Eloquent Bodies: Movement, Expression, and the Human Figure in Gothic Sculpture (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780300214017)

A radical reassessment of the role of movement, emotion, and the viewing experience in Gothic sculpture

Gothic cathedrals in northern Europe dazzle visitors with arrays of sculpted saints, angels, and noble patrons adorning their portals and interiors. In this highly original and erudite volume, Jacqueline E. Jung explores how medieval sculptors used a form of bodily poetics--involving facial expression, gesture, stance, and torsion--to create meanings beyond conventional iconography and to subtly manipulate spatial dynamics, forging connections between the sculptures and beholders. Filled with more than 500 images that capture the suppleness and dynamism of cathedral sculpture, often through multiple angles, Eloquent Bodies demonstrates how viewers confronted and, in turn, were addressed by sculptures at major cathedrals in France and Germany, from Chartres and Reims to Strasbourg, Bamberg, Magdeburg, and Naumburg. Shedding new light on the charismatic and kinetic qualities of Gothic sculpture, this book also illuminates the ways artistic ingenuity and technical skill converged to enliven sacred spaces.

Author: Jacqueline E. Jung
ISBN-10: 0300214014
ISBN-13: 9780300214017
Publisher: Yale University Press
Language: English
Published: 07/14/2020
Pages: 340
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 3.65lbs
Size: 11.20h x 8.80w x 1.10d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 04/01/2021