- Animal style
Animal style (also known as Zoomorphic style) is a type of
imagery used inNorthern Europe during the ancient and medieval periods, characterized by animals or animal-like forms arranged in intricate patterns or combats. Animal Style Art consists of intricate, ribbonlike traceries of line that suggest wild and fantastic beasts. The animal style was used inEngland ,Scandinavia ,Germany ,France andRussia . TheScythian Altaic nomads of thePazyryk in theAltay Mountains are famous for their richSiberia n animal style.cite web
url=http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/03/hm3_2_7.html
title=Early Nomads of the Altaic Region
publisher=The Hermitage Museum
accessdate=2007-07-31] [cite web
url=http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/03/hm3_2_16.html
title=Prehistoric Art - Animal Style
publisher=The Hermitage Museum
accessdate=2007-07-31]Perm animal style
A distinct style of decoration found in objects made of various copper alloys near the Ural mountains and the Volga and Kama rivers in today's Russia beginning from about 7th - 5th centuries BCE. [http://www.russia-ic.com/culture_art/visual_arts/200/]
Germanic animal style
The study of zoomorphic decorations was pioneered by
Bernhard Salin [http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernhard_Salin] in the early 20th century. He classified animal art of the 400-900 period into three phases: Scandinavian styles I, II and III.Style I. First appears in northwest Europe, probably originating from the traditions of nomadic Asiatic steppes peoples, it became a noticeable new style with the introduction of
chip carving applied to bronze and silver in the 5th century. Characterized by animals in the margins of works that are twisted, exaggerated, surreal, fragmented body parts filling every available space, creating an intense detailed energetic feel. It can be clearly seen in the NorwegianVendel sword hilt from Grave V, Snartemo Hägebostad, Vest Agder, Norway (see picture). Also in this fibula ( [http://www.hp.uab.edu/image_archive/ujg/fibula12.jpgpicture] ) from Öland Island, ca. 400-450 A.D.Style II. After about 600 Style I was in decline and Salin's Style II rose in popularity. Displacing the surreal and fragmented animals of Style I, Style II's animals are whole beasts, elongated and intertwined into symmetrical shapes. Thus two bears are facing each other in perfect symmetry ("confronted"), forming the shape of a heart. Examples of Style II can be found on the gold purse lid ( [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
] ) from
Sutton Hoo ("ca." 625).Style III. {incomplete}
Insular art
Animal style was one component, along with
Celtic art and late classical elements, in the formation of style ofInsular art andAnglo-Saxon art in the British Isles, and through these routes and others on the Continent, left a considerable legacy in later Medieval art.ee also
*
Migration Period art
*Scythian art
*Thracian art
*Persian-Sassanid art patterns
*Confronted-animals Notes
External links
* [http://www.russia-ic.com/culture_art/visual_arts/200/ Perm Animal Style]
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