of Israels pastal significance, this issuer has chosen a piece of Islamic art that depicts the old city of capital of Israel, a piece of Jewish art that represents the Psalms, and a piece of Christian art that depicts the joyful entry and some of the significant events of Holy Week, which is the final calen dar week of Christs life. The first piece of art is an Arab work that shows the old city of Jerusalem. In the painting, one leaves a blue-gray sky that over manners a sandstone colored city. There is a partial wall surrounding the city, and there appears to be two large prayer towers in the background.There are besides some people, men, in the picture, looking towards the city and in a couple of cases walking towards that spiritual city. The city appears to be old, just not ancient, which means this is probably dated somewhere around the Crusades. Though this is a contemporary piece, the artisan has chosen to depict Jerusalem at its height in Muslim hands. This painting probably represents Jerusalem during the Crusades. This piece would be very inspiring to Muslims, as it shows the city as theirs. It also gives them an image to look to when contemplating their own religious heritage.This brings us to the point of religious iconography and the Islamic faith. Religious iconograp hy does not play as significant a role in Muslim religious life than in early(a) religions. This is overdue in part to their trepidation about displaying the human form in a religious setting. This writer feels that this piece could be progenyn a number of different ways depending on the perspective, whether Muslim, Christian, or Jew. For Muslims if would take them back to a time of Muslim supremacy, when they owned one of the close principal(prenominal) cities in their religion.Jerusalem is a significant city for the Muslims. According to various scholars, Jerusalem is significant because it is believed it is the city from which Muhammad rose to heaven. It is also significant because some of Islams most significant prophets (Abraham and Jesus) pr apieceed and taught. It is also a place to which Muhammad made an historic night pilgrimage. For Christians and Jews, it would be a solemn reminder that there was a time when Christians and Jews lost their most holy city to a people t hey deemed infidels.It would bring about a profound sense of distress and loss and might inspire a fighting spirit in Jews and Christians to reclaim their city. Over the years, the passions the Muslims gather in over Jerusalem pick up become inflamed to the point of outright violence. The attitudes have only gotten to a greater extent intense and more inflexible towards the Holy City. This writer feels that the clock have only served to strengthen the resoluteness of Muslims to reclaim the city that they perceive as theirs. Emotionally, the tensions in the region have made Muslims even more determined to control the city completely.As significant as Jerusalem is to Muslims, it also has a unconditional significance to Jews. Jews actually fee as if the city belongs to them and was bequeathed to them by God thousands of years ago. It is so significant that dozens of Psalms were written about the city. One of the Psalms is 125, which says in part, as the mountains surround Jerusal em, so the victor surrounds His people from this time forth and forever (verse 2). In this painting by Irv Davis, one plays an encapsulated city of Jerusalem surrounded by grey mountains.The city is cream, almost white, and it is implied that the city is made of marble. The sky is blue and the sunshine is shining, adding to the shine on the city. One can imply that the encapsulation is the spirit of God surrounding the city and protect it from outsiders and enemies. The contrasts are very sharp, the darkness of the mountains are contrasted with the whiteness and purity of the city. This obviously represents a very green Jerusalem. This also represents a time when the Jews were extremely fervent about their faith and wished to follow the Lord and prove his will.This picture represents a Jerusalem on the rise. It is also a bit on the allegorical side, with the girlish city representing a young faith. The youthfulness of the city represents the fervency of the believers. They wi sh to follow the Lord and, as with anything new, the new city represents a new faith. This piece of art could be taken by the three groups in different ways. For Jews, it represents a time in their history when they had a true passion for God and would write songs of praise to the Lord using their most holy city as an inspiration.For Muslims, it would be a forbidding reminder that a region and city of the world they felt they originally owned had been forcibly removed(p) from their possession and would remain in control of another group for several thousand years. They would also quetch the fact that a new faith system would be replacing the polytheism that had dominated the region in the years prior to the Jewish takeover. Jews view the city of Jerusalem with as many passions and emotions as the Muslims. They see it as one of the most significant cities of their faith, and as such, wish to reclaim it as a purely Judeo-Christian city.The emotions of the Jews towards the city hav e always been strong, but over time, have waxed and waned, leading to the times that we have now where the Jews are fighting as passionately