Draw out four (four - minimum) areas of the work speaking thoroughly about the ELEMENTS of DESIGN
Include the PRINCIPLES of DESIGN and how each is operating
You may point to specific areas on the image and place your notes describing how both the elements and principles of design are operating
Each project we complete you should have a minimum of four visual examples that illustrate this project well.
Line
Shape
Color
Volume + mass
Space
Texture
Value
PRINCIPLES of DESIGN
Unity - Variety / harmony
Balance - symmetry / asymmetrical / radial / occult
Emphasis - Focal Point
Pattern
Scale
Rhythm & repetition
Contrast
Visual Movement - direction / visual weight & speed
See examples of student work below
Chi Rho Iota
The Book of Kells
Collection: The Board of Trinity College, Dublin, IR
In the 5th Century, Roman power in the Western Empire starts to dissolve with the rise of the Barbarian culture among other massive imperial powers. At this time, the Barbarians start to reshape what once belonged to the Romans and later, the Vikings begin to patrol the seas in their impressive ships with every intention of conquering what once belonged to another society. During all of this war and conquering, an island sits quietly off the Scottish coast. On this island, a religious monastery was the home of vocational monks, known for their teachings, art production, and havens for those who sought to learn the word of God. This holy place was home to an individual who would soon be known as one of the most influential Christian saints of all time, St. Columba. St. Columba was an Irish abbot and missionary, credited with spreading Christianity in what is modern-day Scotland, at the start of the Hiberno-Scottish mission. Accompanying St. Columba, were numerous Celtic monks, who were responsible for the writing and artistry involved in the creation of what is known as The Book of Kells. This religious artifact contains the four Gospels written by the apostles Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. With the help of divine inspiration, each apostle relays the stories of Christ’s life, ministry, and death through his own personal experiences. These gospels were translated in Latin based on the Vulgate text which St. Jerome completed in 384AD, intermixed with readings from the earlier Old Latin translation (www.tcd.ie). The real point of the Book of Kells seems not so much the text, as it is the artwork that houses it, and the embellishments applied to the calligraphic text (1 Lubbock). Even with limited materials, these Celtic Monks created one of the most beautiful works in all of the religious art. With God as the author, these monks skillfully illustrated what is known to be a tabernacle for the Word of God.
Throughout the whole text, historians find delicate and ornate designs accompanied by
intricate swirling and complex detail, but the most famous of all is said to be The Book of Kell’s,
Chi Rho Iota page. This page in the Book of Kells is based on the verse from Matthew 1:18 that in English in the 1611 version begins “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.” This passage is often referred to as the second beginning of Matthew. The Latin text, the one used most commonly in medieval manuscripts, begins “XPI autem generatio . . .” (1 Spangenberg).
The creators of this piece used the line to give the illusions of movement and majesty. Line placement, along with color, captures a grand design composing Greek letters. Chi and Rho are two letters of the Greek alphabet, the first two letters of "Christ". Chi gives a hard Ch sound. Rho is an R. Chi is written as an X. Rho is roughly a P (1 Lubbock). In this piece, letter placement is obviously extremely important. Chi is the dominant form, an X contributes an asymmetrical design being uneven in nature. All three letters are decorated with remarkable embellishments, discs, and spirals. Throughout the piece, we see animals and angels within the letters. With the depiction of four separate beasts, historians note these images to be symbolic and representational of the four evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) responsible for the scripture within the book itself. Another aspect of this work of art that historians think to be symbolic is how the letters were shaped in general. According to Tom Lubbock from Independent Art, “They have been shaped with a view to the patterns they will be part of, and they are themselves filled and formed by ornamental elements, like the diamond that makes the hinge of the X, and the head (Christ's?) that oddly finishes the P's spiral”. The use of diagonal, horizontal, and curved lines suggest a tranquil yet regal balanced appearance to this piece. The artists also utilize the formal element of scale. The fact that the Chi Rho itself is immense, using the space of the entire page, alludes to the fact that God is universally all-encompassing. One could look at this as hierarchical scale simply using letters.
These manuscripts were referred to as illuminated in view of the fact that they captured light and reflections so well due to the artist’s particular use of extraordinary color. The color pigments used, such as yellow, red ochre, indigo, green copper, and an extremely rare lapis lazuli (which came from Afghanistan) gave this piece a superb characteristic that is hard to compare (1 Kearney). The intention of the artists in employing such a high value of pigments was to give the observer the experience that he/she was looking at a piece of sacred art, actually aglow with light from within (Pepper Notes). As stated before, within these pages reflect the Word of God. Christians believe Christ’s first coming was when God made the Word flesh (Pepper Notes). Interpreting this scriptural story, The Father said He would send His Son to bring about the kingdom of God and therefore, the prophecy was fulfilled; Christ was born. In a similar way, these beautiful pages needed to be equivalent to the majestic throne that God sits on. In the eyes of the Christians, these pages needed to be worthy enough to house the Word of God. Meaning, the monks spared no expense of money or time in using the worthiest of colors in creating these pages.
