Interviews, part I
Medieval History

Interviews, part I


 My graduate school class had an unusual amount of medieval topics as theses. Each was completely different and absolutely fascinating, so I thought it would be interesting to interview each of my classmates about their theses and thoughts about medieval art.

My first interviewee is Alison Daines, MA. She's a wonderfully insightful scholar whose research interests lie mainly in Netherlandish art and the Northern Renaissance.
Initially I was drawn to the romance of it, but that quickly developed into an appreciation for the deep mystical symbolism that pervades medieval art. Visually, it is full of detail that suggests deeper layers. This concept permeates all mediums of medieval art, including architecture. I am drawn to this in connection to the historical events that shaped the production of these works.
Although I believe that it's becoming less prevalent, the medieval period is often seen as visually inferior to the renaissance. I think that is partly due to renaissance works being more familiar to the general public, but also a natural appeal to classicism. Classicism and it's subsequent resurgences are indeed beautiful and appealing. I also believe that it is more visually accessible to the general public and that medieval art simply requires more effort to appreciate. Therefore, I would love to educate them on the exquisite visual and symbolic detail in medieval art such as illuminated manuscripts, tapestries, architecture and painting.
JSTOR immediately comes to mind as a quick and scholarly reliable source. I also enjoy museum websites for images and information.
I have not spent a lot of time on architecture, but I truly love gothic cathedrals. Two favorites include Chartres- as a perfect example of the french high gothic style. The stained glass is exquisite and much of it is amazingly original. I also love most examples of Illuminated manuscripts, I have found that the french have beautiful examples.
I am fascinated by illuminated manuscripts. Before Gutenberg books were treasures that were handwritten, meticulously copied and passed down. The accompanying images in them are not only beautiful, but full of deep layers of symbolism that corresponds with the written word. As a lover of books, I appreciate that concept.

That's an interesting question. There are two places that come to mind: England and the Netherlands. I spent a semester in England and felt deeply connected to the gothic architecture in York, Bath and Salisbury. I love English history and in these cities felt most connected to its medieval past. I also performed some of my thesis research in the Netherlands. One place that I spent a lot of time in was the Koninglijk Bibliothek in The Hague. It's a library with an substantial collection of illuminated manuscripts that I was able to explore (by an extensive request process.) Spending real time with these manuscripts was an amazing experience that led me on an almost metaphysical journey involving the artists themselves and all of the eyes that have since read and studied these pages.
My topic was Bosch's The Haywain (c. 1495-1516). It's technically not a medieval work, but rather its considered part of the northern renaissance. However, Bosch was heavily influenced by medieval concepts and iconography. I argue that he provided an expression of the strict religious piety embodied by the Devotio Moderna, as a response to the impeding embraces of secular humanism. I use those concepts in relation to the work as a discussion of an interwoven assortment of journeys. These paths are seen within the work as taken simultaneously by religious and contemporary figures, including the viewer. He utilized the pilgrimage motif as a guide throughout his pantings and in relation to the liminal spaces surrounding his works.
 I use the underlying theme of Christ's Ascension. Christ's final journey acts as the ultimate goal and the paradigm for both the pilgrim within the triptych and the viewer. Evidence of processional celebrations mimicking pilgrimages reveals that the motifs in Bosch's works were located throughout his visual culture. I also use Bosch's 1505 triptych The Temptation of St. Anthony as an example of Bosch's consistent use of the pilgrimage theme. I argue that he is working within the context of the visual and textual culture of 's-Hertogenbosh, and despite his creative style, was understood among his contemporaries as a messenger of positive piety.




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