Midevil Art
...register the bottom piece appears to be showing persons already in heaven and looking very content and holy. On the damned half of the tympanum very abstract beasts and goblins appear to be reaping the souls in hell, while in the bottom part here, the souls look as if they are being tortured. This piece from St. Foy definitely illustrates a narrative with great detail. The figures are sometimes out of proportion and unrealistic, but the message is not effected by the artistic nature of the person or persons who created it. In an earlier piece from St. Michael’s in Germany a much more expressive bronze piece depicts the expulsion from the garden. The piece comes from the massive bronze doors of the cathedral and dates back to 1015. Here a God figure appears in twisted form pointing at the convicted pair who are apparently writhing with guilt but somehow trying to pass off the blame on a serpent form coiled at the feet of Eve. The piece is done in low relief with the figures not protruding very far off the image plane while trees and plants used as background for the garden are barely raised at all. Although this is a much simpler piece than the tympanum of St. Foy, there is still a strong narrative displayed with minimal clutter. Doubting Thomas, a later piece from Spain constructed in 1100, shows Christ and the apostles in great detail. Here, Christ invites Thomas to touch his wounds to prove his resurrection was real. Christ is set off center and appears larger than the apostles with one outstretched arm which creates a sort of frame around the doubting apostle. Thomas’s outstretched arm is carved in an opposing angle to Christ’s, creating a triangular form in ...