Page 98 - The MoMA/ Guggenheim issue of World of Art magazine (2001)
P. 98

REVIEWS                                                                           bY TAMARA PASZTOR
         ThE BOOK OF KELLS                  Rho are panels of miscellaneous types of   advent of Mediterranean influence in the
         CHI-RHO mONOGRAm                   interlace: rectilinear, triskel forms, trumpet   late Bronze Age onwards in. Eire (Ireland) is
                                            scrolls, lyre-palmettes, and trefoils. This
                                                                                well documented through archaeological
         ILLUmINATION PAGE                  classification of ornament employed in the   evidence of sculpture and pottery, hence
         Situated within county Meath (Ireland), twenty   Chi Rho Monogram Page had long been in   the Celtic-Romano art. The traditional
         miles of Drogheda, and the Irish Channel lies   development in manuscript art and applied   Celtic spiral ornament as shown in the Chi
         the town of Kells. It is here, that the Monastery   crafts. Interestingly, the borders and red dots   Rho procures its adornment from archaic
                        of Kells possessed the   used around the lettering (Christi Autem   craftsmanship and pagan philosophy. The
                         celebrated biblical   Generatio) for highlighting purposes first   genesis of the elaborate spiral progressed
                         volume, The Book   appeared in the earliest Irish gospel text,   as a surface imagery to shields, helmets,
                         of kells. Consisting   Usserianus Primus dating from the late sixth   swordsheaths, armlets, bridles, and jewellery.
                         of 339 illuminated   or seventh century. Moreover, the calligraphy   In addition, the S-shape became a pagan
                         pages, measuring   utilized as an introduction to a fresh section in   Druidic symbol for the transmigration of the
                         13x9½”, according   the Book of kells is an antiquated technique   reincarnated soul. The question as to why the
                         to Celtic legend, the   stemming from the Celtic psalter, Cathach,   Gaels embraced this particular decoration is
                         tome was produced   presumably ascribed to the penmanship of   unknown, although Sir Augustus Wallaston
                         by Saint Columba   Saint Colum Cille.Interlace, which reached   franks postulates that the S-shape perhaps,
                         between the eighth   an aesthetic pinnacle in the Book of kells   developed under the floral design borrowed
       CHI RHO MONOGRAM                     and markedly, with the Chi Rho, advanced   from the Classical art. On that account,
       IllUMINATION PAGE  and ninth century A.D.
       BOOK Of KEllS     Exemplifying the Irish   from the elaborate antediluvian metalwork.   the basis of the spiral decoration in the Chi
                         Ornamental Style, the   The first insular book to adapt interlace in a   Rho can be paralleled to druidic doctrines
         Chi-Rho Monogram has mystified present   rigid band pattern was a late seventh century   of the migrating soul and prehistoric metal
         day art historians by the intricate design and   gospel volume now housed at Durham. In   craftsmanship whose aesthetic ideology
         enigmatic iconography.             the ensuing period, the later seventh century   became fused with Christianity.
         A masterpiece of artistic caliber, the Chi-Rho   Book of Durrow interlace design evolved into   The apparent Eucharistic iconography in the
         Monogram is considered to be a refinement   abstract, zoomorphic, and spirals. Thereupon,   Chi Rho is more prone to speculation than
         of ancient art.                    these creative endeavours influenced the   fact. In 1980, Suzanne louis emphasized the
         Illustrating the beginning of Matthew’s   sophistry of the Chi Rho Monogram Page,   Eucharistic characteristics of the Monogram
         genealogy, the latinized version of Christ’s   Book of kells. The mysterious human heads   Page. louis’ interpretation of the disc marked
         name (Christi Autem Generatio) is altered   peeping out from the Chi and Rho manifest   with a cross in the mouths of the two mice
         into a Chi (x) and in the lower right corner,   traces of Roman art. Art Historians have   is spiritual in nature and that the fish in the
         the word Generatio is overwhelmed by the   suggested that the hideous visages are clearly   mouth of an otter denotes the presence of
         immense Rho (P). Here and there, human   Germanic in origin, on the other hand, the   Christ. In spite of the fact, that Suzanne louis’
         heads and intertwining animals peer out from   features bear a Roman resemblance. I.e. The   hypotheses are scant with no proof to defend
         the Chi and Rho. Several scholars conjecture   abstract symmetry and static en face view   her tentative assumptions, it may be possible
         that the interweaving of zoomorphic images   can be paralleled to the Roman ivory diptychs   that the disc is representative of the Host
         and letters inside the name of Christ is an   of 400 AD. In addition, minute square-cut   because it is inscribed
         indirect reference to the incarnation of the   decorations inside the Rho, especially the   with cross. Still, tangible
         Word and the Saviour. Then again, without   regimental scheme of the rosette and grid   evidence is required in
         solid evidence; these hypotheses’ are   patterns impart a likeness to the third century   order to decipher the odd
         merely nonessential. In the interior of the   floor mosaics from Antioch. Of course, the   imagery.


