Ariana Jumper: Symbolism in Art 9/7/09

Symbols are used in art to communicate words using pictures. Over time, certain objects take on meanings that are beyond the obvious. For example, the dove has come to symbolize peace to me. In the Bible, God sent a dove to Noah to let him know it was okay to leave the ark; the world was at peace again. The dove is just a bird, but, through stories and experiences, it has come to be associated with peace.
The piece of art I have chosen, I was unable to find. I remember it from when I was a child and would flip through the missal during mass. It was an artist’s depiction of Pentecost. The apostles were receiving the Holy Spirit, which was represented as fire above their heads. Their faces showed fear, but it was such a special moment that they would come to understand. In other pictures of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit has been represented as a dove and light is radiating from it. But the fire in this picture made the experience sublime. It wasn’t just the light of God that was entering the apostles, it was the fiery light. It was dangerous, beautiful, and powerful. The fire not only symbolized the light of God, but also the passion for God and his works. The fire would become internal and would always remain ablaze. Fire in itself is dangerous, but when it was meant to symbolize the Holy Spirit entering these men, it became sublime.
Another symbol that is significant in my life is the ivy leaf. It is one of the symbols of my sorority. While it does not appear in religious art, that I know of, it appears in the art that we have for the sorority. We often draw the symbol on posters, put it on t-shirts, and reference it in our chants. To me, the symbol has a spiritual meaning. Like my sisters, every ivy leaf is different in its own way, but as ivy grows it winds around objects. The leaves are also intertwined on a vine. This represents how as a sisterhood we are joined together. We all have someone to turn to because we have that strong support system. And, like the ivy we will wrap ourselves around one of our sisters and the community to help with the growth that we know is possible. This is an example of how a non-religious symbol has come to have a spiritual meaning for me.