Fear and Courage in Art History: From Medieval Didacticism to Modern Expression

A new article on Art & Object explores how fear and courage have been depicted in art across centuries, focusing on the medieval period's didactic use of religious imagery. Artists under church and state patronage created works to inspire piety or deter sin. For example, John Everett Millais's 1865 painting 'Joan of Arc' exemplifies courage, while medieval churches used terrifying scenes of hell and demons at their exits to remind congregants of eternal damnation. The article, published on May 29, 2026, includes photographs by Dr. Caterina Bellinetti of the Abbey of Pomposa, illustrating such didactic art. The piece traces how these themes evolved, but the provided excerpt only covers medieval and 19th-century examples.