Some historians tend to call this work abstract; however, others would disagree. These forms are not autonomous; they are decorations and devotional pieces of what they encompass all together, God (1 Lu). The monks’ way of honoring, or in this case worshiping someone, was through their sacred art. Since God is so good, so fulfilling, and omnipotent not one single space should be left undecorated. The artists used space to represent how loving and worthy their God was. Form, space, and line collaborate together to show a never-ending, somewhat doodling effect, causing the viewer to see no beginning and no end (Pepper Notes). Through the use of
these formal elements, the monks told the story of how God has no beginning and no end. Their format reinforces their belief that God is the Alpha and the Omega. His reign is eternal and continues on even past the end of time. This aspect of infinity is seen throughout the whole manuscript. Due to the fact that this form is so intricate in nature, some art historians and those who study art, in general, seemed to believe that this work was the work of angels and not of man. Their reason being, the colors being so vivid yet the design is so small, full of turns, twists, and swirls.
It was clear that the monks creating this wonderful page had a plan and strict purpose. During this time and still today, when religious artists begin to capture their craft, they look at their abilities as gifts from God and try to channel God’s beauty in all they create. St. Columba’s monastic community truly captured the majestic nature of their God through intricate design, space, and color.
It was clear that the monks creating this wonderful page had a plan and strict purpose. During this time and still today, when religious artists begin to capture their craft, they look at their abilities as gifts from God and try to channel God’s beauty in all they create. St. Columba’s monastic community truly captured the majestic nature of their God through intricate design, space, and color.
Works Cited
Kearney, Martha. “Culture - The Book of Kells: Medieval Europe's Greatest Treasure?” BBC, BBC, 26 Apr. 2016, www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160425-the-book-of-kells-medieval-europes-greatest- treasure.
Lu, Alan. “Understanding Art 1: Western Art (Learning Log).” Unit 4: Annotation: Chi Rho Page (Folio 34r) Book of Kells, 1 Jan. 1970, alanarthistory1.blogspot.com/2011/03/unit-4-annotation- chi-rho-page-folio.html.
Lubbock, Tom. “Anonymous: The 'Chi-Rho' from 'The Book of Kells' (C.800).” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 15 May 2008, www.independent.co.uk/arts- entertainment/art/great-works/anonymous-the-chi-rho-from-the-book-of-kells-c800- 828951.html.
Spangenberg, Lisa. “XPI Autem Generatio: The Book of Kells and the Chi-Rho Page — Celtic Studies Resources.” Celtic Studies Resources, 28 Apr. 2017, www.digitalmedievalist.com/2010/12/25/xpi-autem-generatio-the-book-of-kells-and-the-chi-rho- page/.
Research Paper # 2
Jeweled cover of The Lindau Gospels, France, workshop of Charles the Bald, c. 870-880 CE. Housed in the J. Morgan Library in NYC.
In the ninth century, the front cover of the Lindau Gospels was created by Folchar, one of St. Gall’s preeminent French artists. It was made around 870-880 CE in Eastern France. On the front metal cover, you can see Jesus Christ in the forefront. He is centralized in the composition because he symbolizes the central theme of Christianity due to his crucifixion and what occurred following. It also shows Christ being the largest as compared to the other human forms. He divides the codex book cover into symmetrical parts. Additionally, the composition symbolizes balance, both visually and spiritually. The material gold shows how important Christ is to Christianity. The makers of the metal book cover used only the finest of materials. The jewels and materials symbolize extreme value and richness which act also as Christ’s importance. Religion was a big part in medieval society, especially monks. Monasteries through Western civilization were great centers for creating liturgical and religious artifacts. Early Christians took religion extremely seriously and followed all the rules that the priest practiced and taught. The Lindau Gospels were produced to have the four gospels contained within it. The four writers of the Gospels who are Evangelists (meaning “they are the messenger of good news”), their names were: Luke, Matthew, Mark, and John. Each Gospel had a different painting that represented their story and symbol.
The interesting thing about the book that caught my attention is that the front, back, and manuscript pages were made in different parts of the world. The metal cover that held the illuminated Gospels was made in France by Charles the Bald’s workshop, the back was made in Salzburg, Austria and the manuscript pages were made in Switzerland. I found this so interesting because it makes me wonder how the book was passed from one artist to another and traveled around to different countries and was never broken nor stolen. Keeping the Gospels intact shows incredible devotion in itself illustrating how devoted medieval people were, especially guilds and monasteries. Another important factor was the spreading of Christianity through The Word of God. As Gospels traveled, so did the Christian message and many people valued the words contained and respected it. This may be one reason why the Gospels were never ruined because they believed so fully in Christianity and knew Christ was watching.
