Gothic Spirit: Medieval Art from Europe by Matthew Reeves and Jana Gajdošová

Abstract

Reviewed by: Gothic Spirit: Medieval Art from Europe by Matthew Reeves and Jana Gajdošová Rachel Birke Matthew Reeves and Jana Gajdošová, Gothic Spirit: Medieval Art from Europe (London: Sam Fogg, 2020), 144 pp., 82 ills. Published to accompany a collaborative exhibition between Sam Fogg and Luhring Augustine at Augustine's eponymous Chelsea, New York, gallery (January 23 to March 7, 2020), Jada Gajdošová and Matthew Reeves's Gothic Spirit: Medieval Art from Europe is the latest addition to Sam Fogg Gallery's collection of scholarly exhibition catalogs. Through its design, organization, and clear yet detailed descriptions of the twenty-seven pieces it showcases, Gothic Spirit not only replicates the contemplative environment of the gallery exhibit it originally accompanied but also provides historical and artistic insights that will appeal to novice and experienced medievalists alike. The catalog begins with 105 pages of vivid, color photography of the exhibition's twenty-seven artworks, the only text being each work's title, date, region, and the coordinating catalog number. The publication's generous size (27 x 23 cm) provides the works of art—which often take up the entirety of their page—ample space to be studied and admired. The images of most of the works are organized from general to specific, with a full-body photograph of the artwork followed by a close-up, often in the form of a two-page spread of a particularly poignant detail of that work. For example, the full image of Signmund Gleismüller's Pentecost (ca. 1485–90) is followed by a beautiful twopage spread of the delicately painted cracks in the tile floor of the monumental panel. The most readily apparent mode of organization is that of chronology, with the first piece dating to ca. 1100–30 and the last to ca. 1560–70. In the list of works at the end of the book, we are invited to read Jana Gajdošová and Matthew Reeves's short scholarly descriptions of the pieces. Each description is headed with a more detailed origin for the piece, as well as a full description of its measurements and mediums, and an account of its provenance. Featuring photography by Barney Hindle and design by Richard Ardagh Studio, the book is itself an art object whose minimalist design and tactility emphasize the rich tones, textures, and historicity of the artworks it contains. The slender, angular wooden figure of the Astor Virgin, one of the earliest works featured in the catalog, is the only image on the book's outer cover, which is otherwise a warm slate of gray. Throughout, warm light gray and white tones surround the diverse and often colorful works of art, echoing the experience of viewing the works in a gallery or museum setting. As the sweeping subtitle, "Medieval Art from Europe," suggests, the catalog's twenty-seven artworks span vast geographical and cultural space and time. The works date from the early twelfth century to the mid-sixteenth. It should be noted that the collection omits the early Middle Ages, instead presenting a view of the high and late Middle Ages, which even begin to bleed into the early modern period. For this reason, the addition of dates to the catalog's title, or more specification in the title itself, would be ideal. The works' regions of origin are weighted toward France and Italy, but Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands are also prominently featured. The art included is as diverse in medium, style, and [End Page 260] purpose as it is in age and culture. The clear progression in time and the ever morphing and, in many cases, increasingly intricate pieces seem to tell a story of widespread artistic development between the late twelfth and early sixteenth centuries in southern, central, and northern Europe. This narrative is communicated primarily through the gradual introduction of works more varied in color, texture, and medium than the catalog's visual baseline of more monochrome stone works, such as a "massive capital with human figures tormented by waged serpents" and the Astor Virgin, pictured on the cover. This progressive narrative is emphasized by the cacophony of styles, mediums, and social purposes present in the diverse artworks...