History of Gothic Art for Lady Eureka and the Lion-Lamb Portrait

May 9th, 2009

Welcome to the new and improved Goth Style Secrets with a simpler design and WordPress blog to focus on gothic style and gothic art. To begin the relaunch, here’s a short description of the history of gothic art.

Gothic Art is a medieval art movement, which emerged when Europe transitioned from the ‘Dark Ages’ to the ‘Middle Ages.’ My BA is in English Literature from the University of British Columbia, with a focus in Nineteenth Century Gothic writings. Therefore, Gothic literature has always been a major influence in my art practice.

The Gothic Age (10th century Europe) brought a full flowering of stained glass. These light-filled works of art revealed biblical stories to the common people as they were illiterate and served as an inspiration during dark times. Gothic stained glass became the sun-filled world of the Creator.

Gothic art lasted about 200 years. It is especially known for the distinctive arched design of its churches, its stained glass, and its illuminated manuscripts. One of the great artists of this period is Simone Martini, an Italian painter whose works reflected the techniques of illuminated manuscript. This is where text is supplemented by the addition of decorated initials, borders and miniature illustrations, as well as decorated with gold or silver.

There was a Gothic Revival in the 18th and 19th centuries, largely rooted in nostalgia and romanticism, which in England was also known at the Romantic Period in English literature. New gothic art is rooted in the Romanticist interpretation of the Gothic Art movement of the middle ages. The use of gold and silver is one of the major hallmarks of the Illuminated Manuscripts in the original Gothic Art.

The portrayal of religious stories occupies a prime place in Gothic Art. For example, traditional Christian sculptures and paintings in cathedrals visually represent various aspects from the Old and the New Testament of the Bible, including the depiction of the Virgin Mary, the iconic Catholic representation of the Mother of God. The image of the ‘Madonna’ is placed among the clear crystal rosaries worn by “Lady Eureka” to symbolize her virtue in the midst of darkness. See gothic art image below.

To read more about my gothic art performance piece, see my artist statement.  


Present Tense

END NOTES:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Samuel_Kuhn

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Castle_of_Otranto

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_Romanticism

Gothic Horror Fiction to Gothic Horror Films

November 19th, 2008


Contributing Writer, Lord Typhon

Gothic horror originated from gothic literature, a genre that combines elements of both horror and romance. Gothic horror is generally believed to have been invented by the English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto. English Gothic writers often associated medieval buildings as dark and terrifying, characterized by harsh laws enforced by torture, and with mysterious, fantastic, and superstitious rituals. In English literature, such “Anti-Catholicism” featured Roman Catholic excesses such as the Inquisition, in countries such as Italy and Spain.

The origin of gothic came out of the darkness of the Holy Roman Empire (500 to 1500 AD), which gave rise two distinct worldviews, Renascence and Gothic (1250 to 1450). The Renascence favoured the belief that nature and life could be comprehended best through the faculty of reason. The watchword of the Renascence was enlightenment. The watchword for the Gothic was, reform, a blending of old world spirituality and Roman Catholicism.

In the opening chapter of The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, this gothic novel reveals terror (both psychological and physical), mystery, the supernatural, ghosts, haunted houses, gothic architecture, castles, darkness, death, decay, doubles, madness, secrets and hereditary curses: “Shocked with these lamentable sounds, and dreading he knew not what, he advanced hastily, - but what a sight for a father’s eyes! - he beheld his child dashed to pieces, and almost buried under an enormous helmet, an hundred times more large than any casque ever made for human being, and shaded with a proportionable quantity of black feathers.” Walpole brings together elements of the supernatural and horrific, and models his ruined castle setting after his real-life residence, Strawberry Hill, a modern version of a medieval castle. Here is an excerpt of chapter one of The Castle of Otranto, the first gothic novel.

For more information about gothic horror by Lord Typhon, visit www.Goth-Style-Secrets.com.

