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QUESTION
Learning Outcomes
Apply key terms for analyzing and discussing the art and architecture of western Europe in the early and central Middle Ages.
Demonstrate ability to use digital library collections for viewing and analyzing art.
Analyze and formally articulate the iconography, style, and composition of a page from an early medieval illuminated manuscript.
Introduction
For this assignment, you will write a formal analysis on a full-page illumination of your choosing from an early 9th century Hiberno-Saxon Gospel book known as the Book of Kells. The Book of Kells was made around the year 800, probably at the Benedictine Monastery at Iona, Scotland. Today it is housed at Trinity College library in Dublin, Ireland.
Instructions
Note: Do not use outside sources for this assignment. This is not a research paper. The only sources you should be using for this assignment are the Trinity College website and this week’s assigned lecture and Stokstad reading on Hiberno-Saxon/Insular manuscript illumination. Consulting outside sources distracts from the purpose of this assignment and makes it difficult for me to assess your work because I don’t know what’s your original ideas and what’s content you might be copying from somewhere else. Exception: if you’re trying to understand what’s going on in the scene you’ve chosen, it’s okay to read elsewhere about the iconography. Limit your use of outside sources exclusively to this purpose and cite the source.
In a separate document, write a 2-page double-spaced formal analysis on your chosen page from the Book of Kells. Use Times New Roman 12 point font with standard margins.
1) After reading the assigned Stokstad pages and watching this week’s lecture on Germanic & Celtic Art in the Early Middle Ages, go to the Trinity College library website and read the introduction on the Book of Kells The Book of Kells (Links to an external site.)
2) After reading the introduction, access the webpage with digital reproductions of each of the folios (pages) of the Book of Kells. Folios of the Book of Kells (Links to an external site.)(at the top right of the screen, you must click “OK” to their cookie policy before being able to continue to the site).
3) View each of the full-page illuminations of the book, using the scroll bar at the left. The images are zoomable for a closer look. The “click for more information” link on the menu bar at the top left of the screen identifies the content and subject matter of the page you are looking at.
4) Choose one of the full-page illuminations to write a formal analysis on. Your options are: 7v, 8r, 27v, 28v, 29r, 32v, 33r, 114r, 114v, 124r, 129v, 130r, 183r, 187v, 188r, 202v, 203r, 285r, 290v, 291v, 292r (“r” stands for “recto,” meaning the front side of the page; “v” stands for “verso,” meaning the reverse side of the page). Do NOT choose a folio that’s not on the above list of options.
5) Structure your paper as seven paragraphs:
i) Introductory paragraph identifying the page you selected and its content/subject matter (you get this information from the “click for more information” link at the top left of the screen). Be sure to include the folio number; if that information is not included I cannot evaluate your work and you will receive an automatic 0 on the assignment. Some of these pages belong to one of the three types of Gospel book pages discussed in lecture and reading: author pages, initial pages, and carpet pages. Is your page one of these three? If so, indicate which one. If not, say so.
ii) Body consisting of five paragraphs analyzing the composition and style of the illumination, based on the formal principles you’ve been learning about and using in this course. Use as many relevant technical terms as possible. Be sure to zoom in to get a close-up look at different parts and features of the illumination. Write one paragraph addressing each of the following five prompts (i.e. five body paragraphs total, not including your intro and conclusion):
Is the imagery representational (identifiable forms in nature) or non-representational (pure ornamentation or abstract symbols)? If it’s non-representational, what kind of imagery is it? What kinds of patterns, motifs, or ornamental designs did the artist use? Is there both representational and non-representational imagery present? Explain what’s what.
How would you characterize the picture plane? Is it deep? Shallow? Explain your conclusion and be specific. Why does it look this way? What technique/s did the artist use (or not use) that resulted in this effect?
How is the composition constructed? How are the forms organized on the page? How are they positioned or integrated? Is there a dominant form or forms that unify the composition? Explain. Is there a strong axis? What kind? Does the artist use negative space? If so, how? In what way does the artist use negative space as a compositional element? Is there a total lack of negative space? If so, what overall effect does that give? If there are both figural and non-figural forms, what is their compositional relationship? Are they integrated or strictly separated on the page? Explain. How did the artist use color as a compositional element (don’t just describe what colors you see–analyze how the artist used color strategically).
