The Transcendence of the Mortal, B.C.E. and C.E., Essay Example

The pre-Christian artist of a Western culture, and specifically of the Iron Age era ranging from 1100 – 200 B.C.E., would likely view the Baptistry doors executed by Ghiberti in the early 15^th century with a combination of awe and alarm. More precisely, he would not see these panels as art, but as an alien form of storytelling, and one constructed in an inexplicable way. Elements unknown to him would be mysterious and disturbing, as the techniques involved in the creation of the doors would render the art all the more inexplicable. The detail would draw him near, as he would seek to see in the bronze the secrets of the shaping. At the same time, and with closer scrutiny, an awareness of identities in art between the ages would probably arise. The Iron Age artist would come away with a stronger sense of identity with Ghiberti, because he would recognize the vital component between them of representing human struggle.

What would most astonish the earlier artist is the complexity of Ghiberti’s craftsmanship. If Iron Age art did evince evolutions in craft and form, it was nonetheless static in terms of perspective. More exactly, the nuance achieved by Ghiberti in relief would be uncanny. That bronze could be shaped in such a way as to create dimensions in scale and distance, through the use of shadow and sizing of characters and landscapes, would seem to be an extraordinary accomplishment. This relates to what would strike the Iron Age artist as a further impossibility: Ghiberti’s ability to render as lifelike such small figures. Some panels contain many dozens of characters, each crafted in exacting detail. Clearly, some advanced technology and equipment, utterly unknown to him, must be available to the Florentine.

Beyond this is the equally striking aspect of what these panels actually represent. Iron Age art was typically confined to single representations of a deity, creature, or mortal, yet the doors appear to be perfect representations of complex action. A story of some kind, one involving passing time and many events, is being conveyed. It obviously reflects non-human, or divine, elements, as many scenes are played out below floating tableaux of heavenly beings. Nonetheless, it seems that the chief characters are not monsters or animal gods, but men and women. They wear clothing, and they seem to hold themselves and “move” as human beings do. Some are sick; in others, violence is being done. Ten panels are evidently focused on the travels and adventures of a single man, interacting with others in a clearly impactful way. There are also, however, strange beings with wings on the ground, and animals do seem to play an important role in whatever is transpiring. This is clearly a series of tales being told, but they can have no meaning to the Iron Age artist. Moreover, and importantly, the skill and the complexity of the narratives would likely have him thinking this is not “art”, but some unusual means of communication.

Nevertheless, it may be that Ghiberti’s work would resonate with the earlier artist on a fundamental level. There is a commonality of metal as the medium, and late Iron Age art was evolving into bronze. Then, upon closer inspection, the Iron Age artist might consider that Ghiberti’s work is not a departure from his own, but merely a refinement of it. By 220 B.C.E., for example, Epigonus had created his Dying Gaul, worked in marble from a Turkish original in bronze. This piece alone presents extraordinary similarities in what could be called a linear classicism. Ghiberti’s Apostles and biblical characters are beautifully expressive in a grandiose fashion, as is the Dying Gaul. Then, there is a similar integrity of form. Epigonus’s Gaul is faithful to human anatomy, with a musculature rivaling the much later work of Michelangelo. If Ghiberti’s wounded suffer, so too does the Gaul. The expression on his face, in fact, is very like that of the pained, angry, or astonished faces of Ghiberti’s people. Ultimately, then, the Iron Age artist would likely reflect that, although the Baptistry doors are strangely crafted and confusing, they are still relaying an artistic message about the state of humanity.