Religion

Sculpture of Garuda

Hinduism

Sculpture of Garuda (Hinduism)
Bali, Indonesia, 1991
Wood
CMC

Each of the Hindu deities has an animal for a personal “vehicle”. Vishnu, the “preserver” and one of the most important Hindu gods, rides an eagle, Garuda.

Continuity between all forms of life underlies Hindu belief. Animals are revered and incorporated into a pantheon.

Continuity between all forms of life underlies Hindu belief. Animals are revered and incorporated into the pantheon of deities, both in their natural forms and as composite beings with some human physical attributes. This is visible in the earliest historical evidence of Hindu iconography. The animal forms often symbolize qualities that complement those of their divine masters and join different worlds.

God, Gods, Spirits, Ancestors

Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Sikhism are monotheistic religions; they recognize one God. Hinduism, Shintoism, Daoism and the traditional Chinese religions acknowledge the existence of several gods. They are polytheistic, and their gods form a pantheon. Religious systems that are based on belief in a world inhabited by spirits are called animistic. These spirits — supernatural, invisible entities — are the souls of ancestors and elements of nature: water, trees, rocks and animals.

Combining aspects of two or more belief systems, syncretic religions are particularly common in Latin America.

II Timothy 2:11

Tsimshian

Roy Vickers (1946– )
British Columbia, 1976
Serigraph, ink on paper
CMC

The head of Jesus Christ is depicted in First Nations graphic-art style. Christian missionary work, which began as early as the 17th century, has left a legacy of both Christian and traditional beliefs in many First Nations communities across Canada. The title of this print refers to a passage from the Bible: “If we have died with him, we will also live with him.”

Painting

Islam

Fares Malaeb (1930–1995)
Wetaskiwin, Alberta, 1960
Paint on paper
CMC

The words “Rely on God” (Hasbi Allah) are painted in two styles of Arabic script. After immigrating to Canada, artist-calligrapher Fares Malaeb created works in the decorative Arabic style for friends and businesses run by both Muslims and Christians.

Islam forbids the depiction of God and is wary of figurative art, hence the importance of calligraphy as an art in its own right. Artists write one of God’s ninety-nine names in elegant arabesques created with letters, foliage and sinuous lines.

Muslims believe in one God, Allah. The creator and master of the universe, Allah is eternal, transcendent, all-powerful and all-knowing. His revelations to the prophet Muhammad are contained in the Holy Koran (Qur’an). Muslims strive to fulfill five duties that are expected of them. These are called the Five Pillars of Islam: profession of faith, ritual prayer five times each day, giving alms to the poor, fasting during the month of Ramadan and making a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Christ the Redeemer

Christianity

Tara Snihurowyez (1918– )
Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1989
Wood, copper, acrylic paint
CMC

Some artists in Canada depicting Christian themes have adopted the Eastern Orthodox style of icon painting. Icons are images of the Holy Family and saints. This one shows Jesus Christ. Orthodox worshippers view the painted image with holy reverence and affection, and sometimes kiss the icon.

Drum

Vodou

Haiti, 1999
Wood, skin
CMC

Vodou is a Haitian belief system that merges elements of West African, Catholic and indigenous traditions. Drums play an important role in vodou rituals. This one is linked to the Rada “family” of spirits.

Image of “Che”

Ecuador, 2008
Cacao leaf, paint
CMC

The well-known image of South American revolutionary hero Ernesto “Che” Guevara still circulates on posters, T-shirts and every other form imaginable. Guevara’s reputation was forged in the Cuban revolution but spread to the rest of the world, where he has become an icon of popular culture.

The twentieth century saw the emergence of “atheistic religions”, whose ideology is very much inspired by religious and sacred symbols. That ideology is often personified by a leader who has been deified and is said to be infallible: Stalin, Hitler, Kim Il Sung or Mao… An apolitical version of the “personality cult” is the worship of media figures like Elvis Presley. Can this still be considered religion?