Our Last Post

The art period that I enjoyed the most over the quarter has to be the Early Medieval art. The reason I was drawn to this period was because of all the references to the catholic religion. I love all the work that came out of the period that we went over in class. In every piece there is always a deeper meaning and I really liked that about the art work. I had to think about the references to every piece and what the artist was really trying to represent in their work. I also really like how there was so much detail in we works we studied in class from the Early Medieval Era.    

One piece that I loved in the Early Medieval art is the Doors of Bishop Bernward. When looking at the doors I find it so interesting because there is so much going on in each registrar. I love how one side is the New Testament and on the other side is the Old Testament and when looking at both beside each other it has a connecting themes.  To me this piece is almost like a puzzle each piece goes together for some reason and you the viewer have to figure it out. Nothing in each registrar is meaningless, everything from the plants to the way someone looks all has something to do with the whole meaning behind the piece.

Another piece I really liked in this era is the Crucifixion with Angels and Mourning Figures, Lindau Gospel. Not only is the cover so beautiful but it is so detailed. I cannot even imagine how expensive that gospel is. It is made with gold, pearls, sapphires, garnets, and emeralds. I like how Christ is looking at the viewer as in the way to say he has conquered sin. The people below him are mourning his death but the angels above him are happy. The shape of the cross feels a little off from what we know today what the cross looked like, but none the less this piece is so beautiful.

Lastly a piece that I enjoyed in the period was the Gero Crucifix. It is a life-size wooden carving of the crucifix. It is so beautiful to me because it is so simple. The body of Christ is highly detailed but the choice of color and design over all is very simple comparative to the other works I have spoken about. The fact that this Crucifix is life-size makes it so power to me because you are able to look at Christ in so much more detail then if it were small. The expression on Jesus’ face is sad for me to look at but it holds a lot of meaning for me too.  It is showing the life here was sad but now he has saved us from our sin. I love the detail in the cloth that is covering him. The way it looks so textured and how it looks like it is moving. Overall this piece to me was very powerful. Lastly I wanted to say that I have really enjoyed looking at all this works of art this quarter and being about to talk about it. It was a lot of fun for me Thank you.

The Doors of Bishop Bernward

This week I have chosen to talk about the Doors of Bishop Bernward. The two panels horizontal to each other that I will be talking about is the seventh one down, the Offerings by Cain (grain) and Abel (lamb) and the Nativity, you can find a great picture in our book on page 449.  I have a very religious background so for me I love looking at these doors and coming up with my own interpretation for them. In the two panels there are a lot of similarity to each other, I find it very interesting how the artist came up with this idea to pair these images from the Old Testament to the New Testament. All of the panels seem to match with each other almost perfectly.

There are a ton of similarity between the Offerings scene and the Nativity scene. First off the fact that both scenes have to do with children, the Offerings scene is Eve’s Children and the Nativity is with Mary’s Child. Next in the title Offerings by Cain and Abel, Abel was Offerings the Lamb to God, and the in Nativity God is giving us the Lamb of God. When looking at the Nativity and in what I know about what happened, Offerings were given to Christ from the three wise men when he was born like gold, frankincense, and myrrh. When looking back at the Offerings by Cain as it says in the title Grain being Cain and Lamb being Abel they were Offerings to God to show his faith and love. Another interesting parallel I found is that Abel’s lamb was the first sacrifice to take away sin, and Jesus was the sacrificed to save us from sin. It is interesting to see the unique similarities just in what the story was about and the title of both panels.

Now let us talk about the compositions of the Offerings by Cain and Abel versus the Nativity panel. I am going to start with the Offerings by Cain and Abel first, when taking a good look at the panel and knowing the background God is reaching his hand down to take the offerings from Abel but not from Cain. The plants that are growing in the background on Abel’s side are going and become new and fruitful but on Cain side they are tangled and are not growing as strong and beautiful as Abel’s, which is telling the reader that God was not in favor with what Cain had brought him. Abel sacrificed a lamb for his sins and Cain brought fruit and grains and God was not happy with Cain’s choice.  In this panel there is not a lot going on composition wise it is very open and clean. But when looking at the Nativity scene there is almost too much going on that I can’t really tell what is going on, there is just a ton of reliefs pushed into this panel. The low reliefs in the background are of buildings, which is different from what we learned Christ was born in which was a stable. Jesus is on the top right hand side in his bed but not as a baby as a grown man. It is really hard for me to tell but I think Mary is lying in the bed while Joseph watches over her. In the composition of these two panels are very different the Nativity scene is so much more busy then the Offerings scene. It is interesting because I find it so easy to read the Offerings scene but when looking at the Nativity scene from what I know about the birth of Christ I can’t really tell what is going on in this panel. In all these themes in both panels are very similar but the composition of both panels are very different.

