Since most great art for 1000 years had lots of religious references,can atheists appreciate it?

Question

I mean,unless they've studied Christianity. Otherwise,wouldn't they be kind of lost? Even I have to use a Bible dictionary somewhat when I'm reading 18th or 19th century literature and of course renaissance poetry and painting couldn't possibly have much resonance even as art if you don't know what the imagery references. Or not? Opinions? Serious please. Let's start with obvious examples like Dante or Milton.

Answer 1

An Atheist can appreciate the technique and style however you wont be able to truly understand or feel the image the artist was portraying.

Answer 2

Sure.
My favorite: the triptych of the Heaven, Earth and Hell by Bosch ( El Vosco in Spain). The paint is in El Prado Museum, Madrid. Do you know that the paints of Pablo Picasso are in some way communist? The symbol of the white dove of the peace (used by the United Nations) is an anti-American war symbol.
Art can be good regardless of the creators believe. Remember that the arts is a reflection of the society on the epoch the piece was made." Atheist" Art in the Middle Ages or even in the Renaissance can be a dead sentence.

Answer 3

I appreciate art of all kinds. What you fail to mention or realize is that much of the old art is religious in nature because it was primary the catholic church that commissioned the artist to paint such paintings. The artists painted what they were told and commissioned to paint. Many of the artists of the most famous paintings were not famous or rich at the time they painted so they painted for the cash and they painted what they were told so the church would commission them again. To do otherwise would be banishment from the church and the 'in' to the church and the money.

Answer 4

Atheists can read the Bible and understand art based on it. Most religious art is beautiful. We just don't believe it's true.

Similarly, I would HOPE you can appreciate Greek art more after studying a little Greek mythology, even though you don't believe in Zeus or Athena, etc.. It's not that hard to see art for art.

Answer 5

You can appreciate art on many levels. Knowing the context can be a useful benefit but that is available to anyone who cares to do the research whether it is historical, mythological or religious.
Many people appreciate the art of Ancient Egypt without ever having worshipped their many gods.

Answer 6

yes we can appreciate it. just like we can appreciate literature.

just because we're atheist doesn't mean we've never read the bible. in fact, most of us have and we've ended up rejecting it.


that said, art and literature are subjective. you don't HAVE to know what is alluded to in order to get something out of it. if you read a poem with allusions to greek mythology, yet know nothing about greek mythology, this doesn't mean that the poem has no meaning to you, it just means something different. that's the great thing about art and literature. 100 different people can look at a work and get 100 different things out of it. that's what makes it great and that's what makes it resonate for centuries.

Answer 7

Of course. I'm an atheist and I take real pleasure in reading all forms of mythology and fiction - much of which is featured in great art. Almost all atheists have studied religion, by the way. From knowledge comes clarity.

Answer 8

Your question is insulting. Just because someone doesn't believe something, it doesn't mean they don't understand it. Can you appreciate Judaic or Islamic art? Can you understand Asian history if you're not Asian? Do you really think that only Christians are educated? Are you saying that an educated Muslim, Hindu or Jew can't understand Milton or Dante? You're a bigot.

Answer 9

You can understand religious references without actually being religious, just as you can any other references - you can research the sources, the artists, etc. in the same way you would research, say, ancient Rome or the Napoleonic wars.

Answer 10

I would think yes.

I love Celtic art and music, even though I don't accept much of the underlying religious connotations that it has. Good art is good art.