If relevant, how did the artist treat anatomy? What techniques did he use to render human forms? Think about all the different techniques we’ve discussed in this course for rendering forms in 2D art (e.g. line work, modeling, foreshortening, etc.) Which of these techniques did the artist use in your illumination? If there are no human or human-like forms in your image (i.e. your image is pure ornament), you can skip this paragraph
Taking into consideration all of the above aspects, how would you characterize the overall style of the image? Think about the spectrum of artistic styles we’ve examined in lectures and Stokad readings, and the terms we’ve used to describe them. What descriptive terms best fit here? Explain what the style has to do with the meaning of the work (What was the artist emphasizing or prioritizing? What was he seeking to achieve by applying this very distinctive style?)
iii) Short concluding paragraph
6) Upload your paper
Before you begin, please consult the grading rubric below
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The instructions indicates that For this assignment, you will write a formal analysis on a full-page illumination of your choosing from an early 9th century Hiberno-Saxon Gospel book known as the Book of Kells. The Book of Kells was made around the year 800, probably at the Benedictine Monastery at Iona, Scotland. Today it is housed at Trinity College library in Dublin, Ireland.
ANSWER
Visual Analysis Paper on Book of Kells
The Book of Kells was composed over a thousand years ago. It contains Latin copies of the four gospel books and is lavishly decorated (The Book of Kells 2019). The book contains various illustrations that depict moments in the life and death of Christ, as accounted by the four gospel books. Amongst the pages of Matthew is a full-page illustration of one of the common themes in western art, the arrest or capture of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane (folio 114r). The arrest of Christ is detailed in chapter 26 of the book of Matthew and was the beginning of the events that led to the death of Christ. The illustration on fol. 114r is not easy to understand or straightforward, as it is placed a few pages before the recount of Christ’s arrest is provided in the text. In addition, there are various elements in the illustration that are not explained to represent the depicted scene.
The illustration of folio 114r is a representation of Christ’s arrest: “…then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him” (Matthew 26:50). As with all the other illustrations in the book, the decoration glorifies aspects of Christ’s life and the key moments (The Book of Kells 2019). The illustration plays the role of portraying Christ’s arrest to people who cannot read the text. It is an illustration that is packed with iconography and symbolism. The illustration is stylized since the artist uses various artistic forms and conventions to create an effect. Folio 114r shows three people, Christ and two soldiers arresting him. The three people have prominent bulging eyes and precisely-formed beards. The image composition is symmetrical and ordered.
The artists created depth using the figures standing behind Christ. These figures overlap with the figure of Christ and are smaller than it, showing that they are further away. The artist also created depth using linear means, for instance, the folds on Christ’s robes. The setting of the three figures in the illustration is not realistic. It is simply decoration that has symbolism embedded in. The crosses at either side of the figures or on the archways are a reminder of Christ’s passion and eventual death. They are a reminder and a symbol of Christ’s crucifixion; the manner in which Christ died on the cross.
The image also seems to have hidden eucharistic symbols. The opened arms of Christ signify the last supper when the phrase “this is my body… this is the blood of the New Testament” was used. The plant forms coming from Christ’s head symbolize the vines and olives that are widely spoken of in parables in the gospels. Christ is associated with the olive tree and its fruit in the bible and in literature. The color used in the illustration is unrealistic, with a very limited color scheme. The people holding Christ’s hands are not dressed as soldiers or guards, but as priests. The figures also have plants growing from their heads. Judas is absent from the scene, a difference from most artwork depicting the arrest of Christ.
Above the figures are words inscribed. These words translate to: “when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives” (Matthew 26:30), a statement that sums up the account of the Last Supper in the book of Matthew. This is an occurrence that takes place much earlier than the arrest of Christ. The arms of Christ are depicted strangely. They look wooden and allude to a cross that is X-shaped. The pillars at the sides of the three figures have elements that allude to the Last Supper. The base of the pillars is decorated in a way that shows chalices with sprouting vines, a depiction of Christ’s Last Supper with his disciples.
The depiction of two priests standing on either side of Christ, instead of Roman Soldiers, may be intended as a reminder of the Old Testament passage: “What be these two olive branches which through two golden pipes empty golden oil out of themselves? …These are the two anointed ones that stand by the Lord of the whole earth” (Zechariah 2:12-14). The chalices that seem to form the frame may be a reference to the Eucharist, which is the present-day celebration of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ by Christians. Generally, the aim of the illustration is to depict Christ’s arrest on a basic level for the illiterate or those that cannot read.
Considering the various elements depicted on the illustration on folio 114r of the Book of Kells, it is clear that the image was intended to depict various events in the life and death of Christ, including the Last Supper, the arrest of Christ, the prophecy in the Old Testament (Zechariah 2:12-14), and the crucifixion of Christ. The arrangement of the image is symmetrical, but depth, space, and layer are shown. There is no sense of urgency in the image, implying that Christ peacefully surrendered, accepted his fate, and had overcome the fear of death. The image alludes to the idea of Christ’s sacrifice during his arrest and crucifixion.
Works Cited
The Book of Kells. “Book of Kells” – The Library of Trinity College Dublin – Trinity College Dublin, 27 June 2019, https://www.tcd.ie/library/manuscripts/book-of-kells.php.
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