Viking art class.pdf

Art Development Timeline

Data based on Graham-Campbell 99,

Photos from WOV 346, 3006, 2896,

2902, 3068, & 3080

The Viking Age artists of Scandinavia applied their decoration to items of practical use. Viking Art

varied over time and by geography, as new styles were tried, adopted, and then remained in fashion for

decades, even as new styles came along. Neighboring cultures, such as the Rus, the Celts, and the

Germanic tribes, also influenced the art styles.

The purpose of this class is to provide a basic orientation to the six recognized Viking art styles. I will

attempt to describe and define each style, its prevalent time period, and show its transition to the next

style. I will conclude by showing some Norse artifacts that defy classification, and some art from

neighboring cultures that may have had influence on Viking Art development.

The diagram below shows the six art styles, arranged on a timeline to show their period of prevalence.

Each is named after the location where the particular artifact was found that first defined the style, and

these artifacts are shown on the timeline as well. There are long periods of overlap as a new style

waxed while an old style waned.

I invite class participation. Art style development is more complex than this simple schedule.

Furthermore, archeologists sometimes use the presence of an art style to date a find, and sometimes

date a find by other methods and then classify the art therein as being of the style that was prevalent at

that time. For this reason, I sometimes disagree with the way some of these artifacts are classified.

The opinions presented here are mostly drawn from my own observations of how archeologists

classify the art styles, over the course of 5 years trying to create original art that replicates some of

these styles. Therefore, some disagreement or discussion from the audience is expected and

encouraged.

Oseberg: ship from Oseberg, SW

WOV 346

Named for the carvings on the Oseberg ship, this style shows minor variations from an earlier style,

known as the Broa style. I will not discuss the Broa style in this class for 3 reasons: it predates the

Viking Age, it is very similar to the Oseberg style, and I could only find one artifact to illustrate it.

Here is a view of the Oseberg ship carving.

Overall, the style is characterized by ribbon-bodied animals, whose limbs attach smoothly to the

bodies.

Some appendages lead to long tendrils, each decorated with a groove down its center. The bodies are

textured with patterns to suggest fur or scales. The eyes are large, round, and plain. The animal feet

are stylized with the toes clearly depicted (showing individual toes) but in a simple fashion without

much detail.

The bodies and limbs are interlaced, but the interlacing is neither as symmetrical nor as rigid in its

adherence to the over-under-over sequence as with the Celtic art that it resembles. The Oseberg artist

was willing to accept empty space, rather than fill it with interlaced tendrils as is common with Celtic

art, but the overall impression remains balanced.

Oseberg: ship from Oseberg, SW

WOV 2603

This closer view of the same ship allows us to see the animal’s head clearly. Animal heads are one of

the keys to classifying Viking art, and the shape of the eye can also be important.

The head is not as stylized and more naturalistic when compared to the animal’s body. The eye and

jaw are simple but exaggerated in size. The animal has an ear or horn that becomes a short tendril.

Oseberg: bed post from Oseberg, SW

WOV 2593

This bed post, one of several from the Oseberg ship, illustrates the Oseberg style as it applies to a

larger area. Here, the same interlaced animals cover the surface of the beast. Note that both on the

macro scale (the large animal head post) as well as the micro scale (the tiny animals covering it), that

the same Oseberg characteristics are apparent: exaggerated eyes and jaws, a somewhat naturalistic

portrayal of the shape of the head, and (with the small animals) a balanced but nonsymmetrical

interlacing.

Oseberg: brooch from Vestfold, NW

WOV 5615

The final example of the Oseberg style is this brooch, from Vestfold, Norway.

It displays some characteristics of the earlier Broa style, and I do not fully agree with the experts who

classify it as Oseberg style. However, it is one of the few pieces of jewelry I have found so far that is

even close to the Oseberg style. This is probably because the Norse tended to put their jewelry in

burial sites at the time.

Evident in this piece is the same smooth flow from body into limb, the exaggerated eyes and mouth,

and appendages that become long tendrils, each marked by a groove.

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