“How can sacred art, in the Gothic tradition, emphasize the act of bringing God’s scattered people together?”
From the Book of the Acts of the Apostles:
“And when the days of Pentecost were completed, they were all together in the same place.
And suddenly, there came a sound from heaven, like that of a wind approaching violently, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
And there appeared to them separate tongues, as if of fire, which settled upon each one of them.” (Acts 2:1-3)
It has been said that the iconographic form of sacred art focuses on man in Heaven, while the Gothic form focuses on man’s journey on this earth with Heaven as his destination. We can see this in the differences in the way Pentecost is depicted in the two traditions.
The Iconographic
In the iconographic form, the twelve apostles (Matthias was chosen by the eleven to replace Judas) are seated in a semicircle. While they are all rendered the same size Peter is placed at the top of the “arch,” the keystone of the apostles. Occasionally, Mary takes this place and Peter occupies the place immediately to her right. At the top of the icon the Holy Spirit, represented more often as simply tongues of fire, descends upon those gathered below. Framed by the arch of the apostles is the figure of Cosmos, symbolizing the world. Cosmos is surrounded by darkness and holds the scrolls of the teachings of the twelve apostles.
Most often all of this is rendered against a backdrop of gold, symbolizing the light of Heaven. Mankind in Heaven will be at one with God, represented by the fire of the third person of the Holy Trinity.
The Gothic
The Gothic form retains the essential elements of the gathered apostles and the descent of the Holy Spirit but with notable deletions and additions. Mary is more often depicted. The apostle are arranged on either side of her and all seem to be seated on the same level.
There is only implied precedent here. Mary, the Queen of the Apostles is shown front and center and Peter has the pride of place to her right, but aside from the Blessed mother all the apostles are depicted equally in a horizontal space. Peter, given his position, is simply the first among equals.
Mary is usually depicted somewhat larger as she is the most important figure among those assembled. There is no room here for the symbolic figure of Cosmos. Above them the Holy Spirit, depicted as a dove, descends from Heaven, defined by a border of clouds. Tongues of fire issue from the beak of the dove and rest upon the heads of the apostles. In keeping with the Gothic tradition, architectural elements along the top inform us that the action takes place inside. This is occasionally reinforced by a wall with locked doors arranged across the bottom of the image.
This to my mind is a much more intimate, human image. Without symbols such as Cosmos, we are left to reflect upon what the incident of Pentecost means to us here today.
In the Duomo of Florence, Duccio, credited with setting the Gothic form apart from, but related to, the iconographic, simplifies the scene still further. The apostles are arranged on either side of Mary, seated slightly higher than the others. They are indoors and the Holy Spirit is present as rays of fire that come from above and rest as flames on the heads of all gathered.
It is important to note that Duccio’s Pentecost was only a small part of a much larger altarpiece containing scenes of the life of Christ and His mother so this simplifying of the scene is understandable. (Rublev did the same with his icon of the Holy Trinity, paring down the much more complicated composition of the Hospitality of Abraham.) Even so, we see that the most important elements for the depiction of Pentecost in the Gothic tradition are the twelve apostles, Mary, and the fire of the Holy Spirit.
Going Forward
In the Gothic form, Pentecost is often paired with the depiction of the Ascension, like bookends that mirror each other. Christ ascends to Heaven in one scene with the apostles gathered below and the Holy Spirit descends from Heaven in the other, bestowing gifts upon the gathering.
In the Old Testament we read that of the sons of Noah, Shem remained faithful to the ways of the Lord. The descendants of his brother, Ham, went apart form Noah and settled on the plain of Shinar where they attempted to build a name (shem) for themselves with a great city and tower that reached to Heaven. But God confused their language and the city and tower were abandoned and the people scattered across the world. Genesis 11:1-9
At Pentecost, God gathers together that which was scattered at Babel. Some commentators see in the architectural motifs of the Gothic form an allusion to the city and tower.
As we work to revive the iconographic tradition how might we represent Pentecost? Certainly there are elements that must be retained such as the apostles and the tongues of fire. But the incident touches on many other things that a skilled artist might incorporate into the work. The city and tower of Babel is one, but we could also consider baptism (“For John, indeed, baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit, not many days from now.,” Acts 1:5), the giving of the law at Sinai (Pentecost is a Jewish holy day remembering the event), or even references to Creation and the Deluge.
Reviving the tradition means that we cannot simply copy the work of the past, we must revive the tradition in a way that speaks to our age in such a way that it will continue to resonate through the ages. What do we as a people need to hear? We are increasingly divided, sometimes over the most trivial of things. How can sacred art, in the Gothic tradition, emphasize the act of bringing God’s scattered people together?