Art Theses and Dissertations

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An Interpretation of the Four Evangelists in Sculpture
(University of Oregon, 1960-06) Forrester, Charles H.
The theme of the work for my thesis project is derived from the four Evangelists of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The gospel message which they wrote down and the traditional legends of their lives provided the inspiration for these sculptures. Some of the sculptures are interpretations of the Evangelists themselves, while others may be called symbols which are related to the spiritual content of the Gospels. In the Middle Ages various symbols evolved for each evangelist. These symbols were supposed to show that the Old Testament forecast the events of the New Testament. The four creatures mentioned in Revelations 4:7 and Ezekiel 1:10 were the bases of representing Matthew as an Angel, Mark as a lion, Luke as an ox, and John as an eagle. I have sometimes accepted these symbols as a starting point for my sculpture, because I value the role of tradition in Christianity. However, I am mindful of the fact that biblical scholars of all religious viewpoints agree that we know very little about the Evangelists themselves. The major source of inspiration for my sculptures is the Gospels themselves, not the personalities of the unknown authors. And thus my symbols are attempts to evoke the spiritual presence of the Gospels.