West Facade: See the Rebirth of Sculpture by hquittner
The most puzzling phenomenon in Art History is the total disappearance of sculpture and its technics between 600-1000AD. Earlier (3-600) there was a clear deterioration in this craft seen in the existing works (mostly sarcophagi). Was it lack of economic stimulus (wealthy patrons), lack of teaching (communication) due to depopulation, or just iconoclasm? Some metal working ("goldsmithing"), wood and ivory surface carving, and Celtic stone cross detailing has been found. From these seeds in the 11C, stone decoration began to appear on the outside of churches: first the modillions under the roof, then lintels, the tympani, the jambs and finally the trumeaux. Credit for the first free-standing "in the round" sculpted figures must be given to the mind of Abbot Suger of St. Denis fame. He was a prominent leader at Cluny where church building was a major subject of interest (Santiago and the tourist-pilgrimage trade). When he arrived outside of Paris, he knew of all the best masons and artisans and his insights and abilities initiated the Gothic style, including the column-statue figures on his facade (destroyed during the Revolution). When they were done these anonymous masters moved to a bigger job at Chartres joined by others from nearby venues. This "school" later dispersed throughout the region.Above all note the well-shaped faces with a hint of expression and the natural flow of the garments. It only gets better in the following years, but sometimes the simplest and purest is best! We show here the statues in the embrasures of the of the South Door, south side (2 views), followed by its opposite on the north; the last two views are the North and South embrasures of the North Bay (door). All of the statues are worth viewing and we show all the others (and the trumeaux), along with comments, in two Travelogs
