Norse art

(noun)

A blanket term for the artistic styles in Scandinavia during the Germanic Iron Age, the Viking Age, and sometimes the Nordic Bronze Age.

Examples of Norse art in the following topics:

  • The Norse

    • "Norse art" defines the artistic legacies of Scandinavia during the Germanic Iron Age, the Viking Age, and the Nordic Bronze Age.
    • "Norse art" is a blanket term for the artistic styles in Scandinavia during the Germanic Iron Age, the Viking Age, and the Nordic Bronze Age.
    • Norse art has many elements in common with Celtic Art and Romanesque art.
    • Whereas the Norse ships highlight the most distinctive elements of Norse art, brooches and other Viking ornaments demonstrate considerable Celtic influence (evident in the characteristically large oval shapes of both Norse and Celtic brooches).
    • Describe Norse art, particularly the artistic elements found on the great ships of the Vikings

  • The Early Middle Ages

    • It includes major art movements and periods, national and regional art, genres, and revivals.
    • Art historians attempt to classify medieval art into major periods and styles, often with some difficulty, as medieval regions frequently featured distinct artistic styles, such as Anglo-Saxon art or Norse art.
    • However, a generally accepted scheme includes Early Christian art, Migration Period art, Byzantine art, Insular art, Carolingian art, Ottonian art, Romanesque art, and Gothic art, as well as many other periods within these central aesthetic styles.
    • Early medieval art exists in many media.
    • The history of medieval art can be seen as an ongoing interplay between the elements of classical, early Christian, and "barbarian" art.

  • Jelling Stones

    • The Jelling Stones are visual records of the transitional period between Norse paganism and the process of Christianization in Denmark.
    • Art historians consider the runic inscriptions on the Jelling stones as the best known in Denmark.
    • One scholar has suggested that this imagery was used to suggest that Christ had replaced the Norse pagan god Odin, who in one myth hung for nine nights in the tree Yggdrasill.
    • The reliefs on Harald's Stone bear a striking resemblance to the styles of humans, animals, and abstract patterns that appear in illuminated manuscripts and on decorative arts in the British Isles of the Early Middle Ages.
    • One scholar has suggested that this imagery was used to suggest that Christ had replaced the Norse pagan god Odin, who in one myth hung for nine nights in the tree Yggdrasill.

  • Norse Ships in the Early European Middle Ages

    • For instance, the Oseberg Bow demonstrates the Norse mastery of decorative wood carving and intricate inlay of metal.
    • Other examples of artistic design on Norse ships include the "King" or "Chieftain" vessels that were designated for the wealthier classes.
    • Although the Osberg style distinguishes early Viking art from previous trends, it is no longer generally accepted as an independent style.

  • Norse Timber Architecture in the Early European Middle Ages

    • Timber architecture can be used to describe a period of medieval art in which two distinctive wood building traditions found their confluence in Norwegian architecture.
    • The load-bearing posts (stafr in Old Norse, stav in Norwegian) have lent their name to the building technique.
    • Over the two centuries of stave church construction, this building type evolved to an advanced art and science.

  • Polytheism

    • Polytheism cannot be entirely delineated from the animist beliefs and art prevalent in most folk religions.
    • Post-classical polytheistic religions include Norse Æsir and Vanir, the Yoruba Orisha, the Aztec gods, and many others.
    • Conquests could lead to the subordination of the elder culture's pantheon to a newer one, as in the Greek Titanomachia, and possibly also the case of the Æsir and Vanir in the Norse mythos.
    • Polytheist art is as varied as the cultures and regions where it is found.
    • Other polytheistic art examples include small devotional pieces intended for meditation, as demonstrated by these seated Korean Buddhist statues .

  • Elements of Nature

    • From ancient Norse and Celtic mythologies to the Nigerian and Indian cosmological thoughts, extending far east in the ancient Shinto faith of Japan and the forest peoples of Malaysia, sacred groves are considered living temples, albeit absent of stone walls or ornate stone monuments.
    • For example, the Bodhi Tree is often represented in Buddhist images as the tree that protected the Buddha when he was meditating to attain enlightenment, and the Glastonbury Thorn is regarded as sacred by many Christians and reproduced in many works of art.
    • Discuss the use of nature and natural elements in sacred art and places of worship.

  • Norman Architecture

    • The Normans were a people descended from Norse raiders and pirates from Denmark, Iceland, and Norway, who in the 10th and 11th centuries gave their name to Normandy, a region in France.
    • The Normans were among the most traveled peoples of Europe and were exposed to a wide variety of cultural influences, including the Near East; as a result, they incorporated some of these influences into their art and architecture.

  • Norman Painting

    • The Normans were descendants from Norse raiders from Denmark, Iceland, and Norway who in the 10th and 11th centuries gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France.
    • In the visual arts, the Normans did not have the rich and distinctive traditions of the cultures they conquered.
    • The chief monasteries taking part in this "renaissance" of Norman art and scholarship were Mont-Saint-Michel, Fécamp, Jumièges, Bec, Saint-Ouen, Saint-Evroul, and Saint-Wandrille.
    • Another significant Norman art form is that of stained glass.
    • Many works of art have survived from this time period, mostly as church vestments.

  • Art History Methodology