Monday, June 22, 2009

Drawings.

A GOSPEL FROM CANTERBURY, 1000 AD,
OF ST. MATTHEW. The Pierpont Morgan Library.
x
x
An exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
of medieval drawings, "Pen and Parchment:
Drawings in the Middle Ages",
is surprising in its diversity,
attention to line, and perspective.

The vitality and spontaneity, and of
course spirituality, are to be seen in
this presentation, from 9th Century
monasteries to the 14th Century
French Court. The realism of line,
the color and gold leaf were
mastered by skilled artists and
draftsmen, talented precursors
to the Renaissance.

Drawing of th Evangelist John, from the
Corbie Gospels. Ink rendering of a facade of Strasbourg Cathedral.
About 1260.

Eleventh Century French codex, the Maccabees
pursue their enemies. Leiden University library

Drawing by Opicinus de Canistris, 1296-1354.
Cleric trained in the art of illumination and
cartography. Vatican City.
Thirteenth Century English artist, Matthew Paris,
portraits of the Madonna and Child and two images
of Jesus. Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.

Illustrated copy of the plays of the Roman, Terence,
St Albans, England. Bodleian Library, Oxford.
x
x
Click on photos to enlarge.



























13 comments:

Linda S. Socha said...

These are lovely. Thank you for posting them
Linda

Lyn said...

Hi Linda-
Thank you so much..I'm amazed at the detail in so many of these drawings...

A Cuban In London said...

And then the trend continued well into the baroque era.

A lovely post and one that I enjoyed reading.

What is interesting is that the Renaissance brought about a similar if not more powerful religious imagery than before.

Many thanks for such a brilliant post. I hope you enjoyed your visit.

Greetings from London.

Lyn said...

Greetings to A Cuban-
Sometimes I feel as if I live at the Met..I would, if they didn't notice!
What surprised me was the absolute command of skill, reality, proportion, in the Middle Ages, which we sometimes think of as naive!

Jeane Myers said...

ooooo, I loved this post! these are amazing,thanks so much for rounding this all up for our pleasure! :)

Raph G. Neckmann said...

I do love illuminated manuscripts! I'm always amazed at the patience and endurance which must have been required, especially as they did not have electric lighting!

Lyn said...

Hi Jeane-
To one who makes beautiful art! So glad you like it!!

Hi Raph-
Yes, centuries of beauty,(and patience) by candlelight! You do pretty darn well, no matter what the light!!

Unknown said...

Hi Lyn,

I'm with Raph. I love illuminated manuscripts and marvel at the effort that went into them.

Lyn said...

Hi Derrick-
I agree! Thank you..Such dedication..the only time I ever became involved with detail was when I studied etching..that was always invaluable!

VISION DE ARLEQUÍN said...

MUY INTERESANTE

UN SALUDO DESDE ALGÚN ÁRICO Y ONÍRICO LUGAR DE MÉXICO.

"LA VIDA ES UN GRAN CIRCO, PERO SIN ESPECTADORES"

CIAO

Lyn said...

To Vision de Arlequin-
Life is a circle, indeed..not sure I understand every word..expectations??
Gracias...

Deedee said...

It's amazing that these works of art have survived so many centuries. I'm fascinated by all things medieval.

Lyn said...

Hi Deedee-
So glad you feel that way. Something within me really responds to this art, always has..such dedication..

LinkWithin

Related Posts Widget for Blogs by LinkWithin