The Firmament and its ornaments, an introduction in the art of the Portals of Wooden Churches in Transylvania
Tăria cerului și podoabele ei, o introducere în arta portalurilor bisericilor de lemn din Transilvania

Summary/Abstract: In the art of carpentry in Transylvania, we can distinguish the attention with which craftsmen treated the entrances to the wooden churches, starting with the 17th century, especially in the 18th century and sometimes even in the 19th century. Everywhere, where the entrance portals have been preserved in their authentic forms, there is a variety of sculpture, which flourishes and achieves significant artistic performances. Taken together the sculpted portals give a distinct, even unique dimension to the wooden churches in Transylvania, which demand an increased interest from the Romanian research. We admire them today especially for their beauty, expressiveness and variety, for the intricate compositions in which details were placed, due to the surprising juxtapositions, their figurative geometrical motives, but we miss the very meaning that they stand where they stand, at the entrance to the places of worship. Obviously they were placed there not only as a simple ornament, but especially in order to enter into dialogue with the one who looks at them. Then as now, the art of sculpting was the art of communicating

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