Creator: Unkown
The Cloisters Cross
Made of Walrus Tusk
22 5/8 x 14 1/4 in.
The Cross was created in England during the 12th century. It is called the Cloisters Cross. It is made of walrus tusk. The four parts of the cross were created separately then put together to make the final piece. Their are interact engravings all throughout the four pieces of the cross. At this time in England Catholicism was growing at a large rate. This meant the Judaism was losing its popularity and began to have a bad public view within the country. The piece of art uses the style of carving to convey its main message. The main message and purpose of this cross is to attack Judaism. This is shown through the various carvings that are incorporated into the walrus tusk. Although the art was originally in multiple pieces the pieces were put together to form a cross. A very prominent symbol within Catholicism. This symbol provided a focus for the followers of Catholicism. This piece of art played a very vital role within England during the time period. It was a tangible piece of Catholicism that followers of the religion could hold in their hand. The carvings incorporated into the work are much like ones that Catholics would come across within Cathedrals. This cross gave them something they could hold in their hands. This was important because it helped promote Catholicism but also represented the hatred for Judaism through the carvings on the cross. The hatred for Judaism is very present during England at this time. The hatred is highlighted by the push to expel all Jews from the country, which was eventually reached at the end of the 13th century.
Your 'little picture' is good, I think its cool that you included background about the religion at the time and what happened with the Jews. The fact that you talk about how that art piece would make someone feel is good as well, when you talk about Catholics being able to hold the cross in their hand like at church. You should expand more on the main message, which I personally believe would be to spread Catholicism more than hatred of Judaism - the Catholic meaning of the cross is explicit and is the main message, and the disapproval of Judaism is implicit and could be your 'looking deeper' aspect.
ReplyDeleteBe sure you do more with the little picture- look at and cite specific examples of format, structure, language, etc. It will strengthen your analysis and provide more depth/ examination of effect in your big picture. Also- think about effect of choices (by the artist here) on the audience.
ReplyDeleteGood job on analyzing the religious background both in the Catholic and Jewish religions. I thought this piece was very interesting with how the context affected the creation of it. One question I have is was this piece reproduced so that many people had access to buy one if they wanted one? Or was it one piece that many people of the Catholic community knew and recognized?
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