Art and Ritual Life Symbolism Essay

Art and architecture have been used I many cases to express the human belief about mortality and come up with places of worship. Over the years, many buildings and sculptures have been created for different ritualistic functions. These structures have unique designs to most other buildings to cater for their specific religious or ritualistic needs (Sachant et al. 275). Various factors influence the size and the shape of the sculpture or building. For example, the design of a building will be very large or outdoor if the designated audience expected to be attending the worship are in large numbers. A sculpture also will be designed to be large if to be viewed and used in a ritual gathering involving large gatherings.

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An example of such building is the Kaaba Sacred Building in Mecca. The Kaaba is considered as the sacred house of God by the Muslim religion. The building is in the shape of a black box which was made mostly using granite taken from the hills near Mecca and hardwood. It stands 15 meters high, 10.5 meters wide and 12 meters long (Al Hussein). Currently, the whole building covered cloth which is gold embroidered. On the eastern Cornerstone is the main subject of interest which is the mysterious black stone. Muslim believe that Ishmael was handed this black stone by angel Gabriel making this site the Most Holy site in the world where God dwells.

The ritualistic functions that Kaaba plays are during the Hajj festivals. Once a year, millions of people go to Mecca specifically to the Kaaba for the Hajj ritual which is a ritual for signifying one's commitment to God (Reem). The design of the building is in such a way that it allows one of the Haj rituals which are the circling of the Kaaba. The surrounding of the Kaaba is a considerable field which enables the shrine to accommodate all the millions of people. Also around Kaaba is a structure signified as the devil which it is used in the "stoning the devil" ritual.

The other ritualistic function of the Kaaba is its unifying factor. The Kaaba acts as the center of the Islam religion, and able devotees are expected to visit Macca once in their lifetime. Being a center of religion for the Muslim religion, Muslims therefore usually pray when facing Mecca which is believed to be the house of God on earth.

The second piece of art that carries a lot of historical ritualistic significance is the Bruges Madonna and Child. It is a sculpture of a lady and child that is 49 inches high, 28 inches deep and 24 inches wide. Its work started in early the year 1504 and was done by the renowned artist Michelangelo (Sheedy). At the moment when Michelangelo started working on this extraordinary sculpture, he had already had other works commissioned in the past. The perspective surrounding the Bruges Madonna and child is quite unclear especially regarding its commission, and its rightful owner. Over the years, it had been sold all over the world, but after a recent court battle, the Church of our Lady in Bruges in Belgium was given the custody of this over the five-century-old sculpture.

Despite the unclear circumstances surrounding this sculpture, its ritualistic functions are quite clear. Michelangelo decided to use a different approach and theme in this particular mass sculpture as compared to the other similar work he did. The Bruges Madonna carry the common Christian theme of the birth and the infantry of Jesus Christ. However, unlike the common sculptures where Virgin Mary was seen sitting down with Jesus on her Lap, this one was different. Michelangelo curved Jesus not on Mary's lap but instead on her knees as if He was on his way to the ground.

Also, unlike the other Sculpture bearing this theme which portrayed Mary as a fragile young lady who Is joyous with child, this particular sculpture depicted Mary and Jesus slightly different. In this Sculpture, Mary and Child was composed and not smiling as if they already knew their mission on earth and the results. She also sat in a stoic posture which showed Son's royal position in the church of God and His duty on earth.

The ritualistic function of this sculpture is used during mass and common worship in a typical Catholic church. The Sculpture is placed just before the altar where offerings are made by the priest to signify the birth and transition of Jesus into this world where He will be a sacrifice. The other function of this Sculpture comes during the prayer sessions where Catholic faithful usually bow to the symbol of the World's savior while offering their prayers. These are just a few of the numerous artwork all over the world that not only bear ritualistic functions but also is an integral part of worship.

Works Cited

Al Hussein, Ibrahim. "In Pictures: What the Kaaba's Interior Looks Like." 4 Dec. 2016, english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2016/12/04/What-the-Kaaba-s-interior-looks-like.html.

Reem. "The Kaba - The Sacred House of God." Inside Islam | Dialogues and Debates; Challenging Misconceptions, Illuminating Diversity, 2013, insideislam.wisc.edu/2012/02/important-sites-the-kaba/.

Sachant, P. J., et al. "Art and Ritual Life Symbolism of Space and Ritual Objects, Mortality, and Immortality." Introduction to art: Design, context, and meaning, 1st ed., University of North Georgia Press, 2016, pp. 253-277.

Sheedy, Lindsay. "Marble Made Flesh: Michelangelo's Bruges Madonna in the Service of Devotion." Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations, vol. 5, no. 1, 2016, pp. 1-116.