Option# 2

The Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus from Early Christianity art versus Augustus of Primporta from Roman art. Both have different uses but are very similar in style. It is a bit of a stretch between the two pieces but there is similar skill level and propaganda in both.  Augustus is formed in the round as for the sarcophagus is mainly made up of relief sculptures. But in the breast plate of Augustus is a high relief, which is has interesting propaganda reflected in the story. The similarities and differences of Augustus and Sarcophagus of Junius are very interesting to dig deeper and figure out when looking at the pieces side by side.

Let start by pointing out what pages both pieces are in the book, Augustus of Primaporta is on page 175 in the ancient art book, as for the Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus is on page 230 in the Medieval book if you would like to follow along. Starting with Augustus of Primporta was made for Julius Caesar’s nephew Augustus it was made out of bronze and produced in the round. When looking at the Augustus statue it is very detailed. The way the cloth looks that Augustus is holding is very natural true to life. Augustus is in a composite pose and has an oratory gesture. His haircut is said to look like his uncles Julius Caesar showing a reference to power. There are few reliefs in this piece to reference a god, one in being with the cupid by his feet and the dolphin signifying Vensus and the fact that he is not wearing any shoes. Not wearing shoes is what the Gods were believed to do as a symbol of strength.  Also on his breastplate there are the Gods supporting him in his successes in war. This is similar to the Sarcophagus to how the style is so strong and beautiful and both use propaganda.

Now to the Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus was for a Roman official Junius Bassus, the sarcophagus is a high relief of the Old and New Testament. This piece is very interesting because it shows the New Testament on the top register and on the bottom is the Old Testament.  The reliefs look very similar to the sculpture of Augustus in style. They both have very beautiful reliefs that are very detailed. The fact that this testament of Christ’s life is imprinted on the sarcophagus shows a sign of power or propaganda. The third relief on the top register is a big similarity to the Roman art piece of Augustus because Jesus is shown stepping on a God. Showing power over believing in more then one god. Though Augustus believed in more then one God, the sarcophagus is showing power over others using a belief in a higher power.  

Option Number One

Winckelmann I feel had an effect on our view on Greek art today but not a huge one. The whole idea of good taste being simple and pure is huge to this day, but comparing it to the Greek statues that are painted is way off. I understand the views of simple as the sculpture are very clean and white. When looking at many of the statues in the book like the West Pediment of the Temple of Aphaia it is very clean and pure in a way but there is no realism to the piece. The facial expressions in the face are smiling and if someone were fighting they would be determined looking and maybe even angry. But when looking at a closer look like in the Archer we find that it would have been painted. The recreation of the Archer shows a lot of detail and the use of bright colors making Winckelmann idea way off.

I think maybe without Winckelmann idea of simple and pure that art work may have been different. Today white place in art is looked at as very beautiful and simple and elegant. But who really knows if that whole idea that we view today is from him. Maybe that is just one person’s idea of beauty. There are many works of art today that aren’t simple and clean like for example Vincent Van Gogh’s work the paint is very thick and there is practically no white space in his work. Every piece he did was beautiful and pure but complicated at the same time. I feel a yes and no to Winckelmann idea making modern art produced in a simple and in little color, because it is really up to the artist to believe in what they think is beautiful. I understand the view of clean and pure as being good taste but I don’t like it. I don’t like being told what is beautiful just because someone else thinks it is. What is the point of art if you aren’t able to express yourself?

The Greek painted statues are very interesting because this is what Winckelmann think is simple and pure but they used a lot of color and beautiful designs on them. When looking at the Archer the pattern that was reconstructed on the body of the man was so enteric that it is hard to see what this idea of simple and pure is coming from. The Peplos Kore is another example of the colors and patterns being everything but simple. She is full of color and though you would not be able to see that in less you saw the reconstruction.

The views on Greek art have changed from being simple and pure and using little to no color since the recreation of the Archer.  In the recreation of the Archer we can really see the beautiful and bright colors they used and maybe even the design that they actually had on the statues themselves. Looking at the Peplos Kore one can see some remains of the paint in her hair. When going online and seeing the recreation of her it is amazing how different and not simple she looks. She has a lot of bright and beautiful patterns on her. The use of beautiful color makes her not simple and gives her a sense of realism. It gives the statue more of a personality then just plain white. The reconstructions really help us see how interesting and difficult looking patterns looked like, to help us look further into what the Greek people really looked like.