Museum assignment - Research Paper Example

It was thought that only the priests and others who had taken religious orders could properly interpret God’s word, so it was forbidden for ordinary people to read the bible. Therefore, icons were painted and adorned churches in order to provide the salient stories from the bible for the public to allow them to contemplate and understand the bible. They were used for lessons and so that the people could remember the important parts of the bible, especially the New Testament and the Gospels, and also to inspire as the people believed that if they venerated the image of Jesus or a saint, their actions would pass on to the figure depicted (Lossky and Ouspenky 1999).

Icons were created on all kinds of surfaces, including fine linen, wooden plaques and etchings on metal. What binds them together is the intent as a religious icon to venerate and upon which to meditate, the distinctive style with the figures generally lacking perspective or three dimensionality and the text which is true to the subject. The visual elements of this icon are consistent with the story from the New Testament of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem amid cheering crowds and joy, as he was recognized as the Savior.

However, the Israelites thought the savior would come as an earthly king, so when it came to pass that Jesus was sacrificed instead, many did not believe He was the Savior. This icon represents Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, just a week before He would be sacrificed upon the cross. The twelve apostles are represented and they are the same size as Christ. There is a woman with a child dressed in red, which could have been Mary Magdalene, but who the child would be is a mystery.

Christ’s mother, Mary, cannot be seen. The style is highly stylized in the Russian Orthodox style of iconography("Icon." 1-1). The perspective is all flat, as if