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Description and comparative analysis of the celebrations of different religions and confessions
Celebrations
Giotto, Pentecost, 1303-1305, the Scrovegni Chapel, Padua. Pentecost is the last of the Stories of the Passion of Jesus frescoed in the Scrovegni Chapel. Pentecost is being celebrated in a structure set obliquely in space, and whose Gothic arcades permit a view of the interior. The disciples have gathered, and rays from the Holy Ghost descend upon them. Their faces show astonishment and transfiguration. It is worth noting that the setting of the Pentecost is very nearly the only one at Padua that directly reflects contemporary Gothic architecture.
Beato Angelico, Triptych of the Last Judgment, Ascension and Pentecost, 1450-1455, Corsini National Gallery, Rome. Inside the triptych, the side panel on the right is dedicated to Pentecost. Remarkable is the scrocio of the dove that is turned upside down on the disciples, because it coincides with the vanishing point corresponding to the mullioned window above, behind the dove itself. In this painting Beato Angelico lets the mystery of the action of the Holy Spirit emerge in the world that with his strength (δύναμις) acts in the life of man in a powerful way, but also discreet and silent.
Alessandro Bonvicino, called Moretto, Pentecost, 1543-1544, Tosio Martinengo Art Gallery, Brescia. According to the canonical system, in the center is the Madonna surrounded by the Apostles, all those struck in the forehead by the rays coming from the Holy Spirit who, in the form of a dove, stands out on the upper part of the canvas. The scene takes place in an environment covered by a cross vault and open on all four sides.
Emil Nolde, The Pentecost, 1909, Nationalgalerie, Berlin. Nolde devoted 55 paintings to sacred themes from 1909 to 1951, thus bearing witness to his religious convictions, although in practice they were very personal. In this picture, while all have a tongue of fire on their heads, various faces express resignation, shock, exuberance, quiet prayer, and downright terror. It beautifully depicts a wide range of responses to the descent of the Spirit. So too, the life of faith admits of a variety of doubts, struggles, and challenges.
Doménikos Theotokópoulos most widely known as El Greco, The Pentecost, 1597-1600, Prado Museum, Madrid. El Greco made this painting as part of an altarpiece for the church of the monastery Lady Mary of Aragon in Madrid. The altarpiece also included an Annunciation, Baptism, Crucifixion and Resurrection. The flames of the Holy Ghost descend on Mary, the apostles and some woman. The bald, bearded Apostle who looks out at the viewer from the right of the canvas has been identified as a self-portrait, or as a portrait of the artist´s friend, Antonio de Covarrubias.
What is Pentecost? From the Greek meaning “fifty,” the festival of Pentecost celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit to the apostles on the fiftieth day after Easter. On this day, we worship the Lord, who gives life to His Church, by decorating the church in red and by focusing on the work of the Holy Spirit.