Religious Art Is Calming

     I've always found religious art to be quite the opposite of calming. It seemed to evoke so much guilt and fear within me, and sometimes it even felt boring to me, bringing up no feelings at all. Although I grew up Catholic, so I was mainly exposed to the artwork of only the Catholic religion. For this assignment, I wanted to discover new types of Religious artwork.

    The three artworks I chose gave me a sense of peace and calm that I've never experienced from Religious artwork before. The first one I want to address is Lakshmi on her Lotus in the Water with Elephant by Raja Ravi Varma. This piece was created in Bombay, India, in 1896. The oil painting is beloved for its divine and serene portrayal of Lakshmi. It is one of the most well-known works of Ravi Varma. It's a staple in both Indian homes and temples, symbolizing prosperity and good fortune(The Atrang, 2024). 

    In this painting, we see the Hindu Goddess of fortune, loveliness, grace, and charm, Lakshmi(Dehejia, 2022). She's shown standing on a lotus flower in a stream. The background is painted with lush greenery, a small waterfall, a few mountains, and a bright and cloudy sky. There are also some animals present, four swans and an elephant holding a mala. A mala symbolizes respect, devotion, and the cyclical nature of life and death. The mala acknowledges the continuity of existence beyond death, reflecting the profound spiritual beliefs that lie at the heart of Hinduism(Kanthiah, 2024). The elephant itself represents the attributes of the Hindu God Ganesh. Ganesh is the God of wisdom, success, and good luck. He's known to remove obstacles from an individual's path, allowing them to move forward within their endeavors. This relates to the theme I've chosen because it's very calming and reassuring to know that obstacles in your way can be removed, even when they feel monumental. Elephants are also largely known as being "gentle giants" across most cultures. They're typically peaceful creatures who move slowly and have a big yet calm presence. 

    The outfit that Lakshmi is wearing is called a saree. A saree is worn to various events, but most commonly during a religious ceremony. They're passed down through generations and deeply represent the importance of tradition, but also represent themes such as grace, femininity, confidence, and empowerment. The lotus flower has similar themes to the saree. It's a symbol in Hinduism for beauty, purity, and enlightenment. It is said that there's a lotus flower in every Hindu's heart, and that when this lotus blooms, the person achieves enlightenment(McClenaghan, 2022). The lotus directly relates to my theme as it is known to represent peace and calmness throughout multiple cultures. It's often used as a symbol in relation to meditation and the health and wellness industry. It reminds people of the beauty that can grow from the muck.

   I personally love this depiction of the Goddess Lakshmi. I enjoy all the colors Ravi Varma chose within this piece. Especially the soft shade of green he used to paint the trees. The painting brings happiness when I look at it, and I believe it's gorgeous. Her stance and direct stare make her appear confident and powerful. Almost like she has a message for the viewer. 

    Ravi Varma's use of space in this painting is one of the reasons that I think it's popular. The animals that he added to the open space within the water, being the swans and the elephant, really bring out the strong presence of the Goddess Lakshmi as the focal point. He also contributed the most detail to Lakshmi, which creates so much depth within the artwork. As you look further into the background, everything slowly loses the intricate details that we see on Lakshmi in the foreground. Ultimately, he made great use of space by overlapping within his work. Although the main focal points, such as Lakshmi and the elephant, aren't exactly overlapping, they're creating layers in this painting. 

     The painting, Lakshmi on her Lotus in the Water with Elephant, demonstrates great use of texture. Although the painting overall delivers a similar sort of grainy texture, each element itself has a distinct texture. The texture used on Lakshmi's saree makes the fabric both more flowy and smooth, while also appearing thick and heavy. Then, the use of slightly different textures within the trees and shrubs separates them from one another while still being cohesive. My favorite use of texture in this painting would be the water. The ripples within it are the most relaxing thing about this art piece. The stream is arguably the most important element in this Ravi Varma painting because it ties everything together. 

 Next, I discovered Walk of Faith, a painting by Thomas Kinkade. He's known for his depictions of luminous cottages, inspirational gardens, and faithful reflections(Thomas Kinkade Studios). He created Walk of Faith in 2010 in his home state of California. His art was intended for the general public to enjoy and hang up in their homes. He definitely created a lot of artwork that wasn't religiously affiliated, but when he did, it was based on Christian values. 

    In his painting, Jesus is depicted strolling comfortably with Peter, one of Jesus' apostles. In his hands, Peter holds the symbolic keys to God's Kingdom(Thomas Kinkade Studios). Overall, this whole scene that Kinkade has created is extremely peaceful and serene. The soft trees, along with the warm-toned path, numerous flowers, and water features, all work great together to create this gorgeous and calming oasis. 

    This painting is likely depicting the path to forgiveness. Peter is known to have denied knowing Jesus on three different occasions while actively being a follower of Jesus. Although the result was forgiveness from Jesus. Jesus said in relation to Peter's fear and brokenness from denying him, "This stuff will not hold you back from doing my work. This stuff may rear its head from time to time, but it will not win. This stuff is now mine, and in its place you can have my love and the promise of eternal relationship with me."(Thomas, 2022). This Bible story is supposed to represent the forgiveness that God offers to all of us. It demonstrates the themes of healing and love. Two things that we can find within ourselves that bring us to a calm mental state. It shows that when we mess up and hurt the ones we love, the feeling of brokenness doesn't have to follow us for eternity. There's always a chance for forgiveness to occur, thus restoring peace and love. 

