Colour as Subject - HAL-SHS - Sciences de l'Homme et de la Société Accéder directement au contenu
Chapitre D'ouvrage Année : 2021

Colour as Subject

Résumé

This chapter considers the use of plain colors in medieval manuscripts and wall paintings as evidences of abstract creation during the Middle Ages. These colors can be used alone or in combination; they can take geometric shapes like squares or circles, or on the contrary draw undetermined colored zones; they can be framed by architectural motifs, or live without borders on the page or on the wall. In any case, such color displays have received little attention in scholarship. Because they lack “images”, they cannot be analyzed through a proper iconographical approach, and because they lack real “patterns” or “motifs”, they cannot be studied as manifestation of medieval ornament. During the longue durée of their life, these artistic actions of pure color might have been perceived as trivial and insignificant and, as a consequence, they have often been modified, restored, or destroyed. In another hand, recent trends in medieval art history have put colors under the scope of material studies, and the empirical properties of pigments and the craft implications of their use have been carefully studies in terms of social and economic history. As a counterpoint, the symbolic qualities of colors have been receiving attention in the light of medieval theology and philosophy. But what about the color itself? Nevertheless, and despite of one can know from this important and fascinating bibliography, the use of color - and nothing else but color - in the manuscript and at a monumental scale has not been considered as way to produce an artistic gesture; it seems unable to signify or present by itself. Considering the possibility of “abstraction” in medieval art allows however to change in focus about such manifestations of non-figurative painting. Beyond any obviousness, the use of color can become a sign of what escapes figuration. It would thus combine two of the many features of abstract art: the will to reveal the essence of the subject, and the attention to pictorial means. By focusing the two notions of “paradox” and “monochrome”, this chapter would like to explore some examples of plain colors paintings between the 9th and the 12th centuries in Western Europe and their relevance for a history of abstraction before the raise of abstract art.
Fichier non déposé

Dates et versions

halshs-03190453 , version 1 (06-04-2021)

Identifiants

  • HAL Id : halshs-03190453 , version 1

Citer

Vincent Debiais. Colour as Subject. Elina Gertsman. Abstraction in Medieval Art. Beyond the Ornament, Amsterdam University Press, pp.33-54, 2021, 9789462989894. ⟨halshs-03190453⟩
38 Consultations
0 Téléchargements

Partager

Gmail Facebook X LinkedIn More