Gothic Rose Window

The north rose window from Notre Dame in Paris combines nature and geometry beautifully. The concentric circles divided into sections resembles petals of a flower, as well as the figures around the bottom curves of the main circle. At the end of each "petal" there is a circle that contains figures of saints and religious figures. Apart from the figures in the circles, the rose window is decorated with geometric and organic designs. The tracery alone is stunning in the rose window, the stained glass adds beautiful colors and detail to the window. Nature was considered valuable enough to be included in an elaborate cathedral, but only in a modified organized form. Symmetry and order were more desirable than a realistic version of a flower.

Romanesque Art

This carving from the Maria Laach Abbey shows the devil next to a dog like creature. The animal, grapes, and vines are idealized, but still very beautiful. The dog's neck is turning, giving us a strange view of the dog, dogs could never do this in real life. The designs are more symmetrical than they would be in nature. This relief looks like a fusion of Roman and Greek styles and is further progressed toward realism compared to the medieval period. I think in this particular carving, nature is used more ornamentally and less symbolically than other examples of art I've looked at so far on this blog. This could be because as greater achievements by man are made, such as large buildings, advancements in science, and so on, nature is less revered because man is dominating it and can control it more, as well as escape from the weather.

Early Medieval relief

This ivory relief was likely a decorated gospel cover of Mark. It shows Mark at his desk with his gospel symbol, the lion, over him. During medieval times animals were very important to people. Evidence of this is given in art and the fact that each gospel writer had his own animal. Mark was the lion, Luke an ox, and John's symbol was the eagle. Matthew was the only gospel writer without an animal symbol, he was shown as an angel. King Richard also had an animal associated nickname, which was King Richard the Lionhearted. During this time period it is clear that animals were highly regarded since they were worthy of being associated with kings and saints. Animals held symbolic meaning in the medieval times, lions represented courage, lambs represented patience and humility, goats symbolized victory, and so on. These animals were given wings to represent their connection to the divine.