ENDNOTES:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_novel

The History of Witchcraft in 7 Steps – Part 1 from Goth Style Secrets

November 12th, 2008

The History of Witchcraft in 7 Steps – Part 1 from Goth Style Secrets

Lady Eureka will bring you the “The History of Witchcraft in 7 Steps”, which I wrote two centuries ago (1867). You will learn the ancient secrets why the number 7 is a most magical number and how it applies in our modern world. These secrets have been suppressed over the centuries for the secret elite to maintain their powers since the dawn of humankind. But today, you too will start to learn about this hidden knowledge, long forbidden since the Garden of Eden…


Past Reflection

This is where I show you exactly how witchcraft, sorcery and magic find its roots and even later on through the ages leads to people being either burned, drowned, or hung. These people who were thought to be witches but were not witches, but Protestants within the Christian church. These were the same ones that were protesting the Catholic Church.

As I am trying to put this all together, I hope to bring about an understanding that Witchcraft, like any religion, has undergone its changes throughout the centuries. It is my personal feeling that the religion of Witchcraft has undergone far fewer changes than any other in history.

The secrets of witchcraft, sorcery, magic, finds its roots as far back as Mesopotamia. With their dieties for all types of disasters, such as Utug – the Dweller of the Desert waiting to take you away if you wandered to far, and Telal – the Bull Demon, Alal – the destroyer, Namtar – Pestilence, Idpa – fever, and Maskim – the snare setter; the days of superstition were well underway.

It was believed that the pharaohs and kings, all imbued some power of the gods, and even the slightest movement they made would cause an action to occur. It was believed that a picture or statue also carried the spirit of the person. This is one of the reasons that they were carried from place to place, and also explains why you see so many pictures and statues of these persons with their hands straight to their sides.

In the Bible, we find reference to ‘The Tower of Babel” or The Ziggurat in Genesis 11. ‘Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar (Babylonia) and settled there. They said to each other, ..Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ They used brick instead of stone, and tar instead of mortar. Then they said, ..Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’ But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” It goes on to say that the tower was never finished…

In other references, we find that the “Tower” was in fact finished, and that it was a tower that represented the “stages’ between earth and heaven (not a tower stretching to the heaven in the literal sense.) From this reference, it was a tower built in 7 steps. It was a hierarchy on which heaven and hell were based upon. It was actually a miniature world representing the Mountain of Earth.

Each of the mysterious 7 steps was dedicated to a planet, with its angles symbolizing the four corners of the world. They pointed to Akkad, Saburtu, Elam, and the western lands. The 7 steps of the tower were painted in different corresponding colors, which corresponded to the planets. The ‘Great Misfortune, Saturn, was black. The second was white for the color of Jupiter. The third, brick-red for the color of Mercury, followed by blue for Venus; yellow for Mars, gray or silver for the moon. These colors boded good or evil, like their planets.

For the first time, numbers expressed the world order. A legend depicts Pythagoras traveling to Babylon where he is taught the mystery of numbers, their magical significance and power. The secrets of the 7 steps often appear in magical philosophy. The 7 steps are: stones, fire, plants, animals, man, the starry heavens, and the angels. Starting with the study of stones, the man of wisdom will attain higher and higher degrees of knowledge, until he will be able to apprehend the sublime, and the eternal. Through ascending these steps, a man would attain the knowledge of God, whose name is at the eighth degree, the threshold of God’s heavenly dwelling. In our modern times, we find the 7 steps as the 7 energy centres represented in the human body…and the eighth degree is called universal consciousness – widely described in “new age” philosophy.

The square was also a ‘mystical’ symbol in these times, and though divided into 7, was still respected. This correlated the old tradition of a fourfold world being reconciled with the 7 heavens of later times.

It is thought that here was the start to numerology, but for this to have developed to the point where they had taken into consideration the square as the fourfold world, it would have had to have developed prior to this. From Mesopotamia let’s move over to Persia…

Stay tuned for the next mystical issue of “The History of Witchcraft in 7 Steps – Part 2”, a knowledge so powerful that lead the Catholic church had suppressed it for over the centuries, beginning with the “holy war”. You will learn about the Chaldean star religion that taught that luck and disaster were not chance events, but they were controlled from heavenly bodies. You will also discover how the star Sirius would carry messages to the higher gods. And I will also share insights with you about the belief in the “holy war’!

Until your next lesson, read my latest articles in my secret archive by opting into the form at: www.Goth-Style-Secrets.com.