The Lindau Gospels contain the four Gospels with supplementary materials like the prologue of Jerome, prefaces for the gospels that were in the manuscript, chapter listings and twelve richly illuminated tables on a purple background. The purple background may have possibly been made from Ox Gall ink which is made from the liver of a cow mixed with alcohol. Also, seven different scribes were engaged in the copying of the words in the manuscript. The letters are in gold and silver illuminating “The Word of God” both physically and spiritually. In each different ‘book’ there are different paintings and different colored backgrounds that make each book unique and special. The importance of the gospels was that monks understood the gospels as an act of mediation and only wanted to show their devotion through the making of religious objects. The monks respected the manuscripts because of their importance of what the contents stood for, The Word of God. The metal cover of the manuscript is repousse which means to “push up” or chased to shape the ten small figures as well as Christ who is in the center of the front cover. In a way, it’s a type of metal relief.
The front of the metal cover has different colored jewels that catch your attention and make you wonder how it was created. The gold is the background of the cover and the jewels are encrusted in the gold. Some of the colors of semi-precious stones both are primary and secondary colors that are shown such as green, silver, baby blue, red, black, brown. The jewels on the outside of the cover seem almost fruitful meaning rich, colorful and vibrant, as they protect a fruitful scripture on the inside. Both inside and outside match the lavishness and show how rich the early medieval culture was. This also illustrates how the monks were devoted and appreciative of their culture and wanted it to be symbolized in the book of Gospels. Because of the scripture’s significance, the artists wanted the book to be remembered for its beauty and luxury.
The book inside and out has a lot of meaning spiritually and physically. The crucifix is in the center because Christ is the center of Christianity. The symbolism that Jesus Christ is showing the viewer is that he is strong and confident and is always there for his followers. That is why he is hanging brave and almost fearless it seems. There is no suffering in his face, the only suffering that viewers are able to see is the blood dripping from his hands that have nails in them. Jesus is chased from a metal sheet covered in gold because of his status and the level that other individuals cannot reach him. Compositionally, Christ hangs symmetrically from the centralized crucifix. He is also the largest human figure on the cover. The ten smaller figures around him are also gold are very important as well because they also reach that richness due to their relationship with Christ. The significance of how their representational forms are being used is that they have historical value. Each smaller unit or “cell” tells a special story in Christ's life like rectangles we have seen in other sequential art pieces. For example, this same story is still being used today to teach me about Christianity background and its meaning to the Christian faith in general.
The cover is fully symmetrical and a balanced design. The lines in the front of the cover separate the jewels from the smaller figures and those figures from Jesus Christ so everything appears to have a visual boundary. Some of the figures surround the crucifixion are Virgin and John and Mary Magdalene and Mary, the wife of Cleopas. The back of the book has a lot of small designs which make it extraordinary as well. Each design is very eye catching and different from the front. Both covers of the book are symmetrical and everything is divided into balanced sections. Jesus Christ is central to Christianity as well as being central in the balanced composition. Christ is in the center with his arms stretched outwards divides the cover in each of the four corners. Each corner may represent the four Gospels. There are six rectangles in total on the front cover. Firstly, there is a big rectangle of the container itself, more rectangles appear inside that rectangle. This book shows a lot of repetition and pattern. For example, in the front of the book, the cover has jewels on four sides. The figures are in the four rectangles. The back of the cover has the same pattern around the middle of the red jewel. Around all four sides of the container is surrounded by jewels. There are four ancient Roman arches with human figures dressed in Hellenistic clothing with crossing arms. The leaf-shaped design that is on the back has swirls as well. The four corners of the rectangle that are at the edge of the back cover have human figures chased in them too. Everything is filled up with some type of design. In the front of the book, the only space that is available is around Christ who hangs on the cross. When it comes to scale, Christ is bigger than the other figures around him because he is the most important. The jewels that are in the middle of the rectangle with the figures are advancing outward making it a three-dimensional form as well. When it comes to the back of the book the scale is smaller than the front because of how much greater detail it has. The figures are also small and the same size, no figure is bigger than the other, all seem visually equal to the next. The Lindau Gospels show how important the Gospels are with the beauty of the designs that created it. It is full of rich beauty and symbolism due to the subject matter the manuscript scriptures it contains inside the book. During this time period, it shows how religion was significant and recognized by others around the world who are grateful for the Christian faith, that remains so powerful today.
Works Cited
Norman, Jeremy. The Magnificent Upper Cover of the Lindau Gospels (Circa 875). History of
Information.com. 10, April 2018. www.historyofinformation.com/expanded.php?id=2217.
Accessed 21, April 2018.
The Lindau Gospels in Bright. Medieval Histories: News About the Middle Ages. 2 March 2016.
The LindisFarne Gospels Tour: The Lindisfarne Gospels. The British Library (2003).
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/lindisfarne/evangelists.html Accedded 21, April, 2018.
Ross, Nancy Ph. D and Dr. Steve Zucker. “ Lindau Gospels Cover.” YouTube, 9 April 2013,