    I personally see this painting as a great example of the calm that surfaces after a storm. In Kinkade's work, the water starts out rushing, but then travels under the small tunnel, hiding beneath the path, where it then settles. When you're in the storm, everything is fast and sharp like the waterfalls he painted. Then, when the storm fades, the world becomes slower, more colorful, and soft again, represented by the area where the water pools. 

    The use of movement in Thomas Kinkade's artwork completes the whole story of the piece. Of course, there is the rushing water that helps bring the work to life. But most importantly, it is how Kinkade placed Jesus and Peter in the middle of the path. Placing them here makes it appear as though they're actively moving towards the viewer, which brings movement to his painting.

    Kinkade also shows a great use of variety within this painting. Specifically, the variety of colors throughout the foliage. You can see practically every color of the rainbow within this one image, and still, it comes across as neat and realistic. He did a great job of balancing the variety of colors throughout the painting so it doesn't become overwhelming. I enjoy that he has some vibrant colors, such as red, but also has muted colors, like pink.

The last art piece I want to touch on is the Karesansui Zen Garden in Nagano, Japan, called Honryutei. There is no date listed as to when the garden was created, but it resides within the "Enkoji Temple", which was constructed in 1601. The founder of this temple was Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa, who used it as an educational institution he called "Rakuyo School." It has since been transformed into a place for mainly Zen meditation. Although not everyone who visits participates in the meditation experience that the temple offers. You can easily come just to experience the gardens' peacefulness and relaxing views. 

    The Honryutei Zen Garden aligns perfectly with my theme of Religious artwork being calm. People from all over the world visit here for that exact feeling, calm. They leave their worries at the door when they visit the "Enkoji Temple", or at least I'm sure they try to. 

    Zen gardens are designed for spiritual function. "This function is to invite the beholder of the garden to enter into a state of meditative stillness, and ideally, participate in the perfection of wisdom that the Buddha experienced when he attained the breakthrough of enlightenment"(Cunningham, 2016). When the Buddha experienced spiritual enlightenment, which resulted in him discovering the Four Noble Truths, he had been calmly meditating under a tree for a prolonged period of time. Zen gardens are a way for Buddhists to both honor that and practice it for themselves. The way the gardens are constructed is also very spiritual in that they are made through impulse. They're made from "voluntary devotion and serve as a physical representation of a spiritual ideal intended to transport the "faithful" into a metaphysical space"(Cunningham, 2016). 

     Honryutei Garden is well-balanced. It draws the viewer into every aspect of the garden, not just the center. The garden consists of four main rocks with a spiral gliding through the center. The spiral is also balanced as it connects all four of the main rocks together in a cohesive way. The type of balance within the Honryutei Zen Garden is called radial balance. Radial balance is when something has evenly distributed parts in a radial manner that surround a center point. The center point in this garden would be where all the spirals connect in the middle.

    Lastly, a crucial element to any Zen Garden is the presence of lines. The linework shown in the Honryutei Zen Garden can be seen as decoration, but also expresses emotion. Circular swirls, such as the ones in this garden, specifically symbolize waves, turbulence, or energy fields. As far as the practice of raking itself, the patterns created in the sand can be both for aesthetic purposes as well as spiritual purposes. These patterns symbolize moving water or the invisible energy that exists between objects. Raking is known to be a daily meditative ritual that should be done slowly and intentionally(Mayberry, 2025).

    I personally would love to visit the Honryutei Zen Garden in Japan someday, or just a zen garden in general. I enjoy meditating and am curious as to how the environment of a zen garden would impact my meditation. I would definitely want to visit the Honryutei Zen Garden in the fall, when the trees are changing colors, as I find the orange and red tones in this image to bring the perfect pop of color to the garden.

Dehejia, V. J. (2022, October). Lakshmi on her Lotus in the water with elephant. 

Kanthiah, Y. (2024, September 12). Floral tributes in Hindu funeral traditions: Understanding the significance of garlands and offerings - hollywood forever. Hollywood Forever Cemetery.  

Top 10 iconic raja ravi varma paintings you must see: A journey throug. The Atrang. (2024a, September 8). 

Shah, S. (2019, September 24). Elephants in Hinduism. The Jai Jais. 

McClenaghan, L. (2022, September 1). The lotus flower: Meanings, Images & Insights. Floraly.

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Thomas, A. (2022, May 30). Peter and jesus. Where the Wind...

Cunningham, E. (2016, Winter). Cultivating enlightenment: The manifold meaning of Japanese Zen Gardens - Association for Asian Studies. Association of Asian Studies. 

About: 瑞巌山 圓光寺 - zuiganzan enkouji temple. About | 瑞巌山 圓光寺 - Zuiganzan Enkouji Temple. (n.d.). 

Mayberry. (2025, August 13). Sand and rock types for zen gardens: Mayberry zen gardens guide. Mayberry Zen Gardens.