Today, Ellyn von Huben reflects upon the devotional aspect of her recent visit to the Art Institute of Chicago's exhibit, "Kings, Queens, and Courtiers: Art in Early Renaissance France."
One of the blessings of living in the greater Chicago area is having not only great art readily available, but endless opportunities for more great art to come to us. Such an exhibit opened at the end of February and will be at the Art Institute of Chicago until May 30th, 2011: Kings, Queens, and Courtiers: Art in Early Renaissance France.
This exhibit, to be seen only at the Grand Palais in Paris and the Art Institute of Chicago, is not just a beautiful and significant overview of the exquisite art of France in this time period but also a devotional experience in itself. When I visited, the atmosphere in the gallery was hushed and attentive - almost worshipful - not only in comparison to the amplified chaos of the city on our ill-chosen visit on the day of the St. Patrick’s parade, but in contrast to the usual lively jibba-jabba of the museum itself.
I quickly put my notebook away because trying to document all the treasures I was seeing was becoming a distraction rather than an aid. (I trusted that there would be some sort of memory jogging available for purchase afterward. There was, and my suggestion to anyone going to this exhibit would be to let the beauty of the exhibit surround you, skimp on lunch, buy the catalog and bring home something much better than a mere souvenir. The sumptuous pictures are lovely to revisit and the genealogical chart and abundant text are helpful in sorting out the ‘who was who’ and ‘what was when.’)
There is no way for me to name a favorite item-- the assorted Books of Hours, with their exquisite attention to detail, reliquaries, paintings, sculpture, tapestries. No way. But permit me to highlight a few…
This opportunity to see many ‘new’ works also affords a chance to revisit an ‘old friend.’ The Art Institute’s The Annunciation by Jean Hey, which had been the right panel of an altarpiece, was ‘reunited’ with its companion for the left, Charlemagne and the Meeting of Saints Joachim and Anne at the Golden Gate. It is not only interesting to see these pieces reunited, but also to see the differences in conservation that happen over time.
Anne of Brittany, who became Queen of France through her marriage to both Charles VIII and Louis XII, wanted her heart to be returned to Brittany to be interred with her parents. The Vessel for the Heart of Anne of Brittany, with Its Crown has a beauty and fascination that surpass its rather gruesome purpose.
There are some beautiful examples of stained glass: both the Panel from a Monumental Window of the Heavenly Court and Executioner from the Flagellation of Christ show an attention to detail (especially in the faces) that put many modern stained glass windows to shame. The Flagellation of Christ is also notable for its provenance, having been removed from a Parisian church and used as a replacement panel in the Genesis window of Sainte-Chapelle from 1752 to 1852.
A short video presentation of the architecture of the time was of some interest. (Though, in contrast to the moving devotional art, what I found most interesting here was a view of the exterior of the Chateau Chaumont. I just recently read about it in reference to its possible inspiration to Coco Chanel [in The Secret of Chanel No. 5 byTilar J. Mazzeo] of her double-C logo.)
Despite a title that conjures visions of decadence, this exhibition, filled with so much devotional art, makes for worthy Lenten reflection. Those who cannot visit the Art Institute would benefit from a virtual visit to the Art Institute’s website or from examining the catalog. Those who do have the good fortune to be in some proximity to the Art Institute may also wish to take advantage of several related events. The final part of the exhibit has representative works from Italy, showing the beginnings of an overlap with the Italian Renaissance. Among these is found perhaps the most subtly moving piece in the exhibit: from Leonardo’s workshop-- The Madonna of the Yarnwinder. In this piece, a sweet and thought-filled Christ child reaches out for his mother’s cruciform yarnwinder, holding it with tenacity as his mother attempts to pull him from the inevitable suffering that awaits.
Ellyn von Huben is a regular contributor to the Word on Fire Blog. She also moderates her own blog, Oblique House.