Romanesque Sculpture: Geometric Laws and Christian Iconography

Romanesque Sculpture: Principles and Technique

Romanesque art is developed by and for human intelligence, not merely the senses. Unlike other styles intended to copy nature, Romanesque sculpture aims to conceptualize abstract beauty and rationality. Architecture is subordinate to and follows the Law of the Framework and the Law of Geometric Schema.

Subordination to Geometric Laws

The Law of the Framework (Lex Cadri)

This law requires the sculptor to adjust their figures to the supports that mark the frame. This principle is evident in tympanums, where the constraints of the space force characters to take different heights, bend, or tilt their bodies so as not to disrupt the harmony of the overall composition.

The Law of Geometric Schema

Even when the sculptor is not constrained by the frame, figures must possess an intrinsic geometric logic, such as figures forming squares, circles, and so on. There are no references to space or time (tempo); shapes fill all available space on the first level of the corpus. Romanesque sculpture adopts the most appropriate forms and proportions to fit a rational geometrical order.

Sculptural Technique and Relief

The sculpture is cast in stone using quarrying techniques, sculpted, and worked with the chisel, drill, and drill bit. The relief is usually medium or high; sometimes both appear in the same scene. The technique involves working at a bevel, starting almost flat, and then rounding off the edges to highlight the figures.

Christian Iconography in Romanesque Art

One of the governing principles of Romanesque sculpture is its functionality for communication and transmission of ideas through iconographic programs. These programs, which consist of religious symbols or descriptions, were directed at an illiterate public. The iconographic programs of churches and cathedrals were thus converted into real "Bibles of Stone."

In early Romanesque art, scenes appear from the Old Testament, but themes from the New Testament become more important later.

The Romanesque Facade and Portal

The facade of the Romanesque church is the location for the main reliefs, especially on the portal. The portal is divided into several parts:

• Tympanum: Often depicts the Doomsday (Last Judgment) with Christ in Majesty (Maiestas Domini) surrounded by the symbols of the four Evangelists (Tetramorph). This scene is sometimes supplemented by the Final Trial. The figure of Mary sometimes competes with the Doomsday theme, often appearing as the Virgin with the Child sitting on her knees, giving a blessing.
• Archivolts: Feature angels with musical instruments.
• Lintel: Holds the Twenty-Four Elders of the Apocalypse.
• Trumeau (Central Post): Features Christ, the Virgin, or saints.
• Jambs: Hold the Apostles and Prophets.

Cloister Sculpture and the Bestiary

The cloisters form secondary sculptural sets. The capitals of the cloisters represent historical themes or animal and plant decoration. Proceeding from the Greco-Roman, Byzantine, and Persian worlds, the fantastic Romanesque bestiary took over the world, though not without resistance and criticism by thinkers of the era. Romanesque art uses animals as carriers of virtues or perversions, reflecting their appearance.