When looking at the Hildesheim Cathedral doors the two panels that stuck out to me the most were the panels three down from the top. The one to the left is from the Old Testament. It is the scene of Adam and Eve in the garden. The one to the right is from the New Testament. It portrays the crucifiction of Jesus Christ. Although these panels portray scenes that happened centuries apart from each other they are strongly connected.
First I looked at the panel to the left with the Adam and Eve scene. Adam and Eve were the first people God created. First he created Adam and then created Eve from a rib he took from Adam’s side. God provided Adam and Eve with everything. They would be given the perfect life if they followed the one rule. They were to never eat from the Tree of Knowledge. The serpent tempts Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, telling her that it will make her more like God, and that it will not lead to death. Eve falls into temptation and eats from the tree. She then offers Adam to eat as well and he too falls under the temptation. This is known as the Fall of Man. This is where I believe the panel is set. Eve is covering her body as if aware of her nudity. This happened after they ate from the tree, and they covered themselves from God in shame. Adam holds the apple in his hand yet to eat the apple. The panel represents the moment man fell.
The panel next to Adam and Eve is the crucifiction of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was Gods son. Birthed to The Virgin Mary. Jesus was given to the world as a final chance to be forgiven of all sins. Jesus lived his life performing miracles, but when the time came he was betrayed and hung on the cross to die. Before he died he prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." God had given his only son to die for all our sins. When Jesus was resurrected he told the world that we are forgiven for our sins. The panel directly shows the suffering Jesus went through before he died for us. As the Romans put sponges of vinegar in his wounds while he hung from the cross.
These two panels represent the beginning of sin and the forgiveness of sin; the beginning and the end. If Adam and Eve had not eaten from the Tree of Knowledge there would be no sin. With no sin, Jesus would not have had to die for our forgiveness, correlating these two panels. The fall of man was redeemed later in the New Testament by Jesus’s suffering on the cross. These two panels, I believe, are the most connected stories in the bible. They are the two chances that God gave the world to be free of sin, and by placing these panels next to each other we are able to see that correlation between the two.
These are interesting panels to compare, and you have brought up some good points about how the subject matter is related. What do you think about the compositions of these panels? Do they seem similar or opposite to you? As was discussed in the lecture video, the compositions of these door panels (when approached with a "horizontal reading") are either similar or opposite in composition (and sometimes a little of both!).
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I think the panels you chose and your points used to describe them was well thought out and good. I found them even more interesting after reading your blog description on them.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog. You wrote some details for Adam and Eve and Jesus Christ stories. That detail stories help me to understand the panels. I think you have almost same thought in the left panel. I agree that left panel represented a moment of man fall. I also really liked the quote you put it. I agree that these two panel have deeply related in the bible.
ReplyDeleteThese art pieces are very interesting. They are my favorite. It looks like they were very well taken care of and there is a lot of messages that are hidden in them. As you were stating your thoughts and opinions I was agreeing with you. For example I totally agree about what the left panel represents. Very well thought out.
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