Finding the Medieval in Modernism
Friday, March 9, 2012 at 9:28PM 
Left: Henri Matisse - Le Bonheur de Vivre (The Joys of Life) 1905-06 - Oil on canvas, Barnes Foundation, Merion, PA / Right: Gothic Glass Painter; German Jaoob with the Tree of Jesse c. 1218 - Stained glass window, Minster, Freiburg We are an accumulation--if you will--of all of the knowledge, wisdom, curiosities and even superstitions that have preceded us. We can’t “unknow” what we know--and we can only live in our own time. But inspiration for the present can often be found in the past. Early Modern artists struggled to break free of the academic standards they believed were stifling their creativity. Part of that process involved reaching back in time to the artistic traditions of the Middle Ages--which were less bound by the many formal rules and regulations of art established later, in the Renaissance. Medieval stained glass, illuminated manuscripts, bestiaries, metalworks and more all made significant contributions to the innovations of Modern Art. Look at these comparisons and see if you can find the Medieval Past in the Modern Present. I’ll be giving a talk on this subject at the Burbank Artists Association on March 21st. The details are already posted here.
Left: Emile Nolde - Crucifixion - 1912 Oil on canvas, Nolde-Stiftung Seebull / Right: Hester Franeke Vir Dolorum (Man of Sorrows) - c. 1420 - Tempera on oak, Museum der Bildenden Künste, Leipzig
Left: Ruhende Kuhe (also known as Kauemder Steir), Franz Marc, 1911, Private collection / Right: Wether, early 13th Century, Museum Meermanno, MMW, 10 B25, Folio 19v
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IM GLAD YOU CAME!!!! I decided you look well on me, well on me.