![]() Illumination, an Expressive Art Olivier Naude, seated in front of his drawing board, juggles between brushes and materials with ease to show us the gilding and color he is endeavoring to apply. ![]() For the second commission…the barrels are a little larger and recall the Italian Baroque, so the 15th-century Florentine manuscript inspired me, the Breviary of King Matthias Corvin of Hungary, a very richly decorated work”. “For the first cannons, I was inspired by the manuscripts commissioned by Louis XIV from the illuminations workshop at Les Invalides, in Paris. They were most suited to the frame. ![]() Naude was then able to unleash his imagination for the miniature paintings. He is going to tear his eyes out!” he joked. I pity the poor celebrant who will have to use it. Quite a challenge for an artist who usually works on formats ranging from ten to twenty centimeters: “I didn’t think I could make calligraphic characters so small. “I first had to transcribe the liturgical texts, which are obligatory and consecrated by centuries of use, but in the smallest size possible, to leave a little room for the painting because I am first and foremost a painter, not a calligrapher!”. Naude noted that the text on these “Mass cards for the celebrant” had all but disappeared. Scientific Committee member Jacques Charles-Gaffiot contacted Olivier Naude during the restoration of the 17th and 18th-century a ltar canons produced by master mother-of-pearl workers from Bethlehem. This art form and cultural heritage are becoming more widely known now that many manuscripts have been digitized and made available online. As books are kept closed, the paintings in them have been perfectly preserved, and are dazzling to the eye!”. “We must not forget that, up until the Renaissance, the two great supporter-protectors of painting were the walls of churches and the book. Works so famous that even the French revolutionaries would not dare to destroy them during the numerous looting of abbey libraries, says Olivier. Gold leaf cannot be applied after painting, because the metal flakes which are dusted off tend to adhere to paint…”, explains this enthusiast.īut what made the manuscripts of the 5th to 18th centuries famous was the breakthrough use of color-from natural pigments-giving depth and glow to the miniature paintings of the manuscripts. “It may seem surprising, but the gilded parts are done just after the drawing. Next is the preliminary drawing, and then the gilding, a step that requires great attention to detail. The first stage of the work is the “ ruling” or layout- setting down the lines that will guide the letters’ writing. Naude works on special papers that mimic parchment and real parchment-lamb or kidskin that takes weeks to prepare. Therefore they must also carry out the calligraphy and gilding themselves before finally getting to the painting, the heart of their profession. Today, however, he explains, manuscript illuminators no longer work in a “workshop” or together with other artisans. The greatest miniature painters of the late Middle Ages in France, Jean Fouquet and Jean Bourdichon, were first and foremost painters, as was their Italian contemporary, Fra Angelico“. These masters only take part in the decoration of the book. Small paintings in shimmering colors dot the walls-many of which were recently shown in the 2019 exhibition “Illuminations: Painting Infinity in Miniature” at the Institution Sainte Marie Anthony, near Paris.Īn excellent teacher as well, Naude first explains that the art of manuscript illumination traditionally brought together several different trades: “…until the 18th century, masters of illumination worked with calligraphers and scribes who transcribed the text, and with gilders who added gold details to the manuscripts. A few days later, we find him in the cozy atmosphere of his Parisian apartment. The Committee members rave over the exquisitely painted motifs and calligraphy. Four-hundred hours to create three illuminated backdrops that will adorn mother-of-pearl altar canons from Bethlehem. It’s the September 2020 meeting of the Scientific Committee of the Terra Sancta Museum, and Olivier Naude, who was invited to participate in a working session, carefully reveals the delicate sheets he has produced for the Museum. “What you see before you represent more than 400 hours of work” he humbly lets slip.
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