Romanesque sculpture: style features, examples

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Romanesque sculpture as a phenomenon is of interest to many art historians around the world. And no wonder: after all, this type of art in the era of Romanesque experienced a rebirth, at the same time symbolizing the mood of an entire historical period. And in this case, not only society influenced art, but art influenced society.

Romanesque art

Romanesque art refers to the period of European art from 1000 to the advent of Gothic around the 12th century. Romanesque architecture has retained many features of Roman architectural style: barrel vaults, round-headed arches, pasidas, decor in the form of aconte leaves. The Romanesque style was the first art direction in history to spread throughout Europe. Romanesque art was further influenced by Byzantine art: it is especially easy to trace this in painting. Romanesque sculpture, however, retained its unique features.

Characteristics

Romanesque architecture was characterized by a very energetic and flamboyant style, and this also affected sculpture:for example, the capitals of the columns were often decorated with stunning scenes with many figures. The early Romanesque in Germany also saw such innovations as large wooden crosses as well as statues of the enthroned Madonna. In addition, the high relief became the sculptural dominant of that period, which already characterizes this style a lot.

Colors both in painting and in architecture were not too pronounced, only multi-colored stained-glass windows remained bright - it was during this period that they were most widely used, but, alas, almost did not survive to this day. The tympanums, which were used in the main portals of churches and temples, included complex compositions based on the drawings of the great artists of those times: most often they used scenes of the Last Judgment or the Savior in Majesty, but their interpretation was freer.

The compositions in the portals were shallow: it was necessary to place the title drawings, as well as the capitals of the columns and church tympanums, into the space of the portal. Such rigid frames, from which the composition often falls out, became a characteristic feature of Romanesque art: figures often changed in size in accordance with their importance, and landscapes more like abstract decorations. Portraits did not exist at all in those days.

Background

Europe saw gradual growth towards prosperity, and the arts were bound to be affected: creativity was no longer as limited as it was during the Ottonian and Carolingian revivals. Religion still played a big role in the development of art, but now the boundaries have become less rigid. Painterbecomes a much more important figure, as do jewelers and masons.

Although this era of the highest point in the development of feudalism was rather vague and disturbing, at the same time it became creative. This period became the time of the search for an individual synthesis of traditions and borrowings, which, without merging together, nevertheless significantly influenced the worldview of the people in the early Middle Ages. Synthesis found itself in art, expressed in it to the fullest.

By the beginning of the 11th century, the first Romanesque buildings began to appear. These ancient monuments of architecture had a large masonry of unhewn stones. Facades were often decorated with flat reliefs and blind arcades.

Practically all European cultural groups took part in establishing the new style. The development of Romanesque art was complex and unusual and had many directions. The southern and western parts of Europe experienced a strong influence of ancient culture, ahead of the regions of central Europe in this matter. This group includes Burgundy, Catalonia, as well as the areas at the hands of the Loire - it is from here that the new art originates. France is becoming a major center of a new culture, and this fact played one of the most important roles in the history of the formation of the Romanesque style: fresh ideas were born here that could give impetus to the development of artistic and technical innovations.

The ideal of beauty that inspired the Romanesque creators reflected deep aspirations. Although the Romanesque style is often described as vernacular or brutal in comparison with the intricate Arabic architecture orexquisite Byzantine art, yet the romance has its own charms, despite some simplification and lapidarity. In the face of the East and Byzantium, Europe declared its own identity.

Poverty and difficult life affected the appearance of Romanesque art, but did not make it worse. Having reworked and used the experience of neighboring cultures, Europe was able to competently reflect its own unique worldview in its work.

Sources and style

During the 11th and 12th centuries, the church most strongly influenced the life of society. She also became the main customer of works of art, using the emotional influence of art on the minds of ordinary people and thereby contributing to the progress of the development of Romanesque art. The Church proclaimed the idea of the sinfulness of the human world, which was full of evil and temptations, raising above it the spiritual world, under the influence of good and bright forces.

It was on this basis that an aesthetic and ethical ideal arose in Romanesque, opposed to ancient art. Its main feature was the superiority of the spiritual over the physical. This was manifested in painting, Romanesque architecture and sculpture: images of the Last Judgment and the End of the World frightened ordinary people, making them tremble before the power of God. Despite the fact that this direction denied all previous achievements in the field of art, Romanesque church architecture stood on the foundations of the Carolingian period and developed under the significant influence of local conditions - Byzantine, Arabic or ancient art.

Sculpture

By the beginning of the 12th century, the art of monumental sculpture, in particular, relief, became widespread. The Byzantine images were followed by religious compositions embodying scenes from the gospel. Sculpture was widely used as decoration for cathedrals and churches: reliefs of human figures and monumental and decorative compositions were found everywhere.

Mostly Romanesque sculpture was used to reproduce a complete picture of the exterior of the cathedrals. The location of the reliefs did not matter much: they could be placed both on the western facades and on capitals, archivolts, or near portals. The corner sculptures were much smaller than the sculptures in the center of the tympanum, they were more squat in the friezes, and more elongated on the powerful supporting columns.

Romanesque art of sculpture was quite original and narrowly focused. He was faced with the task of conveying a single image of the Universe and the view of the European people on it: art did not strive for a story about the plots of the real world, but rather strived for something higher.

