Abstract
This paper is a discussion of the cared wooden crucifix that supposedly hung for many years in a monastery near Treviso, a small town about 25 miles northwest of Venice, in northern Italy. The paper relates that this crucifix is classified as a "volto santo" or holy face depiction of Christ, who is shown as in glory, without an expression of pain.

From the Paper
"A good deal of our fascination with medieval art is an attraction to the symbolism of this art. While some aspects of this art are relatively realistic, in other regards, it deliberately foregoes realism in favor of symbolic aspects. Another fascinating element of this art is the comparative anonymity of the artists who created it. For many medieval works of art, including many of the amazing cathedrals that still stand as the foremost architectural wonders of western Europe, we have no idea who the artists were who created these works. As a mark of how very different this social order was from our own, the artists left virtually no record..."

Tags:medieval, art, crucifix

Abstract
This paper explores the development of the crucifix and the crucifixion of Jesus and its significance both religiously and artistically. The author begins with the first appearance of the crucifix as religious art in the Eastern Roman Empire in the 5th. century A.D. and follows its evolution through to the modern day. The author describes in detail some of the more significant examples of the depiction of the crucifixion and attempts to explain the reasons behind the development of the art form both from a religious standpoint and an artistic one.

From the Paper
"The first depictions of the crucifix come from the Eastern Roman Empire. Constantine the Great was the Emperor that made Christianity the official religion of Rome. During this transition from pagan religion's to Christianity art was not a major concern for the church. More importantly the church, as did Constantine, wanted to build churches, and other buildings of worship to spread Christianity. This was the beginning of church architecture and basically the beginning of modern day Christian religions. Although art wasn't a priority at the time there are examples of religious art from this time period. Realism was not a particular concern in early depictions of the crucifix. For the most part the image of Jesus was portrayed with little or no emotion. Realistic anatomy was also ignored which resulted in unrealistic proportions of the human body. A good example of what most crucifixes looked like at the time is this relief sculpture."

Tags:Constantine, Emperor, Christianity, religion, church

Abstract
This paper states that Christian art, which is one of the few forms of art based almost entirely on symbolism, is one of the most diverse genres of art in the world. The paper specifically discuses the phoenix, the pomegranate, the crucifix, the crown of thorns, the rose and the tomb as a few of the prominent symbols contained in Christian art. The paper concludes that, without these symbols, it is very likely that many of the images and stories of the oral tradition of the Church may have been lost.

From the Paper
"The crucifix is also a great example of how the same basic symbol can represent different ideas. Take, for example, the christus triumphans style of the crucifix. In this version, the image of Chris is alive on the cross, head held high. This is to represent that while Jesus did suffer and die physically on the cross he was triumphant in the end because his actions cleanse the sins of all of his followers. In stark contrast to this is the christus patiens. This image of Christ shows the figure slumped on the cross, head down, eyes closed, obviously either suffering greatly or dead."

Tags:crucifix, popularity, phoenix, donatello, aid

Abstract
This paper explains that one of the most unique and forthright features of the Greek Church, the iconostasis, a screen running from wall-to-wall and decorated with icons, is the prime causal factor to differentiate the architecture of a Greek Orthodox church from Roman and Latin churches. The author points out that the most frequently used icon in the sketch of the Greek Byzantine iconostasis is "The Crucifix with Mary and John", whereas, the most frequent icon in the sketch of the Russian Orthodox iconostasis is a simple cross at the top.

Table of Contents
Introduction
The Emergence of the Iconostasis as a Consistent Theme in Byzantine Orthodox Churches
Influences that Impacted the Emergence of the Iconostasis in the East Orthodox Churches
Salient Features of the Greek Orthodox Churches and How Their Iconostasis Spread to Russia
Listing [by Frequency] of Icons in the Sketch of the Greek Byzantine Iconostasis
Russian Iconostasis of the Orthodox Church Established during the 17th-19th Centuries
Listing [by Frequency] of Icons in the Sketch of the Russian Orthodox Iconostasis
The Relevance of Iconoclasts as Perceived by St. John of Damascus and Pavel Florensky
Conclusion (s)

From the Paper
"It would also be noteworthy to here acknowledge that even before being influenced by oriental trends in concern to the iconostasis early Greek Churches had a minor fence about waist high or lower, that divided the altar from the people. Naught more than an essential barrier or columns, it was common for this fence to be adorned with pictures of the saints at the top. This barrier, invariably comprised of columns at the top of which the pictures were affixed, can be idealized as the first instance of the iconoclast within the interior of the church. Gradually and eventually, the iconostasis evolved from a rather unexceptional separating fence into a "a great screen or partition running from side to side of the apse or across the entire end of the church". The iconostasis eventually came to completely obscure the altar as well as the sanctuary from the portion of the church where the worshipers are located. Solid materials, such as stone, wood and metal began to be employed in the construction of iconostasis and the final version, which is still seen today, had three doors within it. The center door, known as the royal door, leads directly to the altar while the doors to the right and left are respectively the deacon's door and the door leading to the area of the preparation of liturgy."

Tags:florensky, fence, icon, influence, differenciate

Abstract
The paper discusses how Daniel K. Richter's emphasis in his article "Imagining a Distant New World" on the importance of gifts to Native Americans and his descriptions of the exchange of gifts between European explorers and Native Americans demonstrate the vast cultural gulf that existed between the natives and the newcomers from across the sea. The paper describes how Native Americans were generally bewildered and even appalled by the gifts they were offered, such as Catholic crucifixes, which they understandably perceived as a frightening image of a man being cruelly tortured.

From the Paper
"Daniel K. Richter's emphasis in his article "Imagining a Distant New World" on the importance of gifts to Native Americans and his descriptions of the exchange of gifts between European explorers and Native Americans demonstrate the vast cultural gulf that existed between the natives and the newcomers from across the sea. Native Americans were generally bewildered and even appalled by the gifts they were offered, such as Catholic crucifixes, which they understandably perceived as a frightening..."

Tags:a, distant, world