St. Kevin of Glendalough
Ah St. Kevin!
This print I approached with the need to simplify, and I think during Lent this desire to strip away excesses is coming out in the art.
From the get go Kevin would have to have the blackbird in his hand, and the characteristic of Kevin’s gesture would be directed towards the blackbird.
This was the first sketch, the image of a domed loch came to mind, and of course Kevin’s cave. We felt that this one was a bit too close to the St Paul of Thebes. A new composition was explored…
I was reminded of brass rubbings recently when I went down to Lewes in Sussex.
It was this brass rubbing taken from Lewes Priory. Portraying Thomas Nelond praying to images of the Virgin and child, St. Pancras and St. Thomas. A rare survival of a brass to a monk. Most were destroyed following the dissolution of the monasteries in the reign of Henry VIII. This is a superbly preserved brass, lots were sold for scrap and others were saved, this being one.
They are superb works, working particularly well as prints! There is a remarkable delicacy of line work in these pieces, and they are beautifully composed. The similarity of woodcut and brass rubbing is clear, they are both created from impressions made upon a material that has been cut away.
Brass rubbing was an old past time, which nowadays is mostly not allowed due to preservation. Here’s a lovely old, very bucolic English video to show the charms of such a hobby. Of course there is a society for Monumental Brass rubbings if you are interested… https://www.mbs-brasses.co.uk/
With this new love of brass rubbing in mind I set to work, this was the next quick sketch to get the idea down for a new composition. Kevin is still central, surrounded by these arches formed by trees. I wanted to give St Kevin a kind of dynamism, in which the force of wind was seen, so of course a blowing cape is a prime way of doing so!
Rhythm is key to composition, and in rhythm there is harmony. The Byzantine and Romanesque iconographers knew rhythm. The Romanesque takes foundations from Byzantine art, and created a new language. Movement in the Byzantine tradition is done remarkably well, nothing is simply static or flat. Here is an example to express this. The left is an icon from Constantinople, likely from 1320, the right is found in Venice, by Paolo Veneziano, 1354.
This shows the gradual shift from Byzantine forms and abstractions to naturalism, It’s as if the top half is holding on to tradition, and the red drapery is ushering in the next phase of classicism. The distinction to note is the ability to create rhythm within the drapery, as seen on the right, it is a flat span of colour, on the left it is rhythmically charged. It is recognisably drapery, it seems to make sense that it is under the influence of the body’s movement and form underneath, yet it is altogether abiding to a transformed law, it’s as if the drapery has its own movement and its own light. These aren’t merely highlights, or bright areas in which there is no shadow, but a pure kind of light that emanates. I think it’s a reflection of the Spirit working within the material, the Spirit animates the body, the liveliness of action created from muscles and movement animate the drapery that sits on top. It functions and flows like a river, from one source it spreads outwards, whatever the water comes into contact with, it brings life. The Spirit animates the body, and the body animates the drapery, and so forth. “O Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things, Treasury of good things, and Giver of life: come and abide in us.”
When it comes to the Romanesque, particularly the carving, I think the principle of abstracted, linear drapery is pushed further. It maximises linear quality to create the rhythm. Within the carving it seems to suit stone incredibly well, you can achieve such precise and bold lines with stone, the hard edge holds light and shadow in such subtle and also bold ways, this tension is between hard and soft shadow is a masterful gift the Romanesque carver was able to utilise. It is this dynamic that can make the immovable quality of stone appear light and lifting, a cascading symphony directed by the chisel.
This is a prime example of the Romanesque quality, a miracle of movement carved in stone. I will return again and again to this carving. The gesture of St Kevin was completely inspired by this carving. Adapting the linear quality to woodcut, which works well, given that the woodcut is directed by the carving process.
The colour theme for this piece was influenced by Hokusai’s Blue Fuji, such a strong image with such little detail and the use of one colour.
If you are interested in owning one of these prints or some of the previous Saints, you can find them here: ewancraig-art.com
Ah the joyous cow! A while ago curiously in Northumberland we saw some smallish black cows from the Jura. They did not like being coralled. One escaped with her calf and was difficult to catch. I saw her one morning respond to me and dog in the distance. She went over a fence like a wild deer, then turned and grabbed the calf in an easy single rhythm to help it make the same jump. Helps to have the wild in there, saint and all. 😊
Beautiful result so profound . Amazing to learn about the research. Love every layer of meaning . Hokusai adds the finishing touch! 🙏