Romanesque paintings are generally done in fresco, but not having perfected this technique, retouching must be done with oils or tempera. The figures which appear are submitted to a process of abstraction which is derived from the sense of creative expression characteristic of the anonymous masters who do the paintings. As a result, this painting, whose flatness and bi-dimensionality have Byzantine origins, leads in a realistic-expressionistic path and tries, through patches of color on the faces and hands, to liven up the flat tones and disocover volumetric effects which will be more fully achieved in the Gothic period.
Showing posts with label Sacred Spaces. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sacred Spaces. Show all posts
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Tuesday, 16 March 2010
Under the command of the master masons the buildings are constructed with architecture, sculpture and painting forming a single organic structure. This is what causes the painting, being subordinated to the architecture, to possess a decorative as well as theological character. In general, these pictorial decorations are religious in character but not exclusively.
Monday, 15 March 2010
The Romanesque style is born as Latin begins to break down into the Romance languages; with the disappearance of linguistic unity, a new nexus will be found, thanks to art, which along with the pilgrimmages to Santiagao de Compostela and Rome, will link the European peoples. This new "universal language" will make it possible for the pilgrim or travelor to read, without need of translation, the messages expressed by a new figuration, whether it be presented in a sculptural from on the facades or capitals of the buildings, or pictorially on the walls and vaults.
Sunday, 14 March 2010
Along with Western civilization, art after the fall of Rome is submerged in shadows; the universal meaning of Classical art desintegrated into a plurality of national and local styles. Thus, in Spain there is a consecutive development of the Visigothic, Asturian and Mozarabic styles. But when it seems that European art has reached complete desintegration, a series of religious, economic and social causes will motivate the creation of a new utilitarian artistic style, the Romanesque one. It will no longer be that of an empire, such as the Roman one, but of a spiritual ideal, Christianity.
Sunday, 28 February 2010
Sunday, 14 February 2010
Sunday, 24 January 2010
ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB
SPAIN---A contemporary of Vincent Van Gogh, Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi began his church in 1882 and it is still uncompleted (projected 2033). The mammoth church (Sagrada Familia) is a towering gothic expression that melds with art nouveau and surrealism. Gaudi was consumed by the project and was buried inside in 1926.
By TAHLIB
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| La Sagrada Familia by Antoni Gaudí, 1882 - present, Barcelona |
Saturday, 16 January 2010
ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Ernest Disney-Britton
INDIANA - After a $10 million rehabilitation, a 1922 Indianapolis United Methodist Church will become home to the state's preservation group. The building, vacant since 2008 but considered a gem because of its Romanesque Revival-style has been using a grant of $150,000 to stabilizd the building's foundation. The church building will be renamed, "Indiana Landmarks Center."
Total Cost: $10 million
Donors: $7 million by William and Gayle Cook, Bloomington
Church Name: Central Avenue United Methodist Church
Location: 12th Street and Central Avenue, Indianapolis
By Ernest Disney-Britton
INDIANA - After a $10 million rehabilitation, a 1922 Indianapolis United Methodist Church will become home to the state's preservation group. The building, vacant since 2008 but considered a gem because of its Romanesque Revival-style has been using a grant of $150,000 to stabilizd the building's foundation. The church building will be renamed, "Indiana Landmarks Center."
...the building will feature the 500-seat Cook Grand Theater in the former sanctuary, with a domed ceiling and stained glass windows; Cook Hall, a historic wood-paneled hall with a stage and balcony-level breakout rooms; and office space. Indiana Landmarks plans to move its state headquarters to the new location from 340 W. Michigan St. after it has raised the funds to renovate the office wing, built in 1922 and attached to the church.PROJECT FACTS:
To read the entire story, see: [link]
Total Cost: $10 million
Donors: $7 million by William and Gayle Cook, Bloomington
Church Name: Central Avenue United Methodist Church
Location: 12th Street and Central Avenue, Indianapolis
Friday, 8 January 2010
I finally stumbled upon a home for weekday noon mass, St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church is within a block of Indy's downtown shopping center. There's even a line for confession, and it's starting now. Since there's only Sunday mass in Green Acres, I'm finally free of Mother Angelica's EWTN! Yesterday, I worshiped at SS Peter and Paul Cathedral. They have some impressive sacred art, and I made some new friends.
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Covington, KY artist Frank Duveneck completed murals the murals on the east wall of his hometown's Blessed Sacrament Chapel in May 1910. The triptych depicts the mysteries of the Eucharist. We were there for Easter.
