The Impact of the Reformation on the Fine Arts -- By: John D. Wilsey

Journal: Faith and Mission
Volume: FM 23:2 (Spring 2006)
Article: The Impact of the Reformation on the Fine Arts
Author: John D. Wilsey


The Impact of the Reformation on the Fine Arts

John D. Wilsey

Ph.D. Student in Theological Studies (Philosophy of Religion)
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Wake Forest, North Carolina 27587

Introduction

Music and art have given expression to the most profound of human longings and emotions. Since ancient times, music and art have plumbed the depths of man’s interpretation of his experience with the physical and spiritual worlds. Even a casual study of the history of music and art in the West will reveal not only a wide range of styles and motifs, but also the progression of Western thought from premodern to modern to postmodern. Music and art are frequently known to transcend the writings and the speeches of great men and women who have attempted to give voice to the ceaseless human desire for that which is both beautiful and eternal. Long after the words of great orators have been forgotten, the work of masterful musicians and painters has served to inspire.

Add to this deep significance of art and music the theological, political, and philosophical movement known as the Protestant Reformation in Europe. The great church historian Jaroslav Pelikan has placed the Reformation in the timeline of Western European events between the deaths of Thomas Aquinas and Bonaventure in 1274 to the births of Bach and Handel in 1685.1 Of course, the historical point of reference most associated with the start of the Reformation is Martin Luther’s posting of the Ninety-Five Theses on the church door at Wittenberg in 1517. Great volumes have been written on the significance of the Reformation upon history, so this is not the place to rehearse what others have said on this subject. Simply to say that the Reformation represents a fundamental shift in the way many European Christians viewed the Bible and salvation will be sufficient here. When music and art are met by this fundamental shift in thought, theology, and practice, the impact of the shift upon them is truly incredible. The present writer will attempt to show that the Reformation made all the difference in the work of two masters of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) in music and Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669) in art. Without the shift in thought, theology, and practice presented to the West by the Reformation, Bach and Rembrandt would not have made the contributions to music and art that they most certainly made. We will first consider some general effects of the Reformation upon music and art in the seventeenth century and will then analyze what impact it made on the music of Bach and the art of Rembrandt in particular.

The General I...
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