Seeing a Story: Romanesque Sculpture

Dragon swallowing a Christian
Chauvigny, Church of Saint-Pierre
http://www.wga.hu/art/zgothic/1romanes/cap-12c3/04f_1167.jpg

What is Romanesque?

The style of art known as Romanesque first began to take shape near the collapse of the Roman Empire around 568 AD. As Huns and Germanic tribes took over land, their culture collided with that of the disappearing Romans. Efforts to revive Roman art and architecture were made around 800 AD by Emperor Charlemagne, and after his empire collapsed and years of fighting between the conquering tribes passed, a new period of prosperity and cultural exploration was born. The traditional Roman art mingled to varying degrees with the artistic approaches of the newer cultures, which led to the development of Romanesque art around 1000 AD (Charles, 7-12).

Characteristics of Romanesque sculpture:

• Heavily tied with architecture
• Often in relief (high or medium relief were most common)
• Lots of symbolism, particularly with animals (Toman, 256-257)
• Typically Religious (Minne-Seve, 14-18)

Poitiers, Notre-Dame-La-Grande
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7100/7181408207_27194e1fbc_b.jpg

Mary Rests with Infant Jesus
Poitiers, Notre-Dame-La-Grande
http://www.paradoxplace.com/Photo%20Pages/France/West/Poitiers_Poitou_Charentes/Poitiers/
Notre_Dame_la_Grande/Images/800/Mary-Sept07-DE9587sAR800.jpg

Sculpture and Architecture

Sculpture and architecture were heavily tied together due to the increasingly popular practice of adorning religious structures with sculptures (Toman, 256-257). After years of war and difficulty, people increasingly turned to the church for spiritual salvation and protection. Monasteries became increasingly popular, drawing more funds and support, which in turn allowed more churches to be built. Originally, sculptures that were incorporated into the buildings were used to emphasize the architectural design, such as a pattern of leaves moving across a lintel, but the focus eventually shifted to the storytelling abilities the sculptures possessed. Prominent areas of the buildings, such as arches above the doors, were filled with human and animal figures as well as decorative vegetation (Minne-Seve, 14-28). Since the artwork was carved into buildings, most of it was carved in relief, meaning that the art has a raised surface that remains attached to the background area, as opposed to sculpture in the round, which does not have a background surface and can be viewed from all angles.

Lion as a Persecutor of the Good, Taking a Lamb
Mariental near Helmstedt monestary church
http://www.wga.hu/art/zgothic/1romanes/re-2/2g1_1101.jpg

Symbolism

The connection between sculpture and architecture also accounts to some degree for the symbolic nature of the art. Since the artwork was tied to the churches and had the role of conveying religious themes, symbols were extremely useful in adding depth of meaning to the art in a way that most people would understand, though not all symbols were completely clear and direct. Several religious symbols were developed during this time, and appeared numerous times in the sculptures adorning churches and cathedrals (Toman, 328-345).

Some popular symbols included:

• Animals
• There was a great variety of animal imagery in the Romanesque period, and many animals had different meanings attached to them. For instance, the phoenix was thought to be a symbol of Christ, as it would periodically die and come back to life.
• Entertainers and Players
• Traveling performers were considered to be morally twisted, as their strange talents, such as a contortionist's ability to bend his or her body into impossible poses, could be seen as a reflection of the soul.
• The Human Body
• Sexuality was viewed very negatively during the Romanesque period, and several statues adorning the churches warn against the evils of sexual behaviors.

A Lasting Message

Though the period leading up to Romanesque Art was not the most peaceful, it brought a lot of cultures together and gave birth to new ideas. Coupled with some of the architectural and artistic techniques of the Romans, this culturally blended style blossomed on the walls of churches and cathedrals, teaching Biblical messages to all who passed. Various ideas were able to be portrayed through these sculptures, as symbolic associations allowed stronger meanings to be tied in with the figures. These images continue to spark interest in those who see them, displaying the lasting power of well-made sculptures and well-told stories.

Sources:

Schapiro, Meyer. Romanesque Architectural Sculpture. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Print.

Minne-Seve, Viviane, and Herve Kergall. Romanesque and Gothic France. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Print.

Toman, Rolf, ed. Romanesque: Architecture, Sculpture, Painting. Konemann. Print.

Charles, Victoria. Romanesque Art. New York: Parkstone International, 2008. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web.