The word grotesque originated during the time of the high renaissance. It comes from the word grotto, from the Italian grottesco. The Grotesque is a term now used rather loosely in everyday speech. By definition, it is a style of decorative art characterized by fanciful or fantastic human and animal forms often interwoven with foliage or similar figures that may distort the natural into absurdity or ugliness. Although this is how the term is typically thought of, it does not necessarily have to contain such negative connotations of horror and evil. It can often connote captivation and emotion.
So the term of the grotesque refers to a type of engagement with the subject rather than just a visual style. These ideas are conveyed in two ‘grotesque’ sculptures, a gargoyle on Notre-Dame Cathedral Paris, c 1830 Cathedral constructed 1163 – 1345, stone, by Eugene Viollet-le-Duc (architect) (French, 1814 – 1879) and Victor Pyanet (sculptor) (French, 1796 – 1860), and a work by Louise Bourgeois (French, 1911 – 2010) Nature Study, 1984 – 2002, Blue rubber 76. 2 x 48. 3 x 38. 1 cm, stainless steel base 104. 1 x 55. 2 x 55. 2 cm. Each piece is grotesque in nature but can evoke different emotions.
The gargoyle and Nature Study each share similar and contrasting forms regarding the grotesque. They each display a deformed body of a hybrid creature with human features combined with those of an animal. This gives an immediate disturbing feeling. I think we find such beings so disturbing to look at because we aren’t used to seeing human and animal features being mingled in this way. Each piece is standing in an identical hunched pose with its arms resting forward and the similar claws sitting over the edge of a platform.
This threatening pose is typical in gargoyles of gothic architecture nd one that Bourgeois has directly implemented in her work. One of the first things I noticed when looking at the two was that the gargoyle has a quite harsh and rough texture with a dull brown colour of the cathedral which fits well with the subject and its rough stone texture, while Bourgeois’ piece is quite the opposite with its smooth shape, simulating the appearance of a human-like form. The sculpture has a much cooler tone of blue which compliments its smooth texture. The coarse stone of the gargoyle and the smooth texture of the rubber in Nature Study are contrasted.
Some viewers may see the pale blue in Nature Study that contradicts the grotesque form as somewhat comforting although others may disagree because while it is a much cooler colour, I believe it is not necessarily a very comforting or appealing sight to look at. The tone of blue almost looks deathly in nature, like it is portraying the colour of a corpse. So, similar ideas such as the intimidating pose of the deformed and unsettling hybrid figures can be compared and contrasting ideas are also shown within features that are por each work such as the obvious difference in texture and material used. In each work there is some sort of scene or act being portrayed. The viewer can imagine that the gargoyle is looking out over the city perhaps guarding it and the building it resides on or it may be planning something sinister as the work itself seems quite evil, however, the gargoyles actually had another intent which was to strike fear into the ill-educated medieval peasants and frightening them into the church or cathedral.
The grotesque typically refers to objects that represent things that are not seen in nature. This is portrayed in each work as a mythical creature is being depicted through sculpture. Being a demonic hybrid creature, the gargoyle makes reference to scenes of purgatory and the descent into limbo and you can also see that Nature Study has the same characteristics, or it is directly influenced by the nineteenth century gargoyles. There is a mixture of heterogeneous elements, the mingling of human, animal and architectural features with a clash of normal and abnormal.
Thompson (1972) refers to the unresolved clash of incompatibles. This style of the grotesque incorporates too many elements and ideas to be defined as only one single thing. Connelly (2014) demonstrates that the grotesque is more than a style, genre, or subject; it is a cultural phenomenon engaging the central concerns of the humanistic debate today. Hybrid, ambivalent, and changeful, the grotesque is a shaping force in the modern era. The clash of normal and abnormal invites a mixed response of amusement and horror.
For example, in the contrasting soft tone and unappealing deformed body of Bourgeois work, we can experience contradictory emotions at the same time and the grotesque invites us to do so. The hybrid creature that is Nature Study experienced numerous variants in shape, size and material. Bourgeois revealed that its symbolic form was a portrait of herself and her connection with motherhood. This feminine aspect is evident with the appropriation of breasts on the figure. They are multiplied and aligned in the form of an animal.
The breasts hover protectively over the phallus, suggesting the maternity’s nurturing side. She interweaves personal experience and artistic expression. So, there is a sense of attraction and repulsion at the same time. The context in relation to the placement, location and intention of each of these works is important. While they are overall two similar pieces, the location, placement and intention can change the way they are engaged with. For example, the gargoyle is placed high up on the Notre Dame Cathedral, so the general public are not really a target audience.
You cannot see the many gargoyles on churches and cathedrals in Europe unless you know what you are looking for, and even then the detail of the works will not be seen. We are viewing them differently than we would in an up close photograph and so the original intention is not clear. These gargoyles were originally designed as water spouts where they would allow the rain water to flow off the roof and gush out of their mouths. They are practical decorative pieces. So the few gargoyles that actually still function as a plumbing system would not be able to be seen by the viewers.
Nature Study is set in a completely different environment in a gallery setting so the engagement with that piece is of a more conventional way of viewing. The viewer can see all of its detail and be aware of what its intention and meaning may be, where a gargoyle is so high up, it is relatively secretive and reserved from the viewer, although, there were hundreds of these gargoyles erected during the nineteenth century so a single one of these gargoyles would not be viewed by itself and seeing these sculptures scattered across a city from a far would be the ideal way of viewing them.
Camille (2009) states that the hundreds of monstrous figures, projecting from three levels of the building’s facade and towers, cannot be studied in isolation, but are intimately connected to the rich cultural character of the nineteenth century. So each work has a completely different audience perception and engagement. So, the grotesque is applied loosely and has no single definition because of its many elements.
It is typically considered as a distortion of hybrid figures with connotations of horror and evil although this is not always true. The term can often connote fascination. As the grotesque cannot be defined with one visual style, rather it refers to types of engagement the audience may have with a subject. These ideas have been shown within a gargoyle on Notre-Dame Cathedral Paris by Eugene Viollet-leDuc and Victor Pyanet, and a work by Louise Bourgeois, Nature Study.
