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St. Francis of Assisi
Artist / Origin: Francisco de Zurbaràn (Spanish, 1598–1644)
Region: Europe
Date: ca. 1640
Period: 1400 CE – 1800 CE
Material: Oil on canvas
Medium: Painting
Dimensions: H: 81 ½ in. (207 cm.), W: 42 in. (106 cm.)
Location: Museu de Arte de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
Credit: Courtesy of Bridgeman Art Library
The Four Sleepers
Artist / Origin: Mokuan Reien (Japanese, d. 1345)
Region: East Asia
Date: 14th century
Period: 1000 CE – 1400 CE
Material: Ink on paper
Medium: Painting
Dimensions: H: 27 ½ in. (70 cm.), W: 14 in. (36 cm.)
Art has been used in many cultures and at many times as a way of giving concrete form to mystical or spiritual experience. In this way, it has made the dreams, visions, and spiritual journeys of the privileged few accessible to a wider community. In these images, however, the experience of the religious figures—whether a state of ecstasy or awakening—remains internalized. Rather than giving the viewer direct access to these experiences, the images urge the viewer to cultivate his or her own.