Examining the Art of the Ebbo Gospels
A few days ago, I talked about a particularly strange painting from the Medieval period, an era that should be famous for its inventive and highly imaginative art. Today, I want to discuss another piece of unique art from the Medieval period: the Ebbo Gospels.
Illuminated manuscripts remain some of the most important artistic artifacts from the medieval period. In an age when all books had to be copied by hand, the scholars—mostly monks—took special care to produce high quality and beautiful manuscripts. However, because artistic training was less centralized at the time, Medieval art varied widely in terms of style, giving rise to the great originality of Medieval art.
The Ebbo Gospels are a good example of this phenomenon. The artistic style of this manuscript—which is richly illustrated—is truthfully, unlike anything else in Western art. The four illustrations of writers of the gospels are perhaps the best example of this. According to art historian Ruth Berenson, “the illustration [of the Ebbo Gospels] has its roots in late classical painting. Landscape is represented in the illusionistic style of late classical painting. Greek artists fleeing the Byzantine iconoclasm of the 8th century brought this style to Aachen and Reims” (near the monastery where the Gospels were produced).
In the illustration of Saint Matthew, for example, shows the saint furiously writing as an angel in the corner delivers diving inspiration. His expression conveys his heightened spiritual state, in sharp contrast to contemporary images of other saints, which tended to portray them as calm and serene. These illustrations—like the illustration of Saint Matthew—seem shockingly modern for their time, employing the stylistic creativity and psychological reality that is often associated with modern art.
Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.
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| Saint John Source: PBS |
Illuminated manuscripts remain some of the most important artistic artifacts from the medieval period. In an age when all books had to be copied by hand, the scholars—mostly monks—took special care to produce high quality and beautiful manuscripts. However, because artistic training was less centralized at the time, Medieval art varied widely in terms of style, giving rise to the great originality of Medieval art.
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| Saint Luke Source: Pintrest |
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| Saint Mark Source: Wikipedia |
However, the Ebbo Gospels differentiate themselves with a degree of emotional realism that is unique to the manuscript. The artist of the Ebbo gospels used a painterly style, characterized by loose, bold brush strokes. The resulting illustrations convey a sense of religious fervor and spiritual exaltation.
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| Saint Matthew Source: Wikipedia |
In the illustration of Saint Matthew, for example, shows the saint furiously writing as an angel in the corner delivers diving inspiration. His expression conveys his heightened spiritual state, in sharp contrast to contemporary images of other saints, which tended to portray them as calm and serene. These illustrations—like the illustration of Saint Matthew—seem shockingly modern for their time, employing the stylistic creativity and psychological reality that is often associated with modern art.
Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.
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