Tag: art

Who are my major creative influences as an artist? That’s the question I aim to answer with this series of short articles. This one being the first part of five.

From artists to architects to historical thinkers, these are the creative minds I have found myself resonating with on the deepest level so far. Some in the aesthetic sense, and some in the way I apply myself to my work.

Abbot Suger – First Patron Of Gothic Design

Abbot Suger, born circa 1081, was a French monastic, statesmen and historian. What does this have to do with my work? Let’s start with a story.

Around the year 1137 Suger made the decision to rebuild the Curch of Saint-Denis. This was the burial church of the monarchs of France, two of which he happened to be rubbing shoulders with, Louie VI and Louie VII.

As the guiding visionary of the project, Suger oversaw the reconstruction with the help of innovative master masons, the names of whom we do not know. Out of this project came several new features, which had evolved out of the earlier romanesque style. The pointed arch, ribbed vaults, flying buttresses, and the earliest known example of a rose window.

The new structure was finished on the 11th of June 1144, and became the prototype for further constructions in northern France. It is cited as the first ever building of the Gothic style.

If my personal aesthetic could ever be summed up with one single style of design, it would have to be Gothic.

Why Gothic?

Opus Francigenum (“French work”) as it was referred to in it’s time, displays a level of attention to detail unparalleled by anything of it’s age (and region). This principle shows up in every aspect of the buildings from their notoriously ornate facades to the awe inspiring rose windows that illuminate the interior. No square inch is left untended to or undecorated.

It is this inextinguishable need for creative attention to be applied to an object from every possible angle, that I want to carry out in my own pieces. In this type of work, everything ceases to matter while all possible avenues to perfection are explored.

“Being the one who creates them, I never think that my pieces are absolutely perfect or finished. But as an artist, perfection must always be my pursuit.”

Suger and other founders of Gothic design, in their pursuit of perfection, finished with something pretty substantial in the end. The results of their labor, to me, are nothing short of awe inspiring.

For more extensive information regarding Gothic design, follow this link: Gothic Design

Part 2

In the next part of this series, I will be revealing another of my creative influences. A historical figure who may seem unconventional as an artist’s inspiration. However, the attitude with which he approached his creative endeavors is something I cannot ignore…