Medieval Vs. Modern

Touchstones and Tin Stamps

By

Varo Borja

There’s never a new fashion but it’s old. – Geoffrey Chaucer

Imagine two craftsmen, one laboring away grinding pigment for paint, the other painstakingly carving a chunk of granite. The first craftsman grinds yellow, red and blue chalk into grains finer than sand and then carefully mixes each of his precious piles of pigment with egg yolks in order to produce brilliant tempera paints, letting his concoctions dry as he laboriously prepares the wall of a monastery for the application of fresco, sanding and scraping until his hands are bleeding and dry as dust. The second craftsman hews and hammers his chunk of granite for days with chisel and hammer until the stone meets the exact specifications of the master mason, and then with his hands bandaged from missed strokes of the hammer, puts the finishing touch upon his block of granite with the insignia of his particular guild, taking utmost care in the carving of his own personal, but still anonymous stamp upon the building block he has fashioned for the new Cathedral at Salisbury. So it was with the artists and artisans of the Middle Ages, who labored day after day to create some of the most beautiful and inspirational works of all time. Some of their art has been lost; however, much of the art and architecture of the Middle Ages survives in the churches, monasteries, and galleries of Europe. The artists and architects of the past five decades have created significant works as well, with varying success and degrees of difficulty. However, the visual arts of the European Medieval period far surpass the painting and architecture of the last fifty years; the artists and architects of the medieval period also left a legacy that both inspires and creates an atmosphere of enjoyment for many people in the 21st century.

In the field of painting, artists from the Middle Ages shined brilliantly. Medieval masters with the paintbrush created religious art primarily, focusing on exquisite depictions of the Crucified Christ, the Enthronement of the Virgin Mary, and elaborate scenes of the Apocalypse. An example of the superb skill and deep feeling of Byzantine artists during the Middle Ages is to be found in the immaculate rendition, by an anonymous artist, of the Crucified Christ at the monastery church in Daphne, Greece (Janson 262). This superb painting reflects the utter nobility of Christ and his sacrificial death. Christ is surrounded by St. John and the Virgin Mary, who witness his earth-shattering and immortal gift to the human race (Janson 263). According to History of Art, the Daphne Christ, “has a balance and clarity that are truly monumental” (Janson 260). The background of the painting is done in gold leaf, as are the halos surrounding the pious heads of Christ, Mary, and John. The Daphne artist depicts Christ with two thin streams of blood and water pouring from his left side; a reminder of the water of life that flows from Christ’s heavenly throne and the blood he shed so unselfishly at Calvary for the atonement of mankind’s sins. Visitors to the Daphne monastery today may still feel the sheer power conveyed by the artist who painted this scene over 800 years ago and be uplifted by the passionate, yet reserved display of the crucifixion of Christ. Truly, there is nothing hanging in the galleries or halls of Europe and America that has been produced within the last five decades, that can surpass the spiritual power of the Daphne Crucifixion.

Another illustration of the mastery displayed by Medieval painters is the Madonna Enthroned by Cimabue, found in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy (Adams 452). This elaborate enthronement depicts the Virgin Mary holding the Christ child, surrounded by a throng of angels and bolstered by four prophets of the Old Testament. In addition to the gold leaf used in the background of the painting, Cimabue adorned the regal heads of the young Jesus and Mary with exquisitely thin, gilt strips. The painting is done in tempera (pigment mixed with egg yolk), and reflects the nimble craftsmanship of Cimabue in the lush draperies that flow outward from the Virgin’s lap. The colors of the piece are both brilliant and meaningful; red is included to symbolize the future sacrifice of the Christ child, and the Virgin is adorned in blue: her traditional iconographic color (Adams 452). According to Laurie Schneider Adams, in her book Art Across Time, “the four prophets at the foot of the throne embody the Old Dispensation as the foundation of the New” (452). This piece is redolent of a time when the old masters invested their works with holy symbolism and the stuff of their own souls; also, because of the pains taken in the production of this painting, this piece may still be enjoyed and meditated upon by visitor’s to the Uffizi Gallery today. The four Old Testament prophets in the Madonna Enthroned might look with skepticism at many of the “new dispensation” of artists producing works today with neither the significance, nor the reverence, found in the masterpiece of Cimabue.

