Taüll 1123, a sensory journey to the origins of the Romanesque
For a long time the churches in the Vall de Boí were clouded in mystery, but now the church of Sant Climent de Taüll is full of light and colour and offers visitors an unforgettable experience by means of audio-visual technology.
It can not be denied that there are some works of art that stand out from the rest and, when it comes to Catalan Romanesque art, nobody would disagree that that distinction is held, without doubt, by the Christ in Majesty from the Church ofSant Climent de Taüll. It is not just the quality of the work, but also its state of conservation and the artist's skill, as well as a whole series of vicissitudes that together constitute an incredible story that started 900 years ago.
The Master of Taüll
In the early 12th century the lords of Erill returned from the Reconquista campaign at the side of Alfons el Bataller, or Alfonso the Warrior. Success in battle led to his spectacular social and financial ascent and he devoted a large part of the loot he had obtained to the churches in his barony, especially the ones in the Vall de Boí. Thus started the years in which this small corner of the world would undergo a complete revolution to become one of the most important centres for artistic creation in the Pyrenees, attracting large numbers of artists, craftsmen, teachers, officials and apprentices from all over Catalonia, and much further afield, all of them drawn by the desire to form part of this exciting project. With them arrived new ways of thinking, new materials, and new ways of looking at life and understanding art. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that this combination of factors should produce what is now considered by UNESCO to be one of the most outstanding examples of Romanesque art in the world, thanks mainly to the high concentration of churches within such a small area. Quim Roser. Departament de Cultura
Art was flourishing, and the Vall de Boí was setting the rhythm. One of the artists involved in this outpouring of creativity was one of the most outstanding artists in the Europe of the time. We do not know his name, so he is known as the master of Taüll, although it is thought that he came from Italy. He lent his superb artistic services to anyone who could pay for them. At a time when society was so extremely theocentric the individual authorship of artistic works was secondary to the superior message of the work in question. But the master of Taüll was able to create an inspired work of such outstanding beauty that it has entered history's hall of fame, and his work has provided the basis for an innovative project, carried out almost a thousand years later in 2013, at the same place where he originally left his mark. Quim Roser. Departament de Cultura
Layers of the romanesque
Not everyone is aware of the fact that most of the buildings from the Romanesque period were painted inside and out. It's hard to imagine, is it not? What has survived to the present day is mainly exposed stone and the few genuine interior paintings are displayed, fortunately it must be said, on artificial apses.
In 1907 the Institut d’Estudis Catalans expedition known as the 'Archaeological-legal expedition to the Catalan-speaking territories of eastern Aragon bordering Catalonia', or the Aragonese Strip, arrived in the Vall de Boí. This event is considered to be a crucial moment in the rediscovery of Romanesque art and it must be said in all truth that it really did lead to discoveries because some of the works that came to light as a result of it had, until then, been completely forgotten about. Amongst them were a series of paintings that were found behind a large Gothic retable located in the apse of the church of Sant Climent de Taüll. They included an impressive Christ in Majesty in vivid colours and with scrutinising visages, whose gazes seemingly followed the members of the expedition at every moment. They were doubtless aware, from the first moment, that this was a great discovery, but they were not, perhaps, aware of the huge importance these paintings would have for the history of Catalan art. Centre del romànic Vall de Boí
After almost 800 years these paintings came to light again, but the circumstances were such that they did not adorn the walls of the church for much longer. In 1919, during a time when Romanesque art was being revalued, an art dealer overstepped the mark by selling the wonderful paintings of the Monastery of Castell de Mur to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, an event that placed the Catalan institutions in a difficult position. It was a terrible blow and it led to the campaign to detach the mural paintings of the Pyrenean churches at the express request of the Mancomunitat, or Commonwealth of Catalonia. During a period of three years, most of the wall paintings were removed from the walls of the churches in northern Catalonia by means of a technique known as strappo. This was a technique passed down from generation to generation which achieved two aims, it detached the paintings with the painted layer intact, and it placed these exceptional treasures beyond danger. Centre del romànic Vall de Boí
The stone apse at Sant Climent was therefore laid bare and would then be subjected to various further interventions. In 1955 a copy, painted directly onto plaster, was installed, but it decayed with the passage of time and was eventually removed. During restoration work some of the original painting was recovered from deep layers of the wall, but it was not until 2013 that the master of Taüll's work would once again shine in all its glory in the apse of the church. On this occasion thanks to the spectacular technique of video mapping.
Taüll 1123
10 December 1123. The whole valley has assembled in Taüll to attend the consecration of the church of Sant Climent, a ceremony officiated by Bishop Ramon de Roda d’Isàvena, in the presence of the lords of Erill.
A crowd of expectant people. The bells begin to ring. The main entrance doors swing open. Inside people wait in trepidation. Guilty faces, open mouthed. Their baffled looks show that the bishop's words are not registering. The surrounding decoration inspires veneration and causes some to feel their knees weakening. The faithful feel like it's the Day of the Lord, the second coming, the end of time, as predicted in the Book of Revelation. God is the beginning and the end of all things. A solemn, majestic, superb countenance. Surrounded by geometrical figures of uncommon dimensions, the Apostles, the Evangelists, the Virgin Mary. The inscription reads, Ego Sum Lux Mundi, I am the light of the world. A bright light shines in every corner of the valley and bursts into thousands of colours and shapes. Quim Roser. Departament de Cultura
The main aim of this work, and that of Romanesque art in general, was to bring people closer to God through symbols. To bless them, warn them, and educate them in the faith. The master of Taüll achieves this with great skill. The sensations experienced by the congregation hundreds of years ago are most likely similar to those experienced today upon seeing the Taüll 1123 video mapping. The 12th and 21st centuries are connected by light and once we have made the connection, we can appreciate an experience that also links us to the origins of Romanesque art.
Eloi Maduell. Playmodes
The project, carried out within the framework of the Romànic Obert (Open Romanesque) programme of the Catalan government's ministry of Culture and "la Caixa's" Obra Social, with the collaboration of the bishopric of Urgell, the Vall de Boí Heritage Consortium and the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC), resulted in a remarkable achievement—the digitalisation of the wall paintings, based on the surviving originals, and their re-installation in the place they belong through the use of the latest imaging technology, immersive sound effects and the faithful reproduction of each and every element of the paintings. The images are projected back onto the walls of the apse in the exact place where the original paintings once stood. The sensory effect goes beyond innovation. It is a remarkable achievement for which we are indebted, not only to the technicians and artistic advisors who have made the audio-visual display possible, but also to all the people who, one way or another, have been associated with these mural paintings since 1123, starting with the artist who painted them.
Maybe, with the passage of time, this too will become an iconic work in our art history. What we will never know is what the master of Taüll would think if he had the opportunity to contemplate the projection of his work thanks to light and new technologies. It is not too far fetched, perhaps, to imagine him enquiring how he might incorporate the technique in his own studio. Eloi Maduell. Playmodes
