Essay---Hildesheim doors

Essay----Critically evaluate the bronze doors of the abbey church at Hildesheim. How did they revive a monumental sculptural tradition? What religious and philosophical components went into the iconographic program? What outside influences are also reflected in these doors? pg.330-332
               Bishop Bernward of Saint Michael's, Hildesheim, Germany was inspired by the carved wooden doors of Santa Sabina.  In 1015, Bernward commissioned a pair of bronze doors to be placed in the covered walk of the monastery (cloister) that led to the entrance of the church. The Ottonian metalworkers strayed from Late Antiquity small-scale icons by casting each bronze door (stands more than 15 feet in high) as a single piece. Each one boosts 16 panels that contain relief figures depicting Old and New Testaments. The left door illustrates Adam's and Eve's sin and punishment (original sin); it concludes with Cain murdering his bother, Able. The right puts emphasis on the holy life of Christ, his miraculous resurrection, and ascension to heaven (redemption). The placement of the doors; symbolizes the evil and corruption outside of the church, while the act of passing through them symbolizes forgiveness and absolution given by the church. The concept of expressive strength or personality given to each figure was influenced by the Carolingian manuscript illumination. Each character suggests movement by their posture and facial expressions. This allows the artist to convey emotions like anger, fear, passion and more. All the events portrayed are highlighted against a flat setting.