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teapot1

Monday, September 22, 2014



Microblog Monday: Heavenly Art

I love medieval art. The brilliant tempera colors, the gilt, the intricate carving in ivory, wood, and bone, gold filigree and gemstones, the beauty of illuminated manuscripts, take my breath away. We were able to visit the Walters Museum in Baltimore this weekend, which has one of the best medieval collections I’ve ever seen. Being in the midst of it made me feel like I was walking into Heaven. How craftsmen created these works without sophisticated tools is something I find hard to imagine.
 
Look at the faces of these tormentors of Jesus! Aren't they so perfectly grotesque?
 


A diptych of St. George and the Virgin Mary; he was considered to be her special messenger.

An etched gold cross
 

4 comments:

  1. I am always amazed at how artists, sculptors and even builders of the past created such lasting beauty with such limited resources, Elaine.
    In India, I think of the Taj Mahal, such an awesome structure built entirely manually!

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    1. I've never seen the Taj, Corinne, except in pictures, but it certainly is magnificent, as are the Gothic cathedrals of Europe. I really believe the people of those times knew things we don't know now and possessed skills we don't have, even with all our advanced technology.

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  2. Like Corinne mentions, it is amazing how much talent and skill it took to work with the materials and tools available to create these masterpieces.

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    1. It sure is! And most of these artists were anonymous; we have no idea who they were or how they did what they did!

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