[ePub] California Mission Landscapes: Race; Memory; and the Politics of Heritage (Architecture; Landscape; and American Culture) by Elizabeth Kryder-Reid in Arts-Photography

Description

The touchstones of Gothic monumental art in France - the abbey church of Saint-Denis and the cathedrals of Chartres; Reims; and Bourges - form the core of this collection dedicated to the memory of Anne Prache. The essays reflect the impact of Prachersquo;s career; both as a scholar of wide-ranging interests and as a builder of bridges between the French and American academic communities. Thus the authors include scholars in France and the United States; both academics and museum professionals; while the thematic matrix of the book; divided into architecture; stained glass; and sculpture; reflects the multiple media explored by Prache during her long career. The essays employ a varied range of methodologies to explore Gothic monuments. The chapters in the architectural section include an intensive archeological analysis of the foundations of Reims Cathedral; the close reading of a late medieval literary text for a symbolic understanding of Paris; and essays that explore the medieval use of practical geometry in designing entire buildings and their components. Saint-Denis; Reims; and Chartres; all monuments studied by Prache; are discussed in the next part; on stained glass. These chapters demonstrate how old problems can be clarified by new evidence; whether from the accessibility of previously unknown archival information; for Reims; or through revelations that arise from restoration; at Chartres. These essays also include a study showing the complexity of making attributions for the storied glass of Saint-Denis. The final set of essays likewise takes different approaches to sculpture; whether constructing links to the liturgy at Reims; or discussing the meaning of a sculptural ensemble studied by Prache early in her career; the cloister of Notre-Dame-en-Vaux in ChAtilde;cent;lons-en-Champagne; or scrupulously examining the faAtilde;sect;ade sculpture at Bourges Cathedral for insights into the design process. As a whole; the volume provides a window onto key directions in the study of