Essay on "Germanic Art 7th 9th Centuries"

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[EXCERPT] . . . .

Germanic Art and Its Influence From the 7th-9th Century

Following the conversion and reign of Constantine, Christianity's impact began to be felt throughout all Europe. Clovis, king of the Franks, converted in the 5th century and left behind the Merovingian line of kings, which was finally displaced by the Carolingian line, led famously by Charlemagne -- or Karl der Grosse -- crowned by the Roman Pontiff on Christmas in the year 800 a.D and hailed as the Holy Roman Emperor (Haaren 103). From the 7th to the 9th century, Germanic art shaped and was shaped by the geo-political-religious influences of the day as well as by the cultural influences of the Germanic tribes like the Norse, the Anglos and the Saxons. The art also helped shape the culture in return. This paper will show how Germanic art from the 7th to the 9th century reveals something about the nature of politics, religion, and the way of thinking at a time when Germanic tribes were coming face-to-face with Christianity.

At Sutton Hoo in England, two burial grounds dating back to the 6th and 7th centuries were uncovered, bringing into the light of day many ancient Germanic artifacts and artworks. The Anglo-Saxon pieces reveal a pagan tribe greatly given over to ornamentation. Indeed, the marvelous belt buckles, clasps, and lids at Sutton Hoo indicate the work of master craftsmen and goldsmiths -- and the buried ship verifies the reports of the Anglo-Saxon poet who penned Beowulf.

While the Anglo-Saxons were not skilled in "painting or calligraphy…they excelled in metalwork" ("Hiberno-Saxon Style"). The system of ornamentation they favored was based on geometrical design. When the Christian missionaries arrived in the north to convert the Anglo-Saxons, they brought with them the artistic characteristics of the Roman Empire -- but they also allowed the Germanic tribes to incorporate into their artistic endeavors their love of geometrical patterns. This love may be seen in the manuscript designs of the 7th century -- for instance, the Lindisfarne Gospels and the Book of Durrow ("Hiberno-Saxon Style").

However, the kind of metalwork revealed at Sutton Hoo, may also be seen in the "common types of Langobardic jewelry [like] the basket earring [which] derives its name from the hemispherical 'basket' of gold wire or basket-like dome of sheet gold on its hoop" ("Basket Earring"). Such earrings were a common feature of Germanic tribes like the Lombards (who often fought with the Roman Empire). Again, one sees the excellent work of the goldsmiths and it is not difficult to understand how, following the conversion of Europe to Christianity, such excellent craftsmanship would then be directed toward producing metalwork for Christian worship, such as crosses, chalices, and more. Indeed, "the ornament of Celtic art and Anglo-Saxon art was translated into stone-carving, from simple engraved monoliths to elaborate sculpted crosses, as well as the illuminated manuscripts produced in Christian monasteries" ("Medieval Art").

The northern tribes of Europe were a very dynamic people, as their artworks suggest. There is a great intricacy in the patterns they designed -- for example, in the great patterns of made up of animals intertwining with one another -- "isolated elements…combined into a sophisticated whole" (Johnson 130). In fact, what appears to be chaos (in the design) is really not -- but is actually a marvelously designed pattern of intricate and interwoven pieces. Such ornamentation (commonly found on belt buckles and in crosses after the spread of Christianity directed the artwork towards this religious avenue) reveals a society influenced by and aware of a unity in nature and in society. While their own tribes might have been nomadic, their understanding of their surroundings illustrates a connectedness in all things. Perhaps this is one reason the Germanic tribes embraced Christianity, since it is a religion that sees all things as part of God's creation and expressions of His goodness.

