The Macabre Ditty

This week I am going to try to refrain from throwing gobs of information and manuscripts at you guys and gals and instead show a quick eight minute video titled Black Death Plague and Art History. Normally I am not a fan of showing long videos on my blog as I think it takes away from the importance of why this blog was started; however, this video encompasses much of what I have already talked about while also introducing some new ideas and beliefs about the Black Plague.

Black Death and Art History encompasses most of everything that I have blogged about over the course of this semester. Yet, Black Death Plague and Art History places a much higher emphasis on the use of symbols in Medieval works after the plague; specifically the symbolism of "tortured souls, death, dying, fire and brimstone." Delving further into the effects of the plague; the death's of famous artists such as Ambrogio led to new artists to began moving away from traditional styles and introducing a somber darkness to not only visual art but literature and music as well. [1]

As I have mentioned in some of my earlier blogs, this somber darkness would last decades if not hundreds of years. Symbols like hell, Satan, and the Grim Reaper appeared more frequently, mirroring the attitude of society which understood fear of death and the afterlife to be real.

One of the most interesting and entertaining aspects of this video which really personifies the Black Death  is the poem/song that is shared in the end and is where I will leave off for this week.

A Little Macabre Ditty

“A sickly season,” the merchant said,

“The town I left was filled with dead,

And everywhere these queer red flies,

crawled upon the corpse eyes,

Eating them away.”

“Fair make you sick,” the merchant said,

“They crawled upon the wine and bread.

Pale priest with oil and books,

Bulging eyes and crazy looks,

Dropping like the flies.”

“I had to laugh,” the merchant said,

“The doctors purged and dosed and bled;

And proved through solemn disputation.

The case lay in some constellation.

Then, they began to die.”

“First they sneezed,” the merchant said,

“Then they turned the brightest red,

Begged for water, and then fell back.

With bulging eyes, and face turned black,

Then, they waited for the flies.”

“I came away,” the merchant said,

“You can’t do business with the dead.

So I came here to ply my trade,

You’ll find this to be fine brocade.”

...And then, he sneezed!

After watching this video and comparing to some of my earlier blog entries, I want to ask you, my readers, what do you think were the effects of the Black Death on society?

Also if you are looking for some more information on the Black Death I found this link which gave some information about it including a slide or two on the illustrated manuscripts. I wouldn't recommend this page for any use other than just some basic information as it has no sources to deem it as fact. However, it does have some information that could be further researched if you were interested.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/10Teh4gB3KCQPkmu8H0asFnSleHc2cBbP5P-VkwPoHLo/embed?hl=en&size=s#slide=id.p4

---

[1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw771FW6ljo

The Dead Lovers

Throughout the course of this blog, I have introduced various illustrated manuscripts. Some from before the Black Death, which depicted death, differently than those I have examined during and after the Black Death. For this week’s blog entry, I will continue along this path of examining illustrated manuscripts that relate to the Black Death to try to continue to understand the attitudes of society before, during, and after the Black Death.

Last week’s blog introduced the work, Benard Tolomei and the Plague in Siena; this illustrated manuscript was 300-400 years after the Black Plague had made its mark on Europe. The “personality” of death that had been apparent in these manuscripts after the Black Death extended hundreds of years. This week’s work, The Dead Lovers is a much earlier example of the personality of death in the sense of the harsh reality of it.

http://www.historyofpainters.com/grunwald_painting.jpg

The Dead Lovers shows two individuals, presumably husband and wife. The condition that this couple is in is troubling to say the least. Both the man and woman show various signs of being close to death or being already dead. Besides the physical condition, the painting shows a variety of oddly placed animals; all which have different meanings. For example, the insect on the right arm of the man represents the theme of death. The presence of a serpent on both the man and woman represents the fall of man. The last important detail is the white robe that is being stripped away from the figures; the color white represents a sign of innocence, and that innocence is being taken. [1] 

The symbolism in this illustrated manuscript is important as the creator is relating the horrific nature of the plague with the idea that death is real and it is harsh. 

If you remember some of my previous blog entries, I mentioned that art after the Black Death became, well, dark. The Dead Lovers is a prime example of just that; the Black Death brought death to society in a way that never had been seen before. Sure, society was used to death as death was common and a part of life; however, mass death wasn't. The Dead Lovers isn't the only illustrated manuscript that uses symbolism to explain it's meaning. In the up and coming weeks I will try to find more manuscripts like these and relate it to the attitudes of society.

---

[1] http://www.historyofpainters.com/grunwald_painting.htm