A final representation of the surpassing qualities of Medieval painting may be found in the Arena Chapel in Padua, Italy, in the form of Giotto’s Last Judgment (Adams 460). This apocalyptic piece was placed on the west wall of the Arena chapel, after a series of other events portrayed by Giotto in chronological order found on the other walls of the church (Adams 461). The magnitude and breathtaking scope of this piece are undeniable: the Last Judgment is 33 feet high by 27 feet wide (Adams 460). The viewer of the Last Judgment is at once drawn to the person of Christ in the center, surrounded by a circle of holy fire and His attending cherubim and seraphim. The righteous of God are displayed on the right hand of Christ, in expectation of their just reward. The damned are arrayed on the left hand of Christ in torturous poses, surrounded by unquenchable fire and lorded over by a beastly Satan, who is devouring one helpless victim after another. In the background and left and right foreground are the choir of elders and the prophets of old, witnessing the scene of triumph and destruction with pious, yet indignant faces. Truly this piece is a monument to a time when divine inspiration played as much a part in the production of art as the desire to hand down to posterity scenes that would both uplift the viewer, and exhort him or her to lead a life in the full assurance of there one day occurring a final reckoning with God. In that capacity, this piece is surely just as effective as it was 800 years ago. Divers works by the hands of modern artists in New York and Paris have been manufactured over the past fifty years with varying degrees of success, but none of these productions may compare, in eminence of scope and ethereal grace, to Giotto’s Last Judgment.

In the past fifty years, many styles of painting have degenerated into formlessness, obscure expressionism, or cold, unfeeling realism. Although vastly popular in his day, Jackson Pollack created paintings that lacked form, substance, and any significant symbolic meaning. One example of this lack of structure may be found in Pollack’s Autumn Rhythm housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York (Preble 444). Duane Preble, in his book Artfoms describes Pollack’s method of painting as, “dripping thin paint onto the canvas rather than brushing it on” (444). Upon first viewing Autumn Rhythm, the viewer is entranced by the haphazard, yet alluring effect conveyed by Pollack’s method; however, after further investigation the viewer is left with a feeling of having been cheated, or drawn into a magnificent ruse facilitated by the brushwork of Mr. Pollack. In many ways groundbreaking, Autumn Rhythm may be compared to a Fourth of July fireworks display on the twentieth of April; the initial effect of the piece is fantastic, but the lasting significance of this piece, in some respects, is lost in its fiery expressionism. Another sample of the degeneration of art in the past fifty years is to be found in the polar opposite of Pollack’s brand of painting: Trompe L’oeil, or “fool the eye” composition. According to Duane Preble’s book, Artforms, “Paintings in this illusionistic style impress us because they look so ‘real’” (27). Once again, the viewer is entranced and allured by the precise details and high color realism found in such paintings as William Harnett’s A Smoke Backstage (Preble 27) Although created much more than fifty years ago, Harnett’s brand of photo realism lives on in the twenty-first century, but still conveys technical ability without feeling, and superimposes precise details for spiritual abstractions of lasting consequence. Photo-realism and chaotic expressionism are not to be found in the works of Giotto, Cimabue and other Medieval painters; their work was infused with the natural beauty of the human figure and the otherworldly aspect of sacred subjects, and unequivocally, the immaterial and natural characteristics of Medieval painting surpass the plastic productions of many artists in the modern era.

In the construction of landmark buildings, the architects and artisans of the Medieval period have no rival. At the behest of Abbot Suger and other benefactors of the Middle Ages, great cathedrals were built to facilitate the worship of the Triune God (Kemp 100). In France, Chartres Cathedral is perhaps the paradigm for elegance, spiritual depth, and magnitude without ostentation in regard to architecture. According to The Oxford History of Western Art,

At the west front of Chartres Cathedral (c. 1145-50), an influential early Gothic monument, sculpture on the three doorways refers to Christ from the beginning to the end of time, culminating in the central tympanum of him at the Second Coming. The lintel, capitals, arches and columns at Chartres are neither plain nor ornamental but are carved with figural groups which amplify the theological content of the whole scene (Kemp 101).

Such devices as an apocalyptic tympanum (a frieze over the entrance) and decorative capitals (the heads of columns) with scenes from the scriptures in stone relief certainly may exhort the visitor to tread a narrow path, but the uplifting power of Chartres’s 180 exquisite stained glass windows, which reflect the light of God’s grace upon the worshippers in Chartres’s spacious nave (central hallway) and lofty choir, both inspire and delight happy pilgrims of the twenty-first century (Kemp 101). An accurate estimation may be made when the immaterial benefits of Chartres Cathedral are chosen over the flash and utility of modern edifices, and the lasting impact of this Gothic treasure appreciated more fully when viewed in the shadow cast by twentieth and twenty-first century constructions of steel and concrete.

