The cathedral at Strasbourg is very unusual. Although it is Gothic by every definition of the style, it is also an architectural radical. In Strasbourg Cathedral you can see the Gothic era on the very edge of tipping over into the Renaissance, when the human body and spirt stepped away from rigid religious conventions and became, well, human. I've used two particular images from
Strasbourg in teaching for years, so it was very exciting to see them in person. There were surprises - first of all the cathedral is red - I think I must have known this, but it still came as a surprise. As with all medieval buildings it was built of local stone, and the stone available was what looks to be red sandstone (Strasbourg has many buildings of the same stone, called gres rose.) Being used to the golden/gray cathedrals in central France, including Notre Dame de Paris and Chartres, the effect is startling at first. The stone varies in color from a deep, almost blood-red to a light red gray, so it has a patchwork quality that is both distracting and wonderful. The stone also looks to be relatively soft - many of the
most important sculptures on the facades are, in fact, copies because the originals suffered so from degradation of weather and pollution that they are now in a museum across the street.
The most remarkable thing about the Strasbourg Cathedral is how it twitches with life, a sure sign that the human mind and spirit are on the move away from stiff conventions. The work on it began in 1277 and continued for about 200 years; it is a masterpiece of very late Gothic, called
Flamboyant, bristling with the 'frozen lace' that is the signature of the style. The sculptures are the real revolution, however; Biblical scenes that are the staple of medieval architecture are here true theater, with the actors practically shifting and moving before your eyes. Saints and other full-length human figures live under their clothes, straining to step off the architecture and mingle with the watching crowd. The horsemen high up on the towers are another radical feature
in that they are contemporary rather than religious, astride lifelike horses that you believe will step off the building if you blink. The last surprise of Strasbourg was that the gargoyles were not fantasy monsters as they are on Notre Dame and other central cathedrals, but comically drawn animals, gripping their mouths with a little paw to help ease the spout for the rainwater.
adventurous good taste in contemporary art. In this group show featuring a wide range of styles and subject matter, I was especially taken with the work of Valentine Fournier, who makes chatty little dioramas with playfully arranged photos and miscellaneous objects, and with the narrative photos of Maia Rogers, which hint at strange stories through oddly juxtaposed figures and objects, obliquely reminiscent of Cindy Sherman's work. A 'vernissage' by the way, is an opening, but the word means 'varnishing' and originates from the grand official salons of the 19th century. The vernissage was the day when artists raced in to put the final touches - the varnish - on their accepted paintings, just before the doors were opened to the public.
An artist friend in Paris has the same complains as artists everywhere, including expensive, hard to find studios, difficulty finding places to show, etc., but France does offer support for its living artists in a number of ways. There are city-owned spaces that artists can apply for to show their work, and there are also public displays of work on a regular basis. Each summer the Luxembourg Gardens hosts a scattering of sculptural works grouped by a rather lofty theme, usually to do with spirituality or human potential. This year featured a gigantic Buddha-like head in bright gold, but there was also a wonderful ring of Giacometti-like figures in bronze, whose attenuated bodies topped with graceful, spooky heads spelled out the word 'Tolerance.'
