In the Last Judgment in Sainte Foy, they tympanum is divided in to two
different sections: Heaven and Hell. This shows that they did value the after
life and what it meant. On the left side of Christ, is the representation of
Hell. It is chaotic and unorganized. People are twisted in all sorts of ways
and they seem to be distressed. On the right hand of Christ, are people in
order. They are all standing in a line and they seem to be very calm and
peaceful. You can see clearly in the tympanum the representation of Satan. All
of the figures next to Satan represent a certain trait: greed, adultery, and
pride, to name a few. While this is mainly used for decoration, it is a large
representation of their values and beliefs.
In the Last Judgment in the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral, it is formed to
be more of a hierarchy. It is a more triangular arch that leads all to Christ.
He is sitting on a throne with patrons on both sides of him offering him
different objects. Above him are 2 rows of angels that are looking down upon
the throne. Underneath Christ’s throne, on the right side, are people lined in
an orderly manner, protected by an angel. On the left side, people are being
punished behind Satan, like in the other tympanum. It appears to be that
underneath the 2 sides of the afterlife, people are laying below watching the
experience. Some of the people underneath have crowns and instruments. It
appears to be that they may just be townspeople.
In both of the tympani, it shows
the same system of belief. Not much changes over time. They both represent the
hierarchy of Christ. It shows the wrath of Satan and his punishments. The
tympanum at Notre Dame appears to be more sophisticated, but they both portray
the same message. I don’t see any major differences that are exemplified in
these tympani. The art did change over the years, to what appears to be a more
detailed and delicate form. But even with the different art forms, the beliefs
stayed generally the same.