A less imposing, but still grand example of Medieval architecture may be found at Salisbury Cathedral, in England (Janson 338). Salisbury Cathedral sprawls over many acres of English countryside, invoking the spirits of nature as well as those of art in the cultivation of prayer. Much like Chartres Cathedral, Salisbury is home to a host of ornate capitals, devotion-warming friezes, and brilliant stained glass (Kemp 102). The plan of Salisbury Cathedral called for walls much lower than most other churches of the period, lending an air of humility to this otherwise uplifting edifice; however, a very tall crossing (central) tower was added at a later date, guiding the eyes of the worshippers at Salisbury towards the heavens and the throne of the Most High God. The worshippers at Salisbury also enjoy a spacious nave with a vaulted ceiling and a brightly lit choir. The architect of Salisbury cathedral is lost to posterity, but his work remains a testament to the immortal spirit of the Middle Ages and a place for the prayerful repose and inspiration of visitors there today. Certainly, architecture of the Medieval period represented in the form of Salisbury Cathedral surpasses that of the past five decades, and makes many men of the twenty-first century cast glances backwards in time to savor the artistry and charm of this English marvel.

A look at the world of modern architecture leaves much to be desired, both in form and content. Perhaps the fastest growing and most lavish spot on earth for the display of the twenty-first century builder’s skills is the small country of Dubai, on the coast of the Arabian Peninsula. According to Spud Hilton’s article for the San Francisco Chronicle on June 17, 2007,

It (Dubai) is a freak show on an international scale, with attractions and oddities you can't believe exist, but that you can't seem to look away from, and where outlandish projects that others deem too bizarre, too expensive or too impossible fill the skylines, the coastlines and the headlines.

Apparently hosting a plastic surgeon’s office inside a submerged hotel, Dubai is also home to the world’s tallest skyscraper, a theme park bigger than Disney World, and the largest shopping mall on earth (Fox 1). This tiny emirate empire is certainly ambitious and holds much to be desired by the bodies and minds of visitors to Dubai, but where is the soul of this pseudo-Sodom? According to Catherine Fox’s article for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, “Dubai’s unprecedented development…portends a future of environmental and sustainability problems” (Fox 1). Fox’s article also speaks of rioting due to poor wages by the Asian workforce employed in Dubai, and the potential backlash of all this worldliness and levity in the form of terrorist attacks by Islamic extremist groups. When compared with the brilliant, yet tasteful stained glass of Chartres cathedral or the humble and natural, yet elegant outlay of Salisbury, the building craze in Dubai seems like so many pillars of salt: flavorful, yet unable to provide proper nourishment for body or soul. Truly, the current fascination held by some with the building of bigger and better abodes for entertainment and avarice, cannot compare with the abiding devotion held by many for the delicate symmetry of the holy houses built during the Medieval period.

In conclusion, some concessions must be made to the artists and architects of the past fifty years. Many groundbreaking and innovative concepts have come into play in the realms of construction and art with the advent of the technological revolution; computers play a part in not only the design of buildings, but in the production of pieces of fine art as well. To base the assumption that Medieval buildings and pieces of art surpass those of the past fifty years solely on the tools provided to each set of craftsmen would be unfair to those who today hammer out their designs with lasers and keyboards instead of hammers and horse hair paintbrushes. It is not only in this lack of technological crutch-wielding that Medieval art surpasses that of today; it is, in part, the ability of the Medieval artist for long-delayed gratification and patient improvement that sets the productions of their hands ahead of those of craftsmen of the present. Furthermore, much has been said of the spiritual significance of the buildings and art of the Middle Ages, and little or nothing about the ideology behind most present works of art and architecture. Diversity reigns supreme when the fine art and architecture of the past fifty years is considered; buildings for most every purpose and playful notion dot the landscape of Europe and the United States. For at least fifty years, most of the people of the Western World have found entertainment, utility and use in the various structures of North America and Europe. The art of painting also has become highly diverse and has attracted far more dilettantes than masters to pick up brush and palette in the past fifty years, thereby making a cursory knowledge of painting more widespread but diluting the pool of talent possessed by those who attempt to paint. Perhaps it is the singleness of focus, more than any other reason, that drove the artists, artisans and architects of the Middle Ages to create works that surpass those of contemporary craftsmen, and perhaps in that singularity of vision lies the widespread appeal and sense of enjoyment to be found in the art of the Middle Ages by people of the twenty-first century.

Works Cited

Adams, Laurie Schneider. Art Across Time: Volume II. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2007.

Fox, Catherine. “Dubai: Big Dreams in the Desert.” Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

25 June 2006: A1. Newspaper Source. Access World News. Broyhill

Learning and Resource Center, Hudson, NC. 11 December 2007.

http://wf2dnvr8.webfeat.org

Hilton, Spud. “Dubai.” San Francisco Chronicle. 17 June 2007: G1. Newspaper

Source. Access World News. Broyhill Learning and Resource Center,

Hudson, NC. 11 December 2007.

http://wf2dnvr8.webfeat.org

Janson, H.W., Anthony Janson. History of Art: Volume I. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall,

2004.

Kemp, Martin, ed. The Oxford History of Western Art. Oxford: Oxford University

Press, 2000.

Preble, Duane and Sarah Preble. Artforms. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 2004.