                                            ThE PhILOSOPhERS STONE


                arken to the words of an odd individual who hath discovered   reflected element of historical expression and   TAMARA PASZTOR
                aesthetic enlightenment by a coincidental encounter with an   cognition of present life. In fact, it is simple to   IS A fREElANCE CRITIC
                                                                                                     BASED IN TORONTO
        Hesteemed Art History Professor and the timely appearance of   fall victim to the tangled snare of this one-sided
        the Philosophy Muse at the bottom of an inkwell.      viewpoint. During the course of time, art evinces
            I dare you, beloved reader, to proceed forward…   infinite possibilities, content, and Chimerian appearances through a
        Alas, from time to time, numerous (oftentimes, burdensome!) scholastic   sequence of irrevocable change.   Contact Information: tgp32001@yahoo.ca
        requests have been thrusted like a parasitical insect into my pathway in    Of course, a modest proposal cannot be devoid of categorizing
        regards to the mental perceptions of art.             ideology into orderly paragraphs!
           Experiencing sudden timidity at the prospect of being invited by a    The Humanist approach is representative of the finest oxymoron.
        flock of anonymous undergraduate students and an Art History Professor   Humanists shun dominance and at the same moment, respect the
        to share my hypotheses for a forthcoming conference to be held in the   fixed regulations of traditional art. I had the privilege of confronting this
        cramped lecture auditorium of the University, I hesitated. Out of nowhere,   particular motley band of artists hailing from the verdant realms of fair
        the doctrinal teachings of Dante entered into my consciousness. People   Ireland and whose motto reinstates the latinized version of Erasmus: “nos
        wear a mask to gaze inward for clarity, penetrating deception, and to   vetera instauramus, nova non prodimus” [ We restore old things, we do
        recognize ourselves as heritors of potential.         not produce new ones ]. Interpreting the works of art is a formidable task.
           Discarding the illusionary fear of being ridiculed, I visualized myself as   Tis’ impossible to fully comprehend the wherefore. Thus, the spectator
        the fool featured in a divination tarot deck. Stepping off the cliff, I dived   is coerced to abandon the analysis and instead, learn to adjust to the
        headlong into the fathomless Abyss of the Unknown, and started to write.  environs. Each generation shall see art from miscellaneous angles and
           Upon further examination of my seventeenth to eighteenth century   offer fresh conjectures. Art is not inflexible as Science in which the logical
        grammatical useage and mayhap, the intellectual ravings of a lunatic mind,   rationale proclaims: IT IS. Rather, art states: CAN BE.
        I realized what a lengthy and profound excursion I had begun.   At the end of this arduous, erudite quest I asked myself the question:
            leaving upon that note, I commenced with the study of truth.  Have I unearthed the alchemical Philosophers Stone?
         Tis’ purely nonsensical (in my expressed opinion) to perceive art as a   Perhaps, and perhaps not. The answer lies with my readers.

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