Through art, the reflections of a community’s soul can be unearthed. Their ancient tapestries paint a picture of ones innermost hopes, fears and dreams. These elements of the afterlife inspired artistic creations such as Mark Reichlich’s Last Judgement and Tibet’s Painting of the Buddha which are displayed at The Chrysler Museum of Art. Each artist utilized techniques such as perception, symbolism, and shading to embody the spirit of a society’s religion. Many similarities and differences are readily seen through the use of these techniques in both art and literature.

Mark Reichlich vividly mirrored the fears and ideals of society in his illustration of The Last Judgement. The most readily seen tool Reichlich utilized in his illustration was perception. Alternating large and small figures on different levels of the canvas, created the impression that some figures were more powerful than others. Reichlich centered his painting on the grand illuminated figure of Christ. The figure appeared to float above the world in all his glory. Thus, like the beliefs, the painting seemed to declare Christ the most high who rules the world with his everlasting power. Perception also seemed to reflect society's class system. For instance, Christ was painted at the top, center with the angels somewhat below him while the souls of the people resided at the bottom. In society the church was usually more wealthy and powerful than the peasants therefore possessing an elevated status in the community. This idea served as being persuasive as well. The Elect were being raised up above the clouds while the damned were being dragged down to Hell’s abyss. It could easily give the poor, lower-class person hope for a better and wealthier life if they would only follow the righteous path. This idea is found in the Apocalypse of Paul, "Blessed are all they that have believed thy word that they may inherit the kingdom of God by labour . . . self-sacrifice . . . humility . . . meekness and right faith in the Lord" (47).

In addition to perception, the use of symbolism aided the artist in dramatically defining a common spiritual theme of a society. Winged beasts, monsters, and nimbuses possessed powerful meanings in both religious art and literature. For example the monsters in Reichlich’’s Hell were surrounded by flames while they tortured their inhabitants with chains and whips. Many of them were depicted with multiple arms and fire breathing mouths as to imply the impossibility of escaping one’s sins. These qualities are similar to Virgil’s beast the Briareus with a hundred hands and his fire breathing beast, Chimaera (12). In both cases, the monsters adequately represented human fear. The beasts were shown to torture their victims similar to the methods of that cultures prison system. Virgil also described his sinners torture in a similar way stating, "From hence are heard the groans of ghosts, the pains Of sounding lashes and of dragging chains."(22) A far more pleasant scene, however, was Heaven. The angels and Jesus were signified with an illuminated gold disk that surrounds the head, known as a nimbus. The gold nimbus represented purity and power validating the importance of the deity. Also present, were winged angels draped in lush red and green robes with jeweled crowns as they guided the righteous to glory. These robes depicted a rich, insufferable eternity for the elect. The Book of Arda Viraf described his righteous souls in "clothing embroidered with gold and silver, and set with jewels" (line 2, ch. 13). In effect, symbolism served as a potent tool for persuading society to follow the path of the righteous religion.

By utilizing shading, the artist was able to set the mood for the impressionable viewer. His illustration of Heaven included vibrant hues of blue, yellow and white thus leaving the viewer with a pleasant feeling. The illumination of the elect served to signify the enlightened ones. In addition, Reichlich’s paradise included white figures ascending into billowy clouds of the afterlife. They appeared much like Viraf’s description of the righteous soul who were "brilliant . . . elevated and mighty" (line 4, ch. 12). Their stark reflections symbolized their pure and righteous lives. Hell, on the other hand, was painted in shades of black and red signifying evil’s dirty and foul reflections on society. Likewise, the sinners were painted in a tawdry tan hue as to denote them as being the soiled souls. The use of darkness to symbolize Hell is frequently noted in many of the worlds religious writings. For example, Viraf describes Hell as "the darkest hell, which is pernicous, dreadful, terrible, very painful, mischievous and foul smelling" in his Zoroastrian text (line 1, ch. 54). This theme was also present in the Roman poetry of Virgil’s The Aeneid when Aeneis describes the "unhappy waters" of Hell as being "void of light" (11).

In contrast, Tibet’s Painting of the Buddha did not include a view of Hell’s torture in its apocalyptic scene. Instead the painting emanated a colorful array of serene figures. The soft hues of blue, yellow and pink were like those that Reichlich used for his heaven. However the Tibetan work refrained from using the dark shading and the crude black and red hues of damnation. Thus the gentle representation of the Buddha detailed the great importance of enlightenment and the totality of peace. The viewer is made to feel like inner peace, not judgement, is the key to the final paradise. This idealistic view reflects the goal of the Buddhist society.

The painting of the Buddha utilized symbolism as well. An iconographic gold disk referred to as a mandola encompassed the Buddha. The mandola is similar in function to the use of nimbuses seen in the painting of The Last Judgement. They both lend superiority to the important spiritual figures. In Buddhism, the Buddha is revered as a man who was able to achieve the ultimate goal of enlightenment. Therefore, the Buddhist followers honor him for his splendid achievement. However, the Buddha’s entire body is encompassed in the mandola unlike just the head in Reichlich’s painting. This round, all inclusive mandola seems to depict a sense of completeness within the figure. This completeness is similar to Buddhists teachings to seek oneness and happiness within ones' self verses searching for wellbeing elsewhere. In addition to the mandola, his hand is posed in a blessing gesture. This gesture would have a significant literal meaning to someone of that particular religion. Thus the painting appears to speak to the minds of its viewers.

Finally, as in The Last Judgement, perception was used to create a sense of hierarchy. Like Reichlich’s Jesus, the Buddha is the enhanced central figure elevated above all the other elements in the painting. The central figure is then perceived as being of heightened importance. Unlike in The Last Judgement, the other figures are grouped at each of the four corners surrounding the central figure. The remaining beings appeared to exist in unity instead of definite levels of the spiritual class system. The evenly spaced groups of figures draw the viewer's eye towards the central figure. This placing and the use of circular mandolas both comply with the artist's representation of complete harmony.

The Last Judgement and the Painting of the Buddha effectively used perception, symbolism and shading to speak to their audience. These talented artists, like talented writers, set the canvas on which to paint the spirit of the people. It is through their vision that one can see the dreams of a society.