Review article
Southern Portal of Gradec St Marko’s Church in the Vienna Court Plastic Arts Context
Zdenko Balog
Abstract
The south portal of St Marko's Church at Gradec is decorated with a group of fifteen figures placed separately or in pairs along eleven niches, freely positioned in the lunette and around it.The portal architecture is well preserved as is that of most statues, although they bear visible traces of 6-century-long atmospheric changes.
In contrast to already stated opinions referring to the style and time of the portal construction, we are trying to prove that the portal was built
during spreading influence of the Vienna plastic arts, especially the 'Court school' of Rudolph IV towards the south and east.We presume that the recognized Augsburg-Gmund style influence is developing, not provincially passive and therefore the Prague school in»uence of Peter Parler is of minor importance.
The analysis of architectonic concept clearly shows a dubious link with tradition: there are too many elements, so the freedom of performance of the portal proves the lack of direct relations with traditions.
Some individual figures are of high quality thus representing the easily recognizible southern fraction of the 'Court school' of Rudolph of the Hapsburgs, which may have occurred in the first generation after the founder of the school, Rudolph, died in 1365.
Keywords
church sv. Marko; Gothic; sculpture
Hrčak ID:
20185
URI
Publication date:
1.2.2007.
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