Puritan Religion In The 17th Century

Puritans, were a group of English reformed protestants in the 16th and 17th century New England colonies. Their main objective was to “purify” the church of England from Catholicism. Puritanism didn’t just define the religion of the New England colonies, it was something that flowed through every aspect life. Religion was seen as the basis and foundation for everything. For every action, there was a religious justification. Their art, literature, and culture, was always inspired by, and made for God. There was little focus on the self with Puritan beliefs, everything was done for the glory of God, so they could honor him in every part of life. They believed that all people were meant to sin naturally, but by adhering to the divine

Early Puritan portraits were marked by emblems of prosperity, which didn’t show that Puritans reveled in riches or the joy of materialistic things, but rather that they enjoyed God’s blessings. Their portraits were also used to keep a record, so people in the future could remember their appearance. Commissioners of the portraits would dress in their typical Puritan attire, showing very little skin or individuality amongst themselves. They did not smile and weren’t painted with lavish backgrounds. Artists at this time had little to no training or experience. Being an artist, wasn’t considered to be a relevant career. As the Puritan community changed and developed, it’s art did the same. Changes in portraiture reflected the evolution of Puritanism. Portraits became more elaborate and scandalous. Puritans were trashing their normal garb, to be painted in more lavish and ornate clothes. More skin and expression was starting to be shown in the portraits. Artists, although still not well respected, were acquiring more skills and

Their homes were often very small and dull. Some, even described them as shack-like. Like portraiture, as time progressed, changes were made to New England architecture to reflect their new lifestyles. As New England started to become more of a wealthy merchant society, their homes started to mimic this change. Houses became larger, with the addition of a lean to section in the back. Their churches became more elaborately designed, and weren’t used as meeting houses