Saturday, March 5, 2011

Gargoyle, Grotesque or Chimera? A Sculpture from Notre Dame Cathedral

Grotesque from Notre Dame, Paris
(click on photo for more detail)
7” x 5” (17.8 cm x 12.7 cm) acrylic on hand primed board $125 with free shipping in US & Canada
To see available works in my dailypainters gallery click HERE
To receive email postings of my work click below or send email to Paul




This time of year our thoughts often turn to travel. This is a sketch from my last travels in Paris, a grotesque sculpture from the towers of Notre Dame Cathedral. This image is often called a gargoyle, but should be called a grotesque or chimera, since a gargoyle is really a waterspout sculpture used to direct the water away from the walls of the cathedral. It's a mythical image made up of parts of many creatures and intended to be a frightening image thought to keep evil spirits away from the cathedral. I've always enjoyed these creatures because they are so imaginative and fantastic.

© Copyright 2011 by Paul Wolber
All Rights Reserved

1 comment:

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.