Gislebertus (sculptor)
Gislebertus (12th century) was a sculptor whose decoration of the cathedral Saint-Lazare in Autun , Burgundy , France , from about the years 1120–1135, represented the most original works of this time on numerous portals , tympana and capitals .
person
Not much more is known about him than the name he left on the building inscription on the west portal of Autun Cathedral. That alone is extraordinary, as artists before the age of the Renaissance rarely signed their works. That is why the modern monument dedicated to him on the square southeast of the cathedral is also very abstract and is based in the center on a large letter "G" in Gothic fracture .
style
His sculptures are expressive and imaginative: from the terrifying Last Judgment (west tympanum) with its depictions of demons and strikingly elongated figures, to Eva (north portal), the first large female nude in European art since antiquity and a model of supple grace. Its influence on other French sacred sculpture can be seen and its technique paved the way for the Gothic style .
The name Gislebertus comes from a "signature" carved in stone in the west tympanum of the cathedral of Autun: 'Gislebertus hoc fecit' or 'Gislebertus did this'. Some modern scholars consider this to be the name of the founder rather than the artist.
His style characterizes the Burgundian Romanesque , which one encounters in the sculptures of the basilica Ste-Marie-Madeleine in Vézelay .
Eve lying down
The Rolin Museum is located near Autun Cathedral . a. The preserved fragments of the former north portal (destroyed in the course of the modernization of the choir in the 18th century) of the cathedral are shown, including the "reclining Eva" from the lintel from 1130/40, one of the most famous examples of Burgundian sculpture and one of the most unusual Representations of women throughout the Middle Ages. Master Gislebertus created this portal just a few years in front of the west portal and in this female figure achieved an extraordinary sensuality for the 12th century. The scene shown here is in which Eve whispers the message to Adam through her hand held out to Adam, the observance of which drove man out of paradise.
This lying position of Eve was also a new invention. To her right the devil was hiding in the foliage; its claw with the sharp claws can still be seen. The opposite figure of Adam, on the other hand, has been lost.
This figure is sensual and seductive like no other in Romanesque art. Supported only on her right elbow and knees, Eve moves like the serpent itself through the Garden of Eden. She has fixed her gaze on Adam, to whom she whispers with her right hand to his mouth, to do what she has already done, while she reaches back with her left to pick the apple whose branch she has taken from is bent towards the claw hand of the seducer. The presence of female nudity is increased by the anatomically excessive rotation of the upper body towards the viewer.
The unprecedented and therefore puzzling posture of this reclining Eve becomes apparent when one takes into consideration the contemporary significance of this posture. Because the penitential liturgy required the penitent to lie stretched out on the ground, supported on his knees and elbows. The sculptor has, as it were, integrated the expected penance into the process of seduction, but it is a questionable connection, as the penitential posture itself appears like a snake movement, which culminates in the seductive whispering and in the gaze at Adam.
Web links
- West tympanum (French)
- French website with lots of photos
- ArtNet: The Grove Dictionary of Art
- Web Gallery of Art
- Jazz Riffs In Stone, article in The Guardian
Individual evidence
- ↑ Description at the monument on site.
- ↑ Rolf Toman (ed.): The art of the Romanesque. Architecture - sculpture - painting. Cologne 1996, p. 345.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Gislebertus |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Gislebertus of Autun |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French sculptor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 11th century or 12th century |
| DATE OF DEATH | 12th century or 13th century |