Sunday, 27 December 2009
ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Ernest Disney-Britton
OHIO---Cincinnati, Ohio may not have another church as architecturally stylistic and eclectic as St. Mary's Church (know known as Old St. Mary's Church) in Over the Rhine. The exterior shows signs of the 19th century's growing interest in Romanesque and Gothic but it is the stunningly beautiful sanctuary that attracts visitor's mixing Greek Revival with Baroque styles. The interior is richly embellished both with works of art and objects of devotion. Especially noteworthy are three oil paintings of the Blessed Virgin Mary above the main altar. Fifteen feet high, the paintings are changed at appropriate seasons of the year, being hoisted into place by a system of pulleys. Visible under the high altar are the bones of a woman martyr discovered in 1844 in the Roman catacombs. On July the 3rd, 1842, the church was dedicated and at the time it was the largest church thus far erected in the Mississippi Valley, being 142 feet long, 66 feet wide, the tower reaching the height of 170 feet.
By Ernest Disney-Britton
OHIO---Cincinnati, Ohio may not have another church as architecturally stylistic and eclectic as St. Mary's Church (know known as Old St. Mary's Church) in Over the Rhine. The exterior shows signs of the 19th century's growing interest in Romanesque and Gothic but it is the stunningly beautiful sanctuary that attracts visitor's mixing Greek Revival with Baroque styles. The interior is richly embellished both with works of art and objects of devotion. Especially noteworthy are three oil paintings of the Blessed Virgin Mary above the main altar. Fifteen feet high, the paintings are changed at appropriate seasons of the year, being hoisted into place by a system of pulleys. Visible under the high altar are the bones of a woman martyr discovered in 1844 in the Roman catacombs. On July the 3rd, 1842, the church was dedicated and at the time it was the largest church thus far erected in the Mississippi Valley, being 142 feet long, 66 feet wide, the tower reaching the height of 170 feet.
Sunday, 2 August 2009
AOA NEWS
By Ernest Britton
INDIANA - Located in the southside of Indianapolis metropolitan area, Saints Francis and Claire Roman Catholic Church is a beautiful modern church eclipsed by the oversized religious art. The clean modern architecture based on classic, historical cruciform feels like an open amphitheater and it's monochromatic colors are an ideal backdrop for the massive near life-sized crucifix and statuettes of the Saints Assi and Clare.
By Ernest Britton
INDIANA - Located in the southside of Indianapolis metropolitan area, Saints Francis and Claire Roman Catholic Church is a beautiful modern church eclipsed by the oversized religious art. The clean modern architecture based on classic, historical cruciform feels like an open amphitheater and it's monochromatic colors are an ideal backdrop for the massive near life-sized crucifix and statuettes of the Saints Assi and Clare.
Friday, 17 April 2009
ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB
INDIANA---First Congregational Church bills itself as a progressive, inclusive, spiritually alive servant community. I was invited to attend for the Good Friday, a stoic and somber experience for any church, and this was true for First Congregational Church as well. They are part of the United Church of Christ family of churches. However in general, they offer two distinct opportunities for worship. First, their "New Creation" worship which is varied and nontraditional with drama, contemporary music and dance. “You never know what will happen this week,” said one worshipper. The second at 11am is their Traditional worship which offers "challenging and thoughtful preaching" along with traditional music. The structure is a huge beautiful New England style sanctuary, and starkly unadorned in terms of artistry or scultptural works, but it does sit on a nice parkland campus, and even as a Baptist art-evangelist, I felt very welcomed.
By TAHLIB
INDIANA---First Congregational Church bills itself as a progressive, inclusive, spiritually alive servant community. I was invited to attend for the Good Friday, a stoic and somber experience for any church, and this was true for First Congregational Church as well. They are part of the United Church of Christ family of churches. However in general, they offer two distinct opportunities for worship. First, their "New Creation" worship which is varied and nontraditional with drama, contemporary music and dance. “You never know what will happen this week,” said one worshipper. The second at 11am is their Traditional worship which offers "challenging and thoughtful preaching" along with traditional music. The structure is a huge beautiful New England style sanctuary, and starkly unadorned in terms of artistry or scultptural works, but it does sit on a nice parkland campus, and even as a Baptist art-evangelist, I felt very welcomed.
