ENDNOTES page 196

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Carolingian period: *

Though Charles Martel (686-741) was never crowned he ruled of W Europe north of the Pyrenees. Only Saxony, Lombardy & the kingdoms south of the Pyrenees were significant additions to the Frankish realms after his death. He established the feudal system that characterise the Carolingian Empire & Europe during the Middle Ages. In 732 he defeated the Islamic threat at Tours. In 751 Pope Zachary nominated Pepin III as king of the Franks; on his death in 768 Charlemagne became a co-ruler, and with the death of his brother (771) he took control of the entire kingdom. In 800 he was crowned Emperor by Pope Leo III. During this period the Carolingian Renaissance saw an attempt to revive & emulate Classical art forms & styles. Art was produced by & for the court circle & a group of important monasteries under Imperial patronage. It was influenced by the art of the British Isles (via continental missionaries) and Byzantine artists resident at court. This result was a blend of classical & Northern elements. There was new Northern confidence in handling the human figure. This period is called the "Pre-Romanesque" as it set the stage for the later development of the Romanesque style. Following a chaotic interval between the Carolingians & the new Ottonian dynasty (after 950) Imperial art was revived & there were further developments.

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Gernrode Cathedral: *

example of Ottonian church which inspired later fully Romanesque churches & cathedrals.

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PaulinzelIa: *

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Southern France (Romanesque): *

3 examples of Romanesque church in Southern France, distinct from the northern France:

From 1800, the monastery received increasing attention due to an awakening interest in the Middle Ages. Past visitors to the ruins include Schiller and Goethe.
Both men admired the ruins.

Church of St. Trophime located in the city of Arles, in the Bouches-du-Rhône Department of southern France; built between the 12th century & the 15th century, and is in the Romanesque architectural tradition. The sculptures over the church's portal, particularly the Last Judgement, and the columns in the adjacent cloister, are considered some of the finest examples of Romanesque sculpture.

Basilica of Saint-Sernin is in Toulouse, France, constructed in the Romanesque style between about 1080 and 1120, with construction continuing thereafter, it is the largest remaining Romanesque building in Europe.

Le Puy Cathedral, in Le Puy-en-Velay, Auvergne, France; it has been a centre of pilgrimage before the time of Charlemagne, as well as forming part of the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. Constructed over centuries, containing architecture of every period from the 5th century to the 15th, which gives it an individual appearance. The bulk of construction, however, dates from the first half of the 12th century. The façade, striped in courses of white sandstone and black volcanic breccia, is reached by a flight of sixty steps, and consists of 3 orders: the lowest composed of 3 high arcades opening into the porch, which extends beneath the first bays of the nave; above are 3 central windows that light the nave; above them are 3 gables, one the gable-end of the nave, flanked by 2 openwork screening gables. The south transept doorway is sheltered by a fine Romanesque porch. Behind the choir rises a separate Romanesque bell-tower in seven storeys.

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unit-motive [sic]:*

Spengler’s meaning is far from clear in this passage:

‘When the form-world of the springtime is at its highest, and not before, the ordained relation is that architecture is lord and ornament is vassal. And the word “ornament” is to be taken here in the widest possible sense. Even conventionally, it covers the Classical unit-motive [sic] with its quiet poised symmetry or meander supplement….’

The springtime for the Apollonian Culture is commonly known as the Geometric period. He asserts that in the Culture’s Springtime architecture dominates artistic expression. Yet Spengler has already conceded that in the Apollonian Culture monumental architecture did not emerge until the Summer period, not Springtime! He then asserts where the ornament concept should be applied, to several know artistic expressions. He lists the “Classical unit-motif “supplemented with the meander. The reference to meander is relatively easy to grasp (see entry below). However, his meaning of Classical unit motif is not clear. Is he referring to the Culture’s over riding world picture, whose characteristics includes concepts of measurable bodies, an emphasize on the discrete body (the Classical nude, the polis, local cults), local views, the small & local. Is he linking these world picture concepts to our understanding of the word “unit” or unity, that is: a single number regarded as an undivided whole, any magnitude regarded as an independent whole; a single, indivisible entity.

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meander: *

detail of the Dipylon Amphora, large Greek painted clay vase, dated 750 BC; painted amphorae of this size were made as grave markers; found at the Dipylon cemetery, Dipylon Gate, Athens; its outer surface consists of horizontal bands of painted decoration in the Late Geometric style, including single, double & triple meanders; the tall cylindrical neck includes friezes of repeated stylised deer & goats. A rectangular panel between the handles on one side depicts a prothesis scene, the lying in repose of a draped dead woman on a bier (see Endnote below)

see illustration

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Mayan art: *

In the Archaic period (pre 2000 BC) agriculture & villages emerge; the pre-classic period (2000 BC to 250 AD) saw complex societies & cultivation of staple crops (maize, beans, squashes & chili peppers); the first cities date to 750 BC & by 500 BC they possessed monumental architecture, large temples with elaborate stucco façades; by the 3rd century BC hieroglyphic writing was used. The Classic period (defined by the use of Long Count dates on sculptured monuments, from 250 BC onwards) saw a large number of city-states linked by a complex trade network appear & 2 great city states emerge as rivals (Tikal & Calakmul); this period also saw the intervention in dynastic politics of Teotihuacan, a central Mexican city state. By the 9th century the political system had collapsed in the central Mayan region, leading to internecine warfare, abandonment of cities & a northern population shift.

Spengler notes that the Maya artwork is similar to the Arabesque spun surface. see illustrationü

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Thunder pattern: *

The Cloud and thunder pattern (in the west the Meander border) is a repetitive ornamental pattern of lines winding in S-forms, connected opposed or separate, derived from pictograph's of the Shang dynasty, representing clouds and rolling thunder, hence called the cloud and thunder pattern, it symbolized life giving rain & the abundance it brought to farming people, common in Chinese art from Neolithic times.

see illustrations

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warrior figures of Dipylon vases: *

Geometric Krater from Dipylon Cemetery, Athens (750 BC), height 4 feet

see illustration

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Gothic cathedral (the statuary groups, sculpture): see Endnote <>

The side portals have the odd arrangement of 3 figures on one side confronting 4 on the other. Collectively the 24 column statues represent the Old Testament. They are based on the corresponding figures from the destroyed portals of St Denis where the jamb figures represent the royal lineage of Christ in the Kings & Queens of the Old Testament. The theme of kingship was central to the architect of St Denis (Abbot Suger). These Old Testament Kings & Queens were were the ancestors of Christ but also precursors to the Kings & Queens of France. Although scholars still debate the identifications, the jamb figures of Chartres clearly extend this theme of kingship:

see illustration