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Mikeal C. Parsons

Mikeal C. Parsons teaches in Baylor University’s religion department.

On Art

Conversion of the Magdalene, by Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1652/53)

Artemisia Gentileschi is the most famous female artist of the Italian Baroque period. Her Conversion of the Magdalene was likely executed in Florence in 1615–16....
July 8, 2019
On Art

The Good Samaritan, from the Codex Purpureus Rossanensis (early sixth century)

The sixth-century Codex Rossanensis is one of several “purple codices” written on expensive, purple-dyed vellum....
June 6, 2019
On Art

Pentecost, by Giorgio Vasari

The painter and architect Giorgio Vasari (1511–1574) was best known for writing biographies of artists, which were compiled in nine volumes....
May 17, 2019
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On Art

The Healing of the Cripple and the Raising of Tabitha, by Tommaso Masolino da Panicale

This fresco is part of a 15th-century cycle of works related to the disciple Peter that was created by Tommaso Masolino (1383–1447) and Tommaso Massacio for the Brancacci Chapel in the Church of Sa...
April 11, 2019
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On Art

Calvary, by Andrea Mantegna

Andrea Mantegna (1431–1506) was only 26 when he received the commission for the predellas (horizontal panels) beneath the high altar in the church of San Zeno in Verona, Italy....
March 20, 2019
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On Art

Last Judgment, by Gislebertus (ca. 1130)

The medieval Cathedral of St. Lazare in Autun, France, constructed in about 1120, contained relics of St. Lazarus....
February 14, 2019
On Art

The Presentation of the Christ Child in the Temple, by Ludovico Carracci (1555–1619)

The origins of the Feast of the Presentation are obscure, but by the sixth century the observance was combined with the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin (both based on Luke 2:22–40) and cele...
January 25, 2019
On Art

The Nativity, stained glass, Chartres Cathedral, France, 1194–1260

A section of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Chartres, France, contains 30 stained-glass scenes of the infancy of Christ, including this one of the Nativity....
December 21, 2018
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On Art

Flight into Egypt, by Giotto di Bondone

A series of frescoes by Giotto (1266–1337) in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua follow the life of Christ. In this image, Mary is clearly the dominant figure....
November 29, 2018
On Art

The Sermon on the Mount and Healing of the Leper, by Cosimo Rosselli

When Pope Sixtus IV commissioned the building of the Sistine Chapel in the papal residence, he called on Cosimo Rosselli (1439–1507) to paint several frescoes on the long north wall....
November 2, 2018

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On Art

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, by Albrecht Dürer

A self-published collection of 15 woodcuts, The Apocalypse, by Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) continues to influence how artists employ woodcuts and how the faithful interpret the apocalyptic ...
October 4, 2018
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On Art

The Last Supper, by Domenico Ghirlandaio

The many and varied portrayals of the Last Supper continue to attract viewers not only because of the sacramental importance of the event they depict, but because they explore the relationships bet...
September 7, 2018
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On Art

The Sacrifice at Lystra, by Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio) (1483–1520)

As the newly elected Pope Leo X, Giovanni de’ Medici chose Raphael to design wall coverings for his private chapel, the Sistine....
August 10, 2018
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On Art

Christ Appears to Mary Magdalene (Noli me tangere), by Bronzino

In John’s Gospel (20:11–18), after Mary Magdalene discovers the stone has been removed from Jesus’ tomb, she lingers in the garden. She sees Jesus but mistakes him for a gardener....
July 6, 2018
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On Art

St. Jerome, by Gian Lorenzo Bernini

In this sculpture, Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680) depicts St. Jerome, the fourth-century hermit and scholar....
May 18, 2018
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On Art

Ezekiel and the Valley of Life, fresco, ca. 239

The synagogue at Dura, in present-day Syria, contained three murals recounting the history of Israel from the ancestral period through the exile and resettlement of the land.
April 20, 2018

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