Sur le terrain - Blog Sport et Loisirs : Arts décoratifs / architecture

Strass meaning road and Burg meaning city in the local dialect). The city's cosmopolitan character dates well before the establishment of the modern European community and its various institutions: for centuries, Strasbourg has had a strategic role in international economy and politics, while the local identity is a particular blending of French and Germanic traditions.

An important part of this history is beautifully illustrated by Strasbourg 1400,  the current exhibit at the Musée de l'Œuvre Notre Dame. Visitors are confronted with an impressive collection of works that provides an enlightening illustration of the artistic importance and deeply rooted international tradition of Strasbourg.

The International Gothic Style

Artistic production in Europe at the beginning of the 15^th century is represented by the International Gothic Style. Typified by delicately refined figures, extreme material richness, elegant compositions and a burgeoning attention to naturalism, this style materialized the values of the princely and royal courts of Europe. However, this style became an international aesthetic that conditioned the artistic production in regions devoid of a direct influence from an aristocratic or royal court. Artists in proudly independent cities such as Strasbourg adapted the qualities of the International Gothic Style to their production, as illustrated by numerous examples in the exhibit. The most outstanding of these is undoubtedly the Small Paradise Garden (on loan from the Städelisches Museen, Frankfort) and other works by the "Master of the Small Paradise Garden", an influential artist active in Strasbourg in the early 15^th century.

The Graphic Arts

The great influence of Strasbourg's important artistic community spread throughout the region and well beyond thanks to printing and the graphic arts. Different examples illustrate the development of woodcut and engraving, two techniques permitting the mass-production of images which made art accessible to a much wider public. The graphic arts became a flourishing industry in Strasbourg which enriched the economy and spread the renown of the city and its artists throughout Europe. One very informative example is the oldest known view of Strasbourg: published in 1493, Hartmann Schedel's illustrated history of the world presents us with a highly accurate depiction of the city with its recently extended city walls and the imposing stature of the Cathedral.

 

The Cathedral

The literal and figurative centre of Strasbourg was its Cathedral: visible for miles around, Notre Dame de Strasbourg was for centuries the highest building in Christendom. Another stunning local interpretation of an international artistic style, the cathedral continues to fascinate visitors with its dizzyingly elegant architecture executed in Alsatian rose sandstone. The building's history is traceable in part thanks to an extremely precious group of archictectural drawings preserved at the Musée de l'Œuvre Notre Dame. Visitors to the Strasbourg 1400 exhibit are offered a rare opportunity to view some of the most impressive examples from this collection, which, with another similar group housed in Vienna, are the most important known architectural drawings dating from the 13^th to the 15^th century.

These are just a few examples of the many that are on display to illustrate the dynamic, rich and cosmopolitan character of culture in our region 600 years ago. Strasbourg 1400 is a rare exhibit, one that makes a very distant period extremely accessible to all visitors and reminds us of the links between today and centuries long past.

The exhibit runs until July 6^th 2008.

 

Musée de l'Œuvre Notre Dame

3, place du Château, Strasbourg

www.strasbourg1400.com

L'entreprise Würth qui accueille de nombreux étudiants de l'ISEG Strasbourg en stage chaque année, se lance dans une nouvelle aventure...
Le musée france a ouvert ses portes janvier 2008 côté du siège social de l'entreprise würth france, dans la zone industrielle ouest à Erstein en alsace. Il est destiné à la diffusion en France de la collection Würth, l'une des plus importantes collections d'entreprise d'art moderne et contemporain en Europe.
Deux importantes expositions annuelles, thématiques ou monographiques, dévoilent les peintures, sculptures et dessins de la collection, basée en Allemagne, et déterminent l'agenda des activités culturelles : conférences, visites guidées, rencontres avec des artistes, lectures.
La programmation du musée s'adresse tant aux collaborateurs de l'entreprise et à leur famille qu'à tous les amateurs d'art.
À travers cet investissement, l'entreprise Würth France double son implantation économique d'une action culturelle et signe l'engagement du groupe en matière de développement des territoires et de diffusion de l'art au plus grand nombre.

Exposition inaugurale "Un monde à part" : Du 27 janvier au 21 septembre 2008

René Magritte L'âge des merveilles, 1926
L'exposition inaugurale du Musée Würth France Erstein est une invitation à se laisser porter vers un monde à part à travers un dialogue entre art moderne et art contemporain. À travers les principaux axes de cette collection se dessine le parcours de l'exposition qui permet au visiteur de participer à l'aventure créatrice et intellectuelle de l'artiste. Cherchant à éviter une représentation historique linéaire, elle explore plusieurs thèmes : cheminant de l'étroite relation entre art, mythe et histoire à la découverte d'une figuration expressive, elle permet ensuite d'aborder des univers surréels et abstraits.

Plus d'informations sur le musée, cliquez ici.