> At Trent, I'm interested in the admonition against making interpretations of
> the Bible that aren't consistent with the Church's interpretations.
>
> The admonition couldn't have been directed at Protestants, because they
> wouldn't have been bound by it. Was there a problem within the Church itself
> of lay people making overly innovative interpretations of the Bible?
>
> pat sloane
It was at least partly directed at artists. There is a splendid and
amusing record of Paolo Veronese's appearance to the Inquisition to
explain a few things about a painting he had done of the Last Supper.
Why, he was asked, have you included dogs, jugglers, dwarfs, German
soldiers, etc., etc. His constant justification was artistic
licence, but he was nevertheless ordered to make changes. In fact,
all he did was change the title, to the less theologically sensitive
Feast in the House of Levi. And the presence of donors in religious
paintings, which is so prevalent in the 15th century, pretty much
died out with the Counter-Reformation.
Cheers,
Jim Bugslag
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