Beuron Art School

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Mural at the Beuron Archabbey church by Jan Willibrord Verkade

The Beuron art school was founded by a confederation of Benedictine monks in Germany in the late nineteenth century. Beuronese art is principally known for its murals with "muted, tranquil and seemingly mysterious colouring" [1]. In addition to the first abbot of Beuron, Maurus Wolter (d. 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 (d. 1892). Several Benedictine artists worked within the school, including Jan Verkade [2]. 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." [3] 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 but an integral part of it. Beuronese art encompasses painting, architecture, altar vessels, and furnishings. [4]

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." [5]

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[edit] References

Hubert Krins: Die Kunst der Beuroner Schule. "Wie ein Lichtblick vom Himmel". Beuroner Kunstverlag, Beuron 1998, ISBN 3-87071-078-0
Desiderius Lenz: Zur Ästhetik der Beuroner Schule, 1898 (2. Auflage 1927)
Harald Siebenmorgen: Die Anfänge der "Beuroner Kunstschule". Peter Lenz und Jakob Wüger 1850-1875. Ein Beitrag zur Genese der Formabstraktion in der Moderne. Thorbecke, Sigmaringen 1983, ISBN 3-7995-5028-3