Abstract
Based on a thorough reading of Saint Ignatius of Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises (1541), this article inquires about the theological foundation that prompted a spiritual revolution and allowed the consolidation of a visually centered religious culture in Spain during the second half of the sixteenth century. Given the treatises's handbook nature, part of the study will center on certain authors, Jerónimo Nadal and Fray Luis de Granada, for example, who were responsible for interpreting and expanding it. One element that is traced and examined within this new way of comprehending the visual is the role of the faithful as a spectator confronting a sacred image. How should he respond to the image and how must he conceive the nature of the divine with regard to it? By trying to answer these questions, the reader is encouraged to reflect upon a key period in the history of European religious art, the moment in which the confessional battle consolidated two very distinct ways of approaching divinity: word and image.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call