Some people believe that art exists just to be admired for its beauty or it’s mere existence. The space in which art invokes feelings and interpretations are at a gallery and exhibition and should remain there, or in related articles. But after looking through an exhibition of Medieval texts with their zany and sometimes nonsensical or fantastical artwork, there is something that troubles me about the kinds of people that are depicted, how they are depicted, and who gets to be depicted as human and who is monster or alien. Here in these religious books of hours and prayers, the art here is meant to accompany its religious text as illustrative examples. And by portraying pious Christian men and women as heroes and saints, it’s not being simply art to admire, its art being used to create a sense of identity, of how people should be… and which people cannot be saved, and who will be damned. And from these books I learn, as funny and wonderful Medieval artists were, their lessons and depictions of how to be a good European Christian reveal how old concepts of discrimination against non-Christians are, depicting Jews as demons and Muslims as murderers. And women, even chaste Christian women, cannot be entirely pure for some men will see their mere being as a sin for simply being “beautiful”, making them alluring monsters.
At the Blanton Museum of Austin, Texas, there is a new exhibition called Medieval Monsters: Terrors, Aliens, Wonders. The gallery is full of Medieval prayer books and tomes that are like picture books in appearance, colorful and gilded, with dragons, angels, giants, and sea monsters on the edges of a map. But there are no Martian aliens here. The meaning of alien is in this exhibition is more about things that feel alien or terrifyingly unknowable and new. There is a sense of wonder at the meticulous labor present in these books, handwritten and hand-drawn before a printing press. But in each of the drawings present, educational or religious, human faces and human beings are often present, marginalized, and exalted. It’s in these pages of the Medieval World, it’s wonderous monsters and alien depictions, that I find a Western world discovering and affirming in its sense of identity from the unknowable. Before entering the gallery, a large mural of a knight slaying a dragon greets me. This is an exciting introduction to a room full of ornate picture books. At the start, the books depict heroic Angels, clad in armor, slaying demons, while surrounded by a colorful border of flowers
and peacocks, or a brave knight slaying a red dragon with his lance. On some of the pages, appear women, usually in white or blue, kneeling or tending to an infant. But there are also images of half women, half beasts, with claws, scales, and giant wings, showing their naked breasts. There are colorful maps on display, marking cities and geographical features of the land, but on the edges of the sea, there are creatures and monsters, just as on the pages of these other books there are playful cherubs, coy limbs, and animals running around a text of prayers and mannerisms of how to behave. Towards the end of the exhibition, the books turn to animals, whether real or imagined, or somewhere in between.
Looking at the first objects of the exhibit, I get this sense that just as the maps mark the borders of a country or land, the knights and fair maidens alongside angels and the Virgin Mary, define the roles of men and women in Medieval society. Everything outside the border is monstrous, deranged, or Hell. A book depicting the Archangel Michael fighting demons is not far from a book depicting Saint George slaying the Red Dragon. Both images show a man who must struggle with might against the demonic and dangerous to protect the innocent and meek. On the next wall, appears an image of a woman praying next to the bloody carcass of a dragon. She has no weapons, but the dragon is defeated, nonetheless. Next to this book are depictions of Madonnas or women who play the role of the Virgin Mary, often dressed in blue with a golden glow. In the arrangement of these texts, there’s a distinction between what’s masculine and feminine, but both roles were considered saintly in Medieval society if they follow their corresponding religious role model. Men must bravely face the unknown with might, while women must endure through piety. In doing so, they defeat the monster or demon that threatens them.
Yet, as the exhibit continues, the people in the books start becoming anthropomorphic or tormented. This section, called “Aliens,” includes a book of a half-woman, half eagle. The subtitle of these books is “Feminine Monsters.” If you were to cover the bottom half of her body, and only look at her from the torso up, she almost appears like an angel, about to play heavenly music. But the men surrounding her, on the borders of the picture, are all drowning, fleeing, dying, or half asleep. The white color of her naked skin and red feathers, contrast the blue background behind her, thus making this harpy stand out. The inviting appearance of this harpy, with her arms open and welcoming, doesn’t explain why the men around her fear her inviting nature. But it’s evident that this monstress is not safe and should be feared. Just across from this wall, in the middle of the room are books that depict people suffering. One book shows an Angel pushing people into the mouth of a Hell Hound. In another book, a man in foreign clothing compared to all the other drawings is enacting and execution. These books all reveal the fears and terrors of Medieval men. Women, when they’re pious and fully clothed, are inviting. But a woman is who is too open, charismatic, or wanting, is dangerous and deadly. She’s not even human; she’s exotic, monstrous, and best avoided. In the other two books, the monster isn’t as evident. The descriptions reveal that in each of these pictures are the enemies of Christianity: Jews, who will aid Christians into Hell, and Muslims who will annihilate Christians. In these two books, there’s a fear of people who are from other cultures or have been categorized as Other. In this section, Christians distinguish themselves from other cultures and religions around them as men distinguish women by their manners and character.
The last part of the exhibit is called “Wonders.” This one stands out from the others because it’s not entirely focused on people. The subjects of the books are mostly spectacular plants, animals, and mystical creatures such as unicorns and giants. Unlike the previous two sections that defined the roles of people in Medieval society, this section shows a fascination with nature, another unknown to people at the time, yet not immediately hostile. The video playing next to a display of tools and pigments used to make these books also adds to the theme of human curiosity as it shows viewers the process of creating parchment and the manufacturing of these books. The exhibit is informative, not just in the explanations underneath the books that help make sense of the pictures. It was informative by the way the books were arranged to examine how these images depicted the thoughts and perceptions of Medieval society, including how deeply rooted conceptions of gender roles and racism are in Western culture. Women were distinguished for being demure and demonized for being anything else. Men were exalted for their self-sacrifice and brave confrontations against evil. This exhibit shows how we often marginalize the unknown, minorities and people of different beliefs and backgrounds. They are kept away from what should be Western society’s spotlight at the center of history’s pages, which still happens today as evident by the treatment of refugees in camps or the gentrification of cities. By realizing the long history of these ideas and symbols present in these books, the exhibit also helps me realize how in the last hundred years and the various attempts were made in Western history to break away from these simple notions of how people are and why we’re different. It’s why I find the last part of the exhibition with the bestiaries, the unicorns, and the giants so light-hearted after the more gruesome depictions of death and violence. It’s not only because they’re mystical creatures, but the bestiaries show the imaginative and curious nature human beings have that allows them to explore the world, but only just on the border of what’s familiar. And it’s that slow creeping curiosity that eventually breaks us out of our shell to explore not only the world beyond, but our reality within, and how we perceive ourselves and others.