Art Object for the Medieval Church

Let’s imagine I’m an artist who received the commission from the medieval church. This particular church was built in 13th century in early gothic style and now there’s 15th century already, so all-around there’re late gothic architecture and high churches in “flamboyant” style with extremely graceful and airy stone domes. Gargoyles on entering my stumpy church do not scare congregations anymore, so the church wants me to make an art object to refresh the entrance. According to the canon, the entrance should remain about the Last Judgment Day to come and about awful things which will happen to one who sinned. Church wants a scary statue, but not the ordinary one to give zest to the church. Church also points that statue must be made according to medieval Aesthetic views, so I must pay attention to the proportions and mustn’t do evil creature from light and noble materials as they’re associated with God.

As the church is necessary medieval and I’m from 2014 I’ll make an installation, of course with accent put on a statue. Installation nowadays seems like the most powerful and definitely most popular shape for the artist to express his ideas. As church wants the statue to be awful and aesthetic at the same time I choose to oppose eternity of suffering for ones who sinned to their soon-rooting bodies they’ve sinned for. 

Medieval cannon require every image to be read from the Bible, so I’ll take an ordinary image of gargoyle again. As there’re already not scary gargoyles outside the entrance end no evil allowed into the church I’ll put my statue in the corner of the entrance. It’ll hang in upside down position, slightly diagonally from the rest of relief. Congregations are used to ordinary gargoyles, so my will come as a contrast. They’ll come to the church firstly looking on old gargoyles thinking: “Oh, that’s not scary and I can steal something for today’s dinner”. Then a person notices my gargoyle. I won’t gargoyle be noticeable from first sight, so I’ll use the same material rest of gargoyles are made of. But for some parts of the statue, I’m going to use clay.  

The gargoyle will have several faces. The biggest one’s going to look strictly at the entering person’s face to express the idea we all may face our punishment after the Last Judgment Day. Other gargoyle’s faces will be smaller and their claps will be chewing small human’s figures made from clay, so they’ll waste fast and crack and crumble symbolizing contrast of eternal suffering and human’s ability to bear it. It’s also for me an opportunity to have a stable income: clay human figures will need often restoration. 

As I was asked to pay attention to the proportions, gargoyle won’t be bigger than saint statues. But as I’m making an evil creature right proportions for parts of creature are not necessary. Nevertheless, it should look aesthetic, powerful and dangerous. 

I suppose, facing (literally facing) such a creative person will look aside. It’s going to be a real human paid or feed for praying, or several humans working in turns, showing an example of how to avoid eternal suffering. 

I know some of my ideas (especially about human installation and cracking little humans) can be considered revolutionary, but images I’ve chosen – gargoyle and praying man, - are traditional and may wear off the impression. Artists always were the first to bring new ideas.