Sunday, 12 April 2009
GOD'S ART MUSEUMS
By TAHLIB
"Robo-priest" delivered the Easter homily in French today at Saint Vincent de Paul Church. I nicknamed him that because of his robot-like efficiency during weekday noon masses, but today he was different. Backed by an all Haitian choir, he was on fire before the packed congregation of pasty Parisian-born New Yorkers dressed in white. It was a beautful yet broken experience for me. Monday - Friday, this is my home church but on this Easter Sunday, I was an alien. Yesterday, at MOMA I saw Martin Kippenberger's retrospective, and his crucified frog is my image for Easter 2009. Everyday in NYC, wonder surrounds me but I remain an alien.
As a Christian, this holyweek is the most special week of my year:
While the facade is elegantly preserved, it is the opulent interior of the 1869 structure, as refined in 1939 by architect Anthony H. Depace that most takes your breath away. There are grandiose marble columns, intricate mosaics, murals and colorful stained glass which effectively combine to produce a kind of super spiritual atmosphere found in the greatest of Christian churches. St. Vincent de Paul is a masterpiece but one that is in a state of decay, and needs a resurrection for the modern day.
By TAHLIB
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| "Feet First" (1990) by Martin Kippenberger at MoMA |
As a Christian, this holyweek is the most special week of my year:
- Good Friday: "Crucified Frog" by Martin Kippenberg [link]
- Easter 2009: St. Vincent de Paul, Chelsea, NYC [link]
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| Facade of Church |
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| Interior of the church |
Sunday, 5 April 2009
ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB
NEW YORK---Built in 1932, All Souls - a Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Manhattan has "zero" religious imagery in this elegant space in pastel colors with six large chandeliers and five magnificent clear glass windows. It is located at 1157 Lexington Ave on the Upper East side.
Sunday, 7 December 2008
ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB
Long before I moved here to NYC, I already knew that this move was not about my new job but about finding "something lost." I have no idea what I am seeking, but here I wander anyway. Today, I visited The Riverside Church on the Upper Westside, and I felt a rush like I'd experienced long ago during my Christmas pageants in our grandmother's living room. I had forgotten that feeling-- that joy. I'd also forgotten the framed print of "Christ in Gethsemane" that hung on her wall facing us on stage my Dad assembled. The original by Heinrich Hofmann is here in an amazing art collection owned by the church (donated by a Rockefeller born in Ohio). Gethsemane is a place we go in agony seeking something lost. This massive and beautiful church, rich with diversity, artistry, and led by a black Baptist minister from Cincinnati (Rev. James Forbes) might just be where I find that "something lost" that I came searching for in New York City. It's the first time that NYC has come close to feeling like home.
By TAHLIB
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| "Christ in Gethsemane" (1890) by Hienrich Hofmann. Collection of Riverside Church, NYC. |
Sunday, 13 July 2008
ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB
NEW YORK CITY---Church of St. Vincent de Paul on 23rd Street in Chelsea is across the street from our office, and I don't think that's a coincidence. They have daily noon mass, and while I've never done that before, I think I might give it a try. What's most surprising though is the church buildings major state of deterioration. While it's clean, it's also clearly crumbling away and how is that possible with the riches available in NYC? The ten Romanesque-style stained-glass windows are credited as made by Tiffanys. I can't wait to show them off to my visitors from back home! There is a small chapel to the left of the entrance devoted to St. Thérèse which honors French soldiers who died in foreign wars past. I don't know why it honors French soldiers but I assume that French-Americans started this church. I Googled, and discovered there are over 6,000 houses of worship here in NYC, nearly one on every corner so I'm glad to have already discovered one that I like.
By TAHLIB
NEW YORK CITY---Church of St. Vincent de Paul on 23rd Street in Chelsea is across the street from our office, and I don't think that's a coincidence. They have daily noon mass, and while I've never done that before, I think I might give it a try. What's most surprising though is the church buildings major state of deterioration. While it's clean, it's also clearly crumbling away and how is that possible with the riches available in NYC? The ten Romanesque-style stained-glass windows are credited as made by Tiffanys. I can't wait to show them off to my visitors from back home! There is a small chapel to the left of the entrance devoted to St. Thérèse which honors French soldiers who died in foreign wars past. I don't know why it honors French soldiers but I assume that French-Americans started this church. I Googled, and discovered there are over 6,000 houses of worship here in NYC, nearly one on every corner so I'm glad to have already discovered one that I like.
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