Art and the Structure of Religion

This paper identifies the dimensions of religion underlying verbal reactions to reproductions of paintings broadly accepted as 'religious', rated on previously derived adjectival scales. In a factor analysis of those ratings, paintings of people who were recognizably or explicitly religious had the highest loadings. The second factor involved the flowing style in paintings that portrayed postures of consolation, submission, or dependence. These results show the coherence with which paintings, their content, and religion itself are defined.