Blood, Tears and Pain – Imagination and Emotionality on the Example of Polychrome Baroque Sculptures on Holy Stairs Cover Image

Krev, slzy a bolest – Imaginace a emocionalita na příkladu polychromovaných barokních plastik ze svatých schodů
Blood, Tears and Pain – Imagination and Emotionality on the Example of Polychrome Baroque Sculptures on Holy Stairs

Author(s): Tereza Horáková
Subject(s): Fine Arts / Performing Arts, Visual Arts, Social psychology and group interaction
Published by: Univerzita Karlova v Praze, Nakladatelství Karolinum
Keywords: baroque sculpture; emotions; pain; tears; holy stairs; purgatory; polychromy

Summary/Abstract: What is the difference between the pain of Christ and the Virgin Mary? How is pain reflected in sculptures of the Baroque period in Bohemia and Moravia? And how did contemporary pious spectators react to these impulses? Baroque spirituality of the 18th century, particularly the theme of pain, will be demonstrated on the phenomenon of sculpture of the Holy Stairs. These chapels can be found in churches or cloisters, and they are subject to specific liturgy and space arrangements where we can find a particular representation of Christ, as well as the Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist. Different types of pain and their representation in the sculpture of that time are illustrated on several examples of Holy Stairs, including the stairs at the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and St. Charles the Great in Prague.

  • Issue Year: 2021
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 261-275
  • Page Count: 15
  • Language: Czech