for the city as their Muslim counterparts. both groups have legitimate religious and traditional claims to the city, yet either refuses to give in and relent towards their passions for the city. They each want the city, and are willing to do just about anything to get and maintain control over it. Christians have a whole other unique perspective on the city of Jerusalem.Before we can discuss the artistic expression of the selected artwork, it bears discussing the cultural ties that bind Christians to the city of Jerusalem. Christians view the city as very important because not only did Jesus make his triumphal entry into the city during Holy Week, but also taught in the region. Additionally, the apostles taught in the region and it was from the city of Jerusalem that Christianity was established in the form of Christs death and resurrection. Th e piece of art that was selected was some hand painted tiles from Jerusalem that show scenes from the triumphal entry and major scenes from Holy Week.The tiles are well-painted and detailed. Though they are also twentieth century, the story they secure condenses the entire story of Christianity in four small tiles. They are done in yellows, blues, white, black, and red. These tiles show an older, wiser Jerusalem. There is an overall sadness to the scenes, when one places the tiles in the context of the Bible, one can find that there is so a sadness, but at the same time a joy in the scene beingness depicted. It is ironic that death represents life and deliver, but that is indeed what this scene and this depiction of Jerusalem shows.For Christians, Jerusalem represents the birth of their religion and the new life that is promised from the rising from the dead of Christ. Though there whitethorn be other cities that are significant in Christendom, for Christians, the events that tr anspired the week of Holy Week in Jerusalem are what assure the promises made in all the other cities. This piece of art could be taken by the three religions in different ways. For Christians, obviously, there is an association with the outright birth of the religion.The death that occurred outside Jerusalem be the birth of a whole new belief system. For Jews, while the beliefs of Christian might be unusual, would see Christians as having as legitimate a claim to the city as they do, since they feel that the two groups idolize the same God. For Muslims, the scenes simply show significant scenes in the life of a major prophet of their faith. They may view the Christians claims towards the city as interesting, but not as significant nor as important as their own claim towards the city.Christian attitudes towards the city have always been passionate, and they actually fought vii social movements that were specifically designed to take back the city from the Muslims. While they we re not successful for long in keeping the Muslims out, they were able to develop a life of peaceful coexistence with the Muslims. Christians traditionally have supported the Jewish claim towards the city, as evidenced in the fact that we actively support the mission of Israel today.Christian passions have always been high for the city, but they have cooled over time, and we no longer actively seek to crusade against those we perceive as infidels. Christians now instead seek peaceful coexistence with other groups, but especially the Muslims. Christians are a pragmatic people that see the realities of the situation and only seek to have the best attainable outcomes for all the parties. As one can see from the above statements, Jerusalem holds a special place in the hearts of all three religions. While it has inflamed passions, it has also inspired Psalmists and believers for centuries.We should seek intelligence of the situations that create the passions and instead of seeming to re main in a state of constant conflict. We should view Jerusalem as a source of inspiration and not as a source of contention. The worlds three largest religions each have legitimate claims to the city and each needs to give up something in order to get access to the one city that they all deem to be the most important in their religion. The city is a true test of negotiation and faith, and as such should remain a source of inspiration. Bibliography about. com, Painting of Jerusalem Psalms. Judaism. 2000. 19 Apr 2009 http//www. judaism. about. com/library/2_artlit/bl_artpsalms_ff. htm. (picture URL) about. com, Painting of Jerusalem Psalms. Judaism. 2000. 26 Apr 2009 http//www. judaism. about. com/library/2_artlit/bl_artpsalms_f. htm. Arab Art Gallery. Arab Art Gallery. 2004. 19 Apr 2009 http//arabartgallery. com/qud115. htm. Easter Gift-Holy Easter Week. Jerusalem Pottery. 2009. 19 Apr 2009 http//www. jerusalempottery. biz/products/Tiles/christian/easter_gift. htm. Importance of J erusalem in Judaism and Israeli History. 2005. zionism-israel. com. 23 Apr 2009 http//www. zionism-israel. com/his/Jerusalem_history. htm. Memorandum of their Beatitudes the Patriarchs and of the Heads of the Christian Communities in Jerusalem on the Significance of Jerusalem for Christians. al-bushra. org. 14, Nov 1994. 23 Apr 2009 http//www. al-bushra. org/hedchrch/memorandum. htm. Procon. org, What is the Significance of Jerusalem for Muslims. 21 May 2008. procon. org. 26 Apr 2009 http//www. israelipalestinian. procon. org/viewanswers. asp? questionID=521.