Beuron Art School
Encyclopedia
The Beuron art school was founded by a confederation of Benedictine
monks in Germany
in the late nineteenth century.
of Beuron, Maurus Wolter (died 1890), who founded the abbey with his brother Placidus in 1863, the early leaders of the artistic school were Father Desiderius Lenz (1832-1928) and Gabriel Wuger
(died 1892). Several Benedictine artists worked within the school, including Jan Verkade
.
One of the most complete collections of Beuronese art is located at Conception Abbey
in Conception, Missouri, USA, which was founded by Beuronese monks who immigrated to the United States. According to the abbey's website, "Beuronese art was revolutionary for its time, and also characteristic of its time. It offered a stylized, simplified, and hieratic approach to art which went against the grain of contemporary romantic forms."
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monks in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in the late nineteenth century.
Notables
In addition to the first abbotAbbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
of Beuron, Maurus Wolter (died 1890), who founded the abbey with his brother Placidus in 1863, the early leaders of the artistic school were Father Desiderius Lenz (1832-1928) and Gabriel Wuger
Gabriel Wuger
Gabriel Wuger was an artist and a Benedictine monk. He was one of the founders of the Beuron Art School in Germany in the late nineteenth century.Wuger was born on 2 December 1829 in Canton Thurgau in Switzerland....
(died 1892). Several Benedictine artists worked within the school, including Jan Verkade
Jan Verkade
Johannes Sixtus Gerhardus Verkade was a Dutch Post-Impressionist artist. In the early 1890s, frequented the circles of Paul Gauguin and of Les Nabis...
.
Principles
Beuronese art is principally known for its murals with "muted, tranquil and seemingly mysterious colouring" http://www.abtei-st-hildegard.de/english/church/1.php. Though several different principles were in competition to form the canon for the school, "[t]he most significant principle or canon of the Beuronese school is the role which geometry played in determining proportions." Lenz elaborated the philosophy and canon of a new artistic direction, which was based on the elements of ancient Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine and early Christian art. Some of the other principles that Lenz used to define the Beuronese style include:
- The art speaks to the mind of the viewer. The art is itself worshipful and invites the viewer to worship. It does not stand out boldly of itself but is part of an environment of worship.
- Works are anonymous, done by group effort, and not for the glory of the artist, but of God.
- As in icons, the Beuronese style favors imitation over originality, with freehand copying revealing an artist's true genius.
- There is full integration of art and architecture. Painting and sculpture are not "stick-ons" to an architectural plan
Architectural planAn architectural plan is a plan for architecture, and the documentation of written and graphic descriptions of the architectural elements of a building project including sketches, drawings and details.- Overview :...
but an integral part of it. Beuronese art encompasses painting, architecture, altar vessels, and furnishings.
Collections
Conception Abbey
Conception Abbey is a monastery of the Swiss-American Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation. The monastery, founded by the Swiss Engelberg Abbey in 1873 in northwest Missouri's Nodaway County, was raised to a conventual priory in 1876 and elevated to an abbey in 1881...
in Conception, Missouri, USA, which was founded by Beuronese monks who immigrated to the United States. According to the abbey's website, "Beuronese art was revolutionary for its time, and also characteristic of its time. It offered a stylized, simplified, and hieratic approach to art which went against the grain of contemporary romantic forms."