medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
CF <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>I should say that given 11thC poor lighting conditions, neither the monks of
the abbey nor the ordinary people could have had a good view of the frescoes,
except for those placed at the front (Christ in Majesty).
the question of the lighting of "romanesque" churches and the effect this
would have on the viewing of such things as frescos is a very interesting one
--and a question i've never seen discussed.
on the one hand, the frescos would be much, much brighter, when new, and
therefore much, much easier to see --even in high vaults like St. S.-- other
things being equal.
but, of course, other things were not equal.
as i recall (faintly), St. S. has clear or grisaille windows, which surely let
in much more light than the original ones --whether these were "stained glass"
or alabaster sheets or whatever.
i'd suggest that, more important than the "quality" (actually, quantity) of
light supplied was the manipulation of it, for purposes of interacting with
the frescos.
St. S. is one of those places where the style itself is full of a peculiar
movement, whether in such scenes as the marching masons carrying stones (of
which this is a characture :
http://www.ariadne.org/centrechartraine/images/gifs/stone-construction2.gif )
or in the lovely "dancing" figures whose folds seem to suggest movement by
their rythmic repetitions (sorry, i can't find .jpgs of them).
i think that these effects would be greatly enhanced by the kind of ambiant
lighting there was --especially if it was a question of a dim, flickering
light, arbitrarily varrying in intensity.
i.e., candle/lamp light.
it is interesting that lamps and candles play such an unusually important part
on, say, pilgrims' badges which represent (we assume) the ambiance of cult
statues which were the objects of the pilgrim's visit :
http://www.ariadne.org/centrechartraine/badges/spencer/spencer_chartres/spencer239b.jpg
(those are candle "sticks" below the bier, between the walking figures)
and (hanging) lamps and candle "sticks" are visible in quite a few of the
representations of shrines in the glass of chartres cathedral (sorry, again no
pics).
combine these lighting conditions with
--imagery which is literally and *deliberately* ethereal in content *and in
style* ;
--hypnotic chant, *resonating* (not just echoing) from a purpose-built,
accoustically refined, stone space ;
--an olfactory ambiance alive with the completely "unnatural," pungent aromas
of incense ;
--a psychic state thoroughly predisposed not only to a sensitivity to the
Numinous but also, in the case of many "pilgrims," actively searching
--longing-- for an Interactive Experience with the Numinous ;
and you've got a Quadrouple Whammy strong enough to turn the head of any
Middlevil who has never seen a building (or any other man made object) larger
than a few stories tall and who, in all probability, has rarely, if ever,
journeyed more than a few miles from his birth village.
and, of course, if the guy just happens to be Bombed out of his Goard on
Ergot, well, that's just the Icing on the Cake.
there's more to middlevil lighting than a modren Son et Lumiere atrocity.
best from here,
christopher
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