Essay about Art History

Submitted By Michaela-Lewellen
Words: 341
Pages: 2

The first work is the Apse Mosaic by an unknown artist. The second work is The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh. The subject of the Apse Mosaic is the Transfiguration of Christ. The period of The Starry Night was Post-Impressionist. The period of the Apse Mosaic was the Early Byzantine Era. The medium is a Mosaic that dated from 533-549 CE. The Starry Night dated from 1889, and was created from oil on canvas. The Apse Mosaic shows an even in Christ’s life. It was when Peter, James, and John who were three of the twelve Apostles saw Christ change in his appearance so that he shone with his real divinity. When they saw him on top of the mountain, he was between Moses and Elijah. A voice from Heaven declared that he was the Beloved Son of God. The cross’ symbolism was predicting the coming death of Christ, and the sheep represent Christ and the Twelve Apostles. The Starry Night was painted a year before Vincent van Gogh died. The village of Saint-Remy was shown in painting, which was where the hospital he stayed in when was ill was located. Vincent van Gogh believed that death was a route to the stars, and expressed this in a letter to his brother. The Cypress trees in the painting were the traditional symbol of death, which appear in several other of van Gogh’s paintings. Both the Apse Mosaic and The Starry Night have symbolism in them. The Apse Mosaic has the cross which was predicting the coming death of Christ, and it had the sheep which represent Christ and the