Indeed, as Paul Johnson notes, the Germanic tribes' "artistic instincts and skills were in due course Christianized, and put to work in the monastic scriptoria which were springing up all over western Europe" (130). The artworks that were now produced by these Germanic peoples under the influence of the Church gave the world examples of "intricacy of line and color [that] has never been excelled" (Johnson 130). From about the 7th century onward, Germanic art became highly specialized in producing illuminated manuscripts -- again combining the geometrical patterns of the Germanic tribes with the Christian purposes of the monks. The first example of this kind of work, "now in Trinity College Library, Dublin, is the Codex Usserianus Primus, which merely has a decorative title page, though a fine one, using the labyrinthine techniques" (Johnson 130). This piece of artwork was the beginning of the integration of calligraphy and patterns in print. Then there is a piece of artwork from approximately 625 a.D., which "is a copy of the Psalms, the Cathach of St. Columba… it has enlarged initial capitals, integrating crosses and fishes copied from Roman manuscripts with native Celtic exuberance" (Johnson 130). Such manuscripts were the pride of an awakening Christendom, which two centuries later would be formally united under one head -- that of Charlemagne.

Yet, one of the most impressive points of Germanic art in the Middle Ages is its absolute anonymity. Art in that time was, of course, a skilled labor, the secrets of which were preserved and safeguarded in varying customs by members and artists of the Church. The anonymous nature of the craft, however, was a reflection of the emphasis placed on the object of the art -- not on the artist. The printed and ornately illustrated manuscripts of the medieval world are perfect examples of this point: they were records of the past -- not of the recorder's personal attitudes or beliefs. Yet -- to be fair -- the attitudes and beliefs of the scribes, artists, monks, who designed the manuscripts (and other art works) comes through with intensity; but the beliefs are uniform -- submissive to a religion that unified Europe and brought society out of the Dark Ages. From jewel-encrusted manuscripts (like jewel-encrusted crown) to cathedral door, wall, ceiling, and window, art was tied to purpose: to teach to praise. As Paul Johnson states, "here, then, was art for man's sake. It was also, of course, art for God's sake (135)."

The style of art in the Middle Ages differed according to region -- but thematically it was overwhelmingly religious: "Of the codices or bound books produced between the seventh and the fifteenth centuries…about ninety-five percent were religious in content" (Johnson 135). nor, as Johnson and all records indicate, was medieval art limited to the printed page: the Lindau Gospels (9th c.) were a good example of two-dimensional art transformed into a three-dimensional object: the Word of God was bound in wood and leather, dipped in gold (carved into Christian symbology) and cased in precious stones. Books received just as much attention from sculptors as altars would in the coming years.

Still, examples of industry differ among different nations: the Book of Kells is an example of Celtic art that depicts the evangelist in a way that is distinctly characteristic: "With its full range of decorative motifs, iconic images and narratives, such as the Temptation and Betrayal of Christ and the Virgin and Child, it is a comprehensive encyclopedia of what Celtic-Christian-English art could produce" (Johnson 132). Reliquaries, windows, vestments, chants, drama -- medieval art was Christian to the core: but in no way was it boring. Indeed, there was a liveliness about the Germanic art and the Germanic tribal cultures that fused with the lively sentiments of the Christian faith (and what could be more lively than Christ's conquering of death and the redemption of mankind?). This liveliness translated into artistic expressions of deep piety and as the centuries continued, religious art bloomed and blossomed and bore all the markings of the Germanic culture that spawned it as well as the religious traditions that inspired it. The Stave Church of St. Andrew in Norway is a 12th c. example of Scandinavian craftsmanship that survives to this day: a beautifully unique chapel built with upright timber and full of vitality. Coming three centuries after the reign of Charlemagne, it still testifies to the religiosity that pervaded the region and gave it a unifying structure. Germanic art through the centuries only served to strengthen this structure. The social conditions that allowed such work to flourish were conditions of religious faith: "Each time an order of regular priests or brothers was founded…a new set of churches had to be built. They were designed in a highly competitive spirit, which provided rich pickings for good artists, and endless delight for us who relish the results" (Johnson 140).

However, what the Book of Kells reveals in the beginning of the 9th century is the importance "the human figure is beginning to play" (Johnson 132). In another half of a millennium the human figure would reach its highest level of scrutiny in the Renaissance. Here, however, it… READ MORE

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