Van Der Nüll's The Stones Of The Abbey

Describe the role the arts, crafts and material play in the Indian Summer, in Van der Nüll's essay and in the excerpt from The Stones of the Abby.

The Stones of the Abbey: With its physicality expressed through clay, the site of the St. Clotilda monastery, reflects the inner anxiety and instability of the humans populating the abbey. The monk, and narrator, journaling the Stones of the Abbey, describes how the materials – their imperfection and irregularity – serve a challenge to be overcome, both externally in the building, as internally in their hearts. Here, the architecture of the abbey plays a definite role in “reveal[ing] its soul and its quality. The magnitude of our faith, the power of our Order, the holiness of our monks will be reflected directly in the purification or the decadence