Mana, Nurse Deisel and Lady Eureka as Elegant Gothic Lolita Performance Art

November 8th, 2008

I love the designs by Mana of moi-même-moitié Elegant Gothic Lolita Designer. It was founded in 1999 and blends the innocence and cuteness of lolita with the darkness and mystery of gothic styles. The label’s name is a portmanteau of the French words “moi-même” (myself) and “moitié” (half), although the expression “moi-même-moitié” does not exist in French.

Everything about moi-même-moitié is exquisite, yet timeless. I have a few of my favourite moi-même-moitié Elegant Gothic Lolita here. You can read more about elegant gothic lolita as a style and performance art at gothic lolita article on www.Goth-Style-Secrets.com.


This is one of my favourite styles and photo with Nurse Deisel in an adaptation of Elegant Gothic Lolita, with a bit more sensuality and a western edge. In Western cultures, Goth ranges from the Victorian-inspired influences for Romantic Goths, to the bondage-inspired styles of Industrial Goths, to the futuristic elements of rave fashion for Cyber Goths. However, Gothic Lolita, EGL and EGA styles are becoming a greater influence for gothic fashions in the West. Ironically, Gothic Lolita, EGL and EGA originally borrowed from the West, with elements of Victorian, Rococo and Baroque styles. Fashion recycles not only from history, but cross-culturally. And here it has gone full circle with EGL and EGA ideas for the holiday season. Read more about how to dress goth for the holidays, with Nurse Deisel, gothic model for Goth Style Secrets.


Gothic Lolita, Elegant Gothic Lolita and Elegant Gothic Aristocrat

Gothic Lolita. Elegant Gothic Lolita (EGL) and Elegant Gothic Aristocratic (EGA) styles from Japan are becoming a greater influence for gothic fashions in the West. These styles are a mixture of romance and innocence, representing a kind of kinder and gentler Gothic look that borrows from childhood symbolism, while still maintaining a dark edge. My Lady Eureka outfits are considered romantic goth and elegant gothic lolita. I’m an elder Goth, but with a girlish figure so lace, corsets and pouffy skirts to give me a more curvaceous appearance while maintaining a refined style. See the top 10 guidelines for gothic lolita performance art at www.Goth-Style-Secrets.com.

ENDNOTES:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malice_Mizer

Romantic Goth with Little Miss Risk

October 14th, 2008


Gothic fashion includes romantic, punk and fetish elements such as PVC, latex, leather, fishnet fabrics and silver as well as costume elements. Gothic fashion originated in the 1980s from punk and New Romantics styles. Since the 80s, the Romantic Goth look has been voluminous hair, pale skin, tight black clothes, pointed boots, and silver jewelry. The inspirations in gothic style today can be found in the Victorian cult of mourning. Read about the history of Romantic Goth style and Romancing Little Miss Risk on the Goth Style Secrets article on romantic goth.

Romantic gothic fashion includes the crafting of lace fabrics that were popular during the Victorian period. However, lace has an even more antiquated history. Since ancient times lace and even lace wigs, adorned with beads, have been associated with Ecclesiastical embroidery and The Church. There were Biblical rituals with starched white linen, gold and silver needlework and lace presided over altars by members of the Clergy or Priests. Lace was sometimes called ‘Punti-in-Aria’ meaning ’stitches-in-the-air’! Lace, well-positioned on one’s body (whether as panty lace) or neckline lace, also symbolically recalls the sites and sounds of the cosmopolitan city! In another era, this would have been Grand Venetian Architecture and the wealthy churches of Italy. Read more about gothic lace by Lady Lace.  

ENDNOTES:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lace

Gothic scene at Sanctuary Saturday Club 23

May 3rd, 2008


There’s a gothic club scene called Sanctuary Saturday. Established in 1997, it’s on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Saturday of every month at Club 23, located at 23 West Cordova, Gastown, Vancouver, BC. Sanctuary is the longest-running night in the city devoted to underground and alternative music and culture since day one, and the second longest running night in the city overall, keeping Vancouver freaky for 10 solid years to date!

You can dress to the 9’s in your swankiest or freakiest gear or come casual, and join the weekly worship - whether it’s the simple experience of the music you’re after, heavy consumption or incessant dancing, this is the best kept secret in town! The local DJ is Pandemonium (Isaac Terpstra) who has been voted number 1 DJ in Vancouver. I will be checking out the new permanent venue for the only gothic club scene in Vancouver.