In the European early and high medieval ages, wood sculptures used in ecclesiastic spaces have been vividly painted with colors and adorned with precious metals. Today, we know how these sculptures have been painted regarding technique and what types of pigments, colorants and metal leaves have been used. However, the aesthetic and artistic effects and meanings of these sculptures and their colorful coats have rarely been studied. In the field of art history, the art of sculpture as pure form has been evaluated for a long time to be more important than possible layers of color on it. This attitude resulted in ignoring and often destroying the colorful surfaces. Therefore, the proposed art historical study will investigate these colorful surfaces, called polychromies, recognizing polychrome wood sculpture as a specific art form of the early and high medieval ages. Its intention is to show that color is an essential part of these sculptures and that it significantly constitutes their aesthetic effects, liturgical functions, and artistic meanings.
Visit websiteLeogang, Austria
The mining and Gothic Museum Leogang is dedicated to the documentation of late medieval sacral art in relation to the culture of mining. On that account it possesses a collection of Gothic sculptures of the miners’ patron saints from the Alps region. This collection is unique throughout Europe.
Graz, Austria
The Universalmuseum Joanneum is considered the biggest of its kind in Central Europe. About 4,5 million items in the collections form the basis of a richly faceted ‘universal’ exhibition and events schedule. A programme of exhibitions and events at twelve locations throughout Styria transmit a unique panorama of science, art and culture.
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