Catholic vs. Protestant Art

The Catholics and Protestants, it seems, have been at odds with each other since the posting of the 95 thesis my Martin Luther in 1517. From then on, a religious conflict emerged between the two religious groups. The nature of the religious conflict can be seen through artwork from around that period and the Reformation. Because different countries chose different religions, their societies were either Catholic or Protestant. The government dictated the religion of the state, and society had to follow. Thus, artists coming from different nations were influenced by the religion of their country. An example of this are the artists Rembrandt and Rubens.
Rubens was influenced by Catholicism because he was born in Germany. This influence is visible in his artwork. When visiting the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna I got to see a collection of paintings by Rubens. All of his art on display had a religious undertone or religion was the center idea of the paintings. Two of my favorite paintings by Rubens, that show the influence of Catholic ideas, are: The Holy Family and The Infant Christ with John the Baptist and two Apostles. In both pieces, the focus is placed on the Catholic religion. Both of the paintings  depict the life of Christ. This is just like in the Catholic religion where emphasis is placed on Christ.
Rembrandt, another artist on display in the Kunsthisthistoriches Museum came from the Netherlands and painted under the influence of a different religion. His style of painting is much different from Rubens, because a clear Protestant undertone is visible. For example, the colors used by Rembrandt were much darker. He also used heavy shading in his paintings. This gives the paintings a much darker appearance and feeling. Rembrandt's art is of religious, but there are no angles and halos present anywhere.
Rembrandt mostly painted portraits and not scenes. For example, the best painting that can be used to contrast Rubens is a portrait of Apostle Paul. Rembrandt's painting are of religious nature but their representation, just like Protestant beliefs and practices, is demystified. Meaning that saints, angles, and Mary are removed and are not considered important. The focus is placed more on the religion itself.

German Word: verrückt sein nach etwas 
English: to be crazy about
Sentence: Ich bin verrückt nach dieses Autos.