Features of Romanesque sculpture were as follows:

• Inseparable connection with architecture: there is no sculpture outside the temple.
• Most often it's not sculpture, but reliefs and capitals of columns.
• Mostly biblical stories.
• Collision of opposites: Heaven and Earth, Hell and Paradise, etc.
• Multi-figure, dynamics.

Metal, enamel and ivory items

Jewels in sculptural productsof that period had a very solid status: such objects of art were valued even more than paintings. Even the names of jewelers were more widely known than the names of painters or architects. In addition, metal products are much better preserved than other objects of art and everyday life. So, such secular details as caskets, jewelry and mirrors have survived to our times. Many valuable relics have survived from that time - mostly they were all made of brass or bronze.

Metal products were often decorated with enamel or expensive ivory elements. Luxury items were skillfully crafted by craftsmen: often the decorations were detailed with intricate carvings or intricate casting techniques. The drawings include a large number of figures of famous prophets and other noble persons. The ancient masters were distinguished by their particular painstaking and inventiveness.

Sculpture in the decoration of buildings

After the fall of the Roman Empire, the art of stone carving and the direction of bronze sculpture practically became obsolete - in fact, they continued to exist only in Byzantium. However, some surviving life-size sculptures were created from plaster or stucco, but, alas, only rare specimens have survived to this day. Of the most famous surviving examples of sculptural work from post-Roman Europe is the wooden crucifix. It was commissioned by Archbishop Gero around 960-965. This cross has become a kind of prototype for many other works of this kind.

Later, such sculptural compositions began to be placed under the arch of the altar on the beams - in England they began to be called altar crucifixes. After the 12th century, such crosses began to appear in the company of the figures of John the Evangelist and the Virgin Mary.

Romanesque sculpture and Gothic

Romanesque is often contrasted with Gothic style. Romanesque sculpture has more restrained features, its contours are smooth and soft, in contrast to the more daring and free Gothic: figures resting on one leg, smiling faces, flowing clothes. Romanesque and Gothic sculpture differ sharply from each other, although in their essence they naturally complement each other historically.

Art historians believe that Romanesque is a natural continuation of early Christian architecture, while Gothic became the peak of pan-European medieval architecture, which was based precisely on Romanesque, Greek, Byzantine, Persian and Slavic architectural styles.

The frequent comparison of Romanesque and Gothic indicates a complex connection between these two directions, which is noticeable even with a superficial study of style principles. This is understandable, because the Gothic style began to build on the Romanesque period, simultaneously developing and rejecting its ideas.

Romanesque sculpture in France

In this country in the 11th century, signs of the revival of monumental sculpture first appeared. Although the technical equipment of the masters of that time was not rich, the first sculptural images began to appear on the lintels.portals and on the capitals of columns already at the beginning of the century.

Although the reliefs of that time were devoid of stylistic unity, each of the works clearly showed the influence of one or another source: for example, the reliefs decorating the altar imitated the early Christian sarcophagus, and the images of the apostles resemble an antique tomb stele.

The center of sculptural decoration in France was the portal: it was located on the border of two worlds - worldly and spiritual - and had to connect these two metaphysical spaces. Images of apocalyptic themes became characteristic for decorating this kind of elements - it was the Last Judgment that restored the unity of the world, uniting the past, present and future.

Features of Romanesque sculpture in France became especially noticeable by the end of the 11th century. One could clearly trace the influence of architectural schools in different parts of the country. For example, the Burgundian school, which became something of a unified center of this type of art, was distinguished by a special softness of features, grace of movements, spirituality of faces and smooth dynamics in sculptures. The sculpture focused on the person.

Plots

Romanesque artists, sculptors and architects did not seek to display the real world, rather referring to biblical scenes. The main task of the creators and masters of that time was the creation of a symbolic image of the world in all its incomprehensible grandeur. Particular emphasis was placed on the hierarchical system, which contrasted hell andheaven, good and evil.

The purpose of the sculpture was not only decoration, but also education and enlightenment, which was aimed at instilling religious ideas. At the center of the teaching was God, who in this case acts as a stern judge, who should cause sacred awe in the eyes of every person. Pictures of the Apocalypse and other biblical stories are also designed to inspire fear and obedience.

The sculpture conveyed solemn excitement and heavy feelings, detachment from everything worldly. The spirit suppresses bodily desires, being in a kind of struggle with itself.

Examples

A striking example of Romanesque sculpture was the relief depicting the Last Judgment in the Cathedral of Saint-Lazare in Autun. It was created in 1130-1140. The relief is divided into several tiers, demonstrating a hierarchical system: angels with conscientious righteous above (in Paradise), devils with sinners awaiting Judgment - below (in Hell). The scene of the weighing of good and bad deeds is also particularly striking.

Another striking Romanesque sculpture of the Middle Ages is the famous sculpture depicting the Apostle Peter, which is the decoration of the portal of St. Peter's Cathedral in Moissac. An elongated expressive figure expresses excitement, a spiritual impulse.

Another typical example of the Romanesque style is the Pentecost on the tympanum of La Madeleine in Vezelay, France. This work clearly conveys the gospel legend and serves as a decorative decoration.