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2008-06-06 01:33:27
Edda and Art
The lavish edition of Snorra Edda-the precious accout and key to our understanding of nordic mythology – which now appears before the eyes of english speaking reader, is not only a compilation of texts concerning the dawn and dusk of the world according to the ancient belief of Germanic tribes –collected, expounded and edited in Icelandic by the mediaeval lord and scholar snorri Sturluson- but also an astounding catalogue of works of art, old and new, by artists who have been influenced by the reading of this incomparable masterpiece of literature.
One is struck by the richness of this cumptous collection by nearly sixty painters and dreughtsmen, as divers as the Swiss romantic classicist Johann Heinrich Fuseli, and his almost hundred and fourty years younger modernist countryman Paul Klee. Apparently both fell under the spell of the fabulous cycles of ancient epics, the former using his dramatic visionary skill to depict decisive moments in the tragic twilight of the gods, while the other gave us a delightfully simple linear synopsis of a rather sympathetic Valkyrie.
This tiny example taken from an unusually wide and varied display of illustrations demonstrates how rewarding it is to read the text and discover, every now and then, the places in it which caught the artists’ imagination. It is also highly commendably that the editor should opt for a broad legion of notable artists from different countries and ages instead of one particular illustrator. Nothing is as awkward as illustrations of a text which by their particular style rob the reader of his imaginative range. He get a fixed , hence reduced, image of the principal characters of the literary work preventing him from creating his own mental image of their deeds and features.
With his ample choice of illustrations, of different origin, sort style and medium the editor avoids this particular kind of peril. We are able to follw the Eddic gods and heroes in their adventurous trajectory and make a pause at certain intervals in order to contemplate how the selected legion of artists envisioned their dramatic progress. The heterogeneous variety protect out imaginative ivrginity and manages by its anthological breadth to his the child in us. Our youthful sense of excitement is guaranteed by a sufficient number of works of high quality whose execution spans more than three centuries.
From neoclassical paintings anddrawing where the nordic myths and legends are Hellenized, sometimes to the point of resembling Greek vase-painting,to a more agitated and romantic rendering , the eighteenth and nineteenth century art treats the Eddic cycles with dramatic power and psychological insight. We might be watching a frozen moment from a play or a movie, all according to the perspective chosen by the artist. Some emphasize the intimate exchange of words and gestures between characters surrounded by a rustic interior or a natural exterior setting, while others represent a panouamic view of battles, ominous apparitions or apocalyptic incidents peopled with large crowds of gods, heroes and warriors.
After the prolific symbolism of late nineteenth century , where the Eddic legends are carried to the realm of imagination and fertile implications, anti-narrative modernism of the twentieth century brings this influential literature to the threshold of allegorical rendering. Gone is the dramatic setting, but instead we are presented with signs and symbols evoking the latent meaning of the account and its complex humane significance. Despite the obvious lack of narrative, the modern and contemporary artists often bring us nearer the true spitit of the Edda, by reverting to traditonal means of expression such as weaving , or by reviving ancient styles from the viking era and the romanesque period.
With such an illustrative wealth we are given a new dimension-a measurement of survival –of this timeless and evergreen literature. It may come as no surprise since we know to what extent the Eddic poetry affected the development of music in the late nineteenth century through Wagner’s operatic tetralogy. It is nevertheless amazing to see how strong an impression the cysles continue to exert upon contemporary artists.In an age of historical indifference such as ours it is certainly delightful to discover all the interest and respect paid to these ancient myths and legends by active artists. They do not hesitate to dedicate to it monumental formats of audacious breadth and technical profundity. Perhaps it is the best token of the lasting value of the Edda.
Halldór björn runólfsson,
Senior lecturer in art history at the Iceland Acaademy of th Art
