As we have learned, every culture has their own ways and styles of creating their art. Cannons and stylizations that are so unique that when viewed today can give information about when and where a piece was created. Most recently, with the Greeks and Romans, the art we have seen has continued to build to this naturalistic and ultra realism pinnacle. The art of the Byzantine and Early Medieval periods moves back toward stylized art and they create their own conventions without much concern for the true naturalism others strived for. Two pieces that are good examples of this are The Old Testament Trinity (Three Angels Visiting Abraham) from the Byzantine period (p258) and Page With St. Matthew The Evangelist, Ebbo Gospels from the Early Medieval period (p443).
The Old Testament Trinity (Three Angels Visiting Abraham) is a tempera painting in which three angels are circled around a table. The figures are clearly human like but they are stylized by the artist. The most detail comes in the faces of the angels, where the color is smooth and the lines that make the face are crisp and clearly visible. The angels have elongated but narrow noses that lead down to a small mouth. They have large, tired eyes, and wear somber and scerene expressions on their faces. The gowns that the angels wear are shown with a number of overlaps and creases that work very well to show that their garb is lose and flowing. Aside from the faces, this is where most the detail lies, and the most prominent of this style is on the center figure and the blue cloth is created with sharp angled lines, that pop from the piece. Because these are angels, they do have wings, but the wings are actually very subtle both in color and detail. The wings are a muted yellow color and made of a soft curve and barely detailed with the slightest indication of feathers. Toward the bottom of the piece there is an attempt at perspective between the floor, table and chairs in the piece. Though it is not true to the way we might see it in real life, it is effective in giving the piece a sense of depth, forward and back. The background is dull sandy color that is speckled throughout. It works to complete the piece but also really helps the figures to stand out. It is clear that the angels are meant to be for focus of the piece because of the way they are detailed, and colored. The simple style of the background, simple shapes, blurred details and unsaturated colors make the angels jump off the page and stand out as holy figures should.
Page With St. Matthew The Evangelist, Ebbo Gospels is an ultra stylized piece that shows Matthew writing. The piece has a a sketch like quality because of the use of a number of short lines. Unlike in the Angels, where folds in the gown were created by a few angled lines, in Matthew the effect is created by sheer volume of lines. They curve, cross and build to show that his cloth is loose. Matthew's facial features are almost cartoon like and he has a strange, almost worried, look on his face. His eyes are large and his eyebrows angled. His nose is long and thin, and just barely juts from his face. The fingers on his hand are long are slender and seem to hang in a non lifelike manner. Like in the angels, there is a clash of perspective, this time between his seat and floor and the book that he is writing in, but again the effect isn't lost, it is just not how it would appear in real life. The background of Matthew is much more active than the one seen in Angels. The sketch lines show up again and darken the hill in the background, adding depth. There is also a light blue skyline that breaks the hills that further adds depth. Atop the hill are jotted lines and color that give the impression of trees and plant life without any specific real life resemblance. Between the plants are two line renderings of building that are transparent because the sky is seen through them.
The Old Testament Trinity is very stylized. The angels do appear to have a somber look on their faces. It also appears to me that the angel on the left is the only one not looking down. Although all of the faces are downward facing, that one angel on the left seems to be looking at the one on the right side. The central figure with the blue cloth and sharp angled lines do seem to "pop" from the piece. Why does it seem this way? Why is the middle angel so important? The angel is in the center and is slightly above the others, seeming to be the most important part of the piece of art. The elongated bodies are typical of the time period. The feet of the angels on the sides are very stylized as well. It is hard to tell which foot belongs to which leg.
ReplyDeleteI love your description of tired eyes when I looked closely they really do look tired and worn out. One other thing I noticed was how both paintings emphasize the leg under the folds of cloth, I find that technique intriguing; to at once reveal a leg while burying it in folds of cloth. I also like how you pointed out how much detail seems to go into the clothing of this era, it’s always these huge folded robes with so much detail put into the folds in the clothing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the change in perspective in The Old Testament Trinity (Three Angels Visiting Abraham) emphasizes the focus of the angels. The aerial perspective of the floor and chairs give the angels the appearance of being lifted up and out towards the viewer. They also seem to be hovering over their chairs and sliding off them and not seated into them.
ReplyDeleteThe Page With St. Matthew The Evangelist, Ebbo Gospels is extremely expressionistic in style for this time period. The lines give the piece a lot of energy. I agree that, except for possibly the frame, the page has a cartoonish look to it. The active lines exaggerate St. Matthew’s hair and facial expression.