In class today, we talked about the midterm and then got into studying some more images from Books of Hours. In the first painting we examined, titled Original Sin, we see a telling of the story of Adam and Eve. It was interesting to see how Eve, and women in general, were portrayed as evil. On the left, we see the snake which tempted Adam and Eve, and the snake has Eve’s head. To the right of that, we see Eve standing over Adam in an aggressive stance, as Adam cowers in defeat. By making these artistic choices, the Limbourg brothers convey that women are responsible for man’s original sin. Women are the temptresses responsible for humanity’s fall from Eden.
Author: Lydia Burke (Page 2 of 3)
Today in class, we discussed various manuscripts. One particular collection that stood out to me was the Duke of Berry’s Books of Hours. The Duke owned six of these, thus signifying that he was collecting them as objects of art rather than purely devotional objects. I thought it was interesting that the largest of these books of hours was too large to be used practically. Thus, it was designated as a sort of coffee table book, something to be admired, but not practical for everyday prayer. This demonstrates a larger shift of religious objects becoming luxury items meant to be collected rather than for purely pious purposes. Books such as these books of hours allowed collectors to indulge their desire for luxury whilst appearing to conform to the Christian ideal of avoiding excess.
In today’s class, I found it interesting how history repeats itself. Much as the apocalyptic fears that surrounded Y2K, there was a similar fear leading up to the year of 1500. Artist Albrecht Durer took advantage of this fear to promote his own art. Thanks to the medium of woodcuts that he worked in, he was able to amply reproduce his works and distribute them. He made his signature prominent within all of his works, using Europe’s vast distribution networks to spread his work and his name all over. His themes of famine, pestilence, and death attracted his patrons with a morbid fascination brought about by the impending fear of apocalypse.
Today in class, we discussed the Scenes from the life of Saint Ursula by Carpaccio. This painting was commissioned by the Confraternity of Saint Ursula. I found it interesting due to the fact that rather than being a single scene, the painting has an air of cinematic progression. It flows from left to right, following the viewer’s natural gaze. The artist anticipates the order in which the viewer will view the scenes, and uses that to his advantage in telling a linear story. We get multiple parts of the story within one singular image.
Another way in which Carpaccio directly engaged the viewer with the painting is through visual cues inviting the viewer into the painting itself. On the right, there are steps leading into the bedroom, and in the middle, there is an open gate in the fence. Both the steps and the gate face outwards, almost serving as a bridge between the real world and the world of the artwork. Both of these details allow the viewer to become part of the scene itself. Within a religious context, this link allows the viewer to deepen their worship of St. Ursula by being able to envision themselves within her story.
I thought that the note at the bottom of the painting of the Temptation of Saint Anthony was particularly notable. It reads “ where were you, why did you not appear at once to spare me these moments?” This was meant to be representative of the final thoughts of the patients at the monastery who were suffering from skin disease. I found this interesting because it appears on a religious altarpiece, and this statement seems to question God. It was unusual at the time to question the workings of God, especially in a religious work of art.
However, this statement is not directly a disparagement of God. Instead, it is a warning against succumbing to temptation to question God. We see the note as serving the purpose of showing patients how to resist temptations on their death bed, not question God as they lay dying.
I found Matthias Grünewald’s altarpiece particularly intriguing, especially the center panel. The concept of this scene not being a narrative, but the idea of the crucifixion is fascinating, as the painting was tailored to be an object of worship, not true to life. The utter blackness of the background is not consistent with the actual story, but alludes to the tone of the scene. Additionally, Saint John the Baptist is depicted next to Christ, despite having already passed away at the time of Christ’s death upon the cross. The sacrificial lamb in the bottom of the scene is holding a cross and bleeding into a chalice, clearly a metaphorical figure and not an actual animal. The entire composition of the painting is metaphorical, straying far from the actual biblical narrative. This demonstrate’s the painting’s primary use as an object of worship, not merely a narrative work. It is tailored for its setting, rather than existing in a vacuum.
I thought it was very interesting how Rogier van der Weyden changed his iconography after his trip to Rome. I had never before considered that iconography could be standardized different according to region. In the North, we see the Entombment as more of a classical funeral, with Christ’s body being placed in a standard casket. However, as van der Weyden discovered the conventions of Italian art during his trip to Rome, he chose to depict the Entombment according to Italian iconography. In this version, we see Christ being placed into a tomb that is carved into the side of a rock. Perhaps since Italy is geographically much closer to the site of the actual entombment than Northern Europe is, the iconography associated with the event is more accurate.
I found our class conversation about Iconography especially interesting today. Given that before the Council of Trent, there was no standard for depicting religious figures in art, it is interesting to see the various ways they were represented. It is an interesting challenge to represent the Holy Trinity as one, and yet give each their own identity. Probably the funniest example of this was seeing the three headed god. I also found it interesting that father and son were sometimes represented identically, with the Holy Ghost being visually different from them. This implies a lack of equality between the Holy Trinity.
During my second trip to the museum, I took note of the craftsmanship of the works displayed there. One piece that really stood out to me and showed a remarkable level of craftsmanship and skill was “Bacchanale Russe” by Malvina Hoffman. This sculpture was not only well carved and detailed, but I was impressed at its engineering as well. It depicts two young boys mid- motion, each with one leg raised as they seem to leap across the ground. The proportions of the statue are done perfectly so that the statue can balance and not tip over. This is additionally impressive because the statue does not have a large base to counterbalance the weight of the figures. This is an especially masterful work not just because of the realism and aesthetics of the carving itself, but the engineering it took to allow the statue to be freestanding. When the statue was made in 1917, there were no computers to help the artist engineer the statue, all the calculations had to have been done by hand, lending even more to the impressiveness of this piece.
In my trip to the museum, I noticed several commonalities in the way all of the art was displayed. Beginning with the atmosphere, there was a profound silence that permeated the galleries. Even though there were several other guests and staff members there, they all observed in silence, creating a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere in which to appreciate the art. Next I took note of the lighting. The lighting was soft and subtle, aside from the spotlights, which shone directly on each work of art. This helped to highlight them, and draw the observer’s eyes to the works themselves.
Additionally, I noticed that paintings were displayed on blank white or gray walls, devoid of any other decoration. This also seemed to be in an effort to draw the observer’s eyes directly to the art. Statues and carvings were displayed on podiums to a similar effect.
Lastly, next to each work was a plaque stating the artist’s name, the year of production, the medium of production, the work’s title, and the donor. This is something that sets museums apart from private collections, as it helps guests to understand the context of the painting.