The grotesque in church art . CHURCH, HAMPSHIRE. of Venus, the drinking horn of Pan, together with manyanother form to be observed in particular works of theancients, is each a definite and perfect example of the faultlessline. Now, to repeat, many—an infinite number—of theornaments of Gothic architecture, and not less the grotesquethan any other description, are likewise composed of the mostbeautiful lines conceivable, either entirely, or combined withlines of abrupt and ungraceful turn that seem to deliberatelyprovoke ones artistic protest; and yet the whole compositionshall, by its curious
The grotesque in church art . CHURCH, HAMPSHIRE. of Venus, the drinking horn of Pan, together with manyanother form to be observed in particular works of theancients, is each a definite and perfect example of the faultlessline. Now, to repeat, many—an infinite number—of theornaments of Gothic architecture, and not less the grotesquethan any other description, are likewise composed of the mostbeautiful lines conceivable, either entirely, or combined withlines of abrupt and ungraceful turn that seem to deliberatelyprovoke ones artistic protest; and yet the whole compositionshall, by its curious mixture of beauty and bizarre, its contrast 22 THE GROTESQUE IN CHURCH ART. of elegance with awkwardness, leave a real and unique senseof pleasure in the mind. Doubtless the root of this pleasureis the gratification of the mind at having secretly detecteditself responding to the call of art to exercise itself inappreciative discrimination. This may be unconsciouslydone ; and in a great measure the qualities which give the. HAWKS OR EAGLES? WELLINGBOROUGH, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE. pleasure would be bestowed upon the work in similar happyunconsciousness of the exact why and wherefore. Often, asin the ancient statues, a small curved form is introduced as anappendage to a mediaeval grotesque. Thus we see that there are combinations of two kinds ofcontrast which make Gothic grotesques agreeable, the artisticcontrasts among the mere lines of the carvings, and the ARTISTIC QUALITY OF CHURCH GROTESQUES. 23 significatory contrasts evolved by the meanings of thecarvings. As far back as the twelfth century, a critic of churchgrotesques recognized their combination of contrasts. Thiswas St. Bernard of Clairvaux, who, speaking of the ecclesias-tical decoration of his time, paid the grotesques of church artthe exact tribute they so often merit; probably the greaterportion of what he saw has given place to succeeding carvings,though of precisely the same characteristics. He calls thema wonderful
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