Monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos

Albena Gradeva,

Madina Ismailova

1. Introduction Historical context of the artwork.

Artistic context.

The author.

2. AnalysisDescription

Style

Features

Symbolic Meaning

3. Conclusion

Historical context

- Burgos province,

North of Spain

- Village built up due to

the monastery

- Firstly from Visigoth

period (7th. Century)

- Destroyed during the

Islamic rule

- Romanesque part built in 1088

- 1751 Romanesque part disappears: neoclassical

temple, built by Pedro Machuca plans Ventura

Rodríguez (many Romanesque features lost)

- Author: not clear, only 2 different styles of 2

teachers are visible

Driven out of monastery San Mila de Cogola by King of Navarre

Found refuge under protection of Ferdinand I of Leon

Rebuilt monastery :wealthy patrons endowed themonastery

ransomed Christians from the MoorsCenter of book design, gold and silver work,

scholarships and charity

- Successor : Abbot Fortuni

- He started the transpet and

cloister

Transept

Mainly Romanesque style

Few pieces showing early Gothic style

(annunciation)

Two styles distinguished by columns

Puerta de las

Virgenes

One of the few

preserved

Romanesque features

Southern Arm

connecting transpet

and cloister

Horse-shoe arch :

Mozarabic style

Pillars also typically

Romanesque

Two men holding a

pair of rampant lions

with ropes.(childish

depiction)

Detailed geometrical

shapes: Islamic

Influence

Monastery famous for

it’s Gregorian Chants

Gives a very chilling

and mysterious

atmosphere

http://www.youtube.co

m/watch?NR=1&v=8J

7NjHD1O_o

Sculpture used for 2 purposes

1) Decoration

2) Illustrate stories of the Bible

Disciples of Emmaus

- sketchy,

experssionless, little

attention paid to detail

- No sense of depth

- Little movement and

unnatural

(placed above eye

level)

- Silos-Duda

Little anatomic

perfection

Thin and elongated

with large eyes and

heads

Unrealistic position of

Jesus’s Hand (looks

like a stick: very stiff)

Representation:

unrealistic; as if they

are standing on a

staircase

Stiff mother Marry and

young Jesus: sitting

very unnaturally on

the side of his mother

Although baby Jesus

moves from the

middle, still looks like

he is sitting on a

throne

Cloister

- semi-circular arches

- Arcades(piers

supporting the

building)

- Walls: thick

(Entombment+Resurr

ection )

Putting two stories

together:typically

medieval

Many people illiterate

so no writing

Almost like a comic

book

1) First School

- Main protagonists are

animals (surrounded by

foliage/stems)

- Delicate and finesse

artworks: Hispano-

Muslim influence e.g.

Hair, feathers etc...

- Plenty of rhythm

and repetition

Annunciation of Marry

Later in 12th. Century

Late Romanesque,

Early Gothic

Figures and details

more refined and

realistic

- Main protagonists are

harpies and dragons