Romanesque Art: Sculpture and Painting in Cathedrals
The Gateway of Glory in Santiago de Compostela
The Gateway of Glory is part of the narthex of the cathedral, whose scarce 5-meter width impedes a full frontal view. The venue is the top level of a crypt designed by Maestro Mateo to compensate for the unevenness of the land that lay between the nave of the church and the plaza outside. The Gateway is divided into three openings that match the naves of the church. It hosts more than 200 sculptures. The iconographic program has its nerve center in the mullion, chaired by the seated statue of Saint James, who welcomes the pilgrims. The tympanum of the main span recreates the Revelation: Christ appears in the center, in a majestic attitude, showing his wounds, surrounded by the four Evangelists. The archivolt shows the elders of the Apocalypse. On the threshold, archangels carry the symbols of the Passion. Curved spaces welcome the elect in Matthew, embodied as 38 human figures. In the jambs, a magnificent set of prophets and apostles seem to talk. The sculptural decoration of the left arch of the Gate is dedicated to the Law of Moses and the right, to the Last Judgement. The break with the aesthetic is reflected in the individual treatment of the characters, close to the portrait, and facial expressiveness. All figures show a dynamism that makes them lose the frontality and the rigidity, enhanced by the natural romance in the folds of clothing. The sculptures are carved in granite or marble, and remains of their original color are visible.
The Doubt of Saint Thomas
This original work shows a composite approach: Christ is the center of the composition but is slightly shifted to the left, yet still the center of attention, since most of the apostles face him. His right arm, raised to show his wounds to the unbeliever, breaks the homogeneity of composition and calls the look of the observer. The general approach follows strictly the provisions for this type of Romanesque sculpture: firstly, all the characters (except Jesus) are located at the same height thanks to the clever juxtaposition of three superimposed friezes, figures of equal size. Secondly, it forms a geometric space defined by the arch that rests on the two fine columns topped with Corinthian capitals of inspiration. Thirdly, the characters adapt to the architectural framework, and the figure of Christ is greater than the rest, in accordance with traditional hierarchy. The compliance action that starts with the raised arm of Jesus is completed by the gesture of Santo Tomás, who touches the wound with his finger, and the spiritual turmoil of the apostles, reflected in the totally unnatural positions of their legs and wide gestures of their hands. These are signs of smooth motion, characteristic of Romanesque. On a technical level, this bas-relief is surprising for the delicacy of carving, flat and perfect execution, which refers to the beautiful ivory work of the time and is reminiscent of Byzantine and Mozarabic art. The figures, sleek and slim in proportion, have rounded volumes. The clothes fit the body by gentle superficial incisions, modeling and showing that the folds occur in subtle contrasts of light and dark.
Moissac Abbey
The tympanum is chaired by a gigantic Christ in Majesty, surrounded by the tetramorph (eagle for John, lion for Mark, bull for Luke, and angel for Matthew) and flanked by two archangels who carry rolls of prayers. The set is completed with the 24 elders of Revelation, located on parallel records, which fill the remaining space to adapt to the semicircular shape of the tympanum. In the base, they form a continuous frieze. The rows of elders, carrying musical instruments or offertory bowls, are separated by the waves of the sea of glass, mentioned in Revelation and also present in the jambs. The rosettes carved on the lintel are hellfire wheels. The figures are adapted to the limitations of the architectural setting: the members are stretched or deformed as appropriate. They are distributed in space according to criteria of symmetry (symbolic expression of the divine order) and hierarchy (location predetermined by importance). The unit composition of the scene is constructed from the looks of all the characters converging in Christ. Sculptural execution is surprising for the thoroughness of detail. Christ, of greater proportions than other figures, is voluntarily crudely carved, flat, and frontal to boost their solemn hieratic, in sharp contrast to the wealth of gestures that the elders exhibit, significantly lower in size.
Romanesque Sculpture
Objective: Instructional, educational, and instructive. Sermon in stone, and on the facades, the presence of the Almighty. Moreover, as architectural coating are:
- Sculptures in doorways and in the capitals of the interior.
- Painting in the shell of the apse.
Composition similar in sculpture and painting: In the center is highlighted a large image of Christ, crowned with an almond shape. The rest is fragmented and overlapping horizontal friezes which display the figures who assist Christ.
Characteristics of the characters:
- Disproportionate elongation
- Defective anatomy
- Strange perspectives
All the result of the impression given to apocalyptic themes.
Tympanum: The representation of the Pantocrator and the Last Judgement. Christ seated on the throne, with the Gospel in his left hand, blessing to the right. Constellated by four animals, which are the four evangelists (Angel for Matthew, Lion for Mark, Bull for Luke, Eagle for John). Around them, a host of seraphim and the 24 elders who play instruments. The Pantocrator may appear below the blessed and the damned. Often the 12 apostles are represented on the lintel. Archivolts with geometric patterns, plants, and human figures. Capitals: freedom to use your imagination. The most important churches are Saint Peter of Moissac.
Romanesque Painting
Catalan Romanesque mural painting technique simultaneous with tempera paint on boards. Altars: fragmented front surfaces in streets or records, reserving the nucleus for Maiestas Domini, and filling aisles with miracles, stories of martyrs, of patron saints. Saint Clement and Saint Mary of Taüll. For the Romanesque painter, his work is part of the building. In the painting dominates anti-naturalism, since there is no perspective, drawings and flat colors are juxtaposed, creating contrasting colors, drawings of undoubted greatness, intense static expression, the narrative still matters, plain background, at different levels and in different colors, figure drawn with a thick line, model of Byzantine origin (parallel lines for shading, red blotches to the face). Decorated chapel. Vault: apocalyptic theme: Pantocrator, misty and tetramorphs almond. Sometimes the Virgin and Child adored by the Magi. The cylindrical surface of the apse, dedicated to Saints: symmetrically distributed, right and front. Side walls: Stories divided by frames.