Last Judgment

Last Judgment
   The term refers to the Christian tenet that, at the end of time, Christ will return to judge mankind. The blessed will be taken up to heaven and the sinners sent to hell, where they will be punished for eternity. The subject, common in art, lends itself to the depiction of the nude in expressive gestures and poses. It also affords an opportunity for the depiction of the macabre, which was more common in Northern Europe than in the South. The most spectacular Last Judgment is Michelangelo's on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican (1536-1541). It features a profusion of muscular nudes in complex poses, typical of the master's style. In the center is Christ, his mother at his side, commanding the blessed to rise up to heaven, while the damned, clearly troubled, are pushed down by demons toward Charon, the character from Dante's Inferno who will transport them on his boat to the underworld. In Hubert and Jan van Eyck's version (1430-1435; New York, Metropolitan Museum), the blessed are lined up as they await entry into paradise, while a pile of tortured bodies cast into hell by St. Michael occupy the painting's lower portion. Hieronymus Bosch's Last Judgment (1504; Vienna, Akademie der Bildenden Künste) includes the blessed whom Christ presides over in a blue sphere that hovers above a fantastic landscape where the damned are tormented by monstrous demons in strange and inventive ways.
   See also Last Judgment, Sistine chapel, Vatican.

Historical dictionary of Renaissance art. . 2008.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Last Judgment — Judgment Day redirects here. For other uses, see Last Judgment (disambiguation) and Judgment Day (disambiguation). The Last Judgment by Lochner in the 15th century. The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, or The Day of… …   Wikipedia

  • Last Judgment — judgment (def. 8). [1550 60] * * * ▪ religion  a general, or sometimes individual, judging of the thoughts, words, and deeds of persons by God, the gods, or by the laws of cause and effect. In some religions (e.g., Christianity) the judgment is… …   Universalium

  • last judgment — n the last judgment the time after death when everyone is judged by God for what they have done in life, according to Christianity and some other religions = ↑judgment day …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Last Judgment — n. Theol. 1. the final judgment of humanity at the end of the world 2. the time of this judgment …   English World dictionary

  • Last Judgment — noun (New Testament) day at the end of time following Armageddon when God will decree the fates of all individual humans according to the good and evil of their earthly lives • Syn: ↑Judgment Day, ↑Judgement Day, ↑Day of Judgment, ↑Day of… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Last Judgment — noun The judgment day; apocalypse. Do not wait for the Last Judgment. It takes place every day …   Wiktionary

  • last judgment — noun the last judgment the time after death when everyone is judged by God for what they have done in life, according to Christianity and some other religions; judgment day …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • Last Judgment, The — • To it the prophets of the Old Testament refer when they speak of the Day of the Lord (Joel 2:31; Ezekiel 13:5; Isaiah 2:12), in which the nations will be summoned to judgment. In the New Testament the second Parusia, or coming of Christ as… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Last Judgment, the — according to Christian, Jewish, and Muslim beliefs, the time at the end of the world when God judges everyone for what they did while they were alive …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Last Judgment — Last′ Judg′ment n. rel the final trial of all people, both the living and dead, at the end of the world • Etymology: 1550–60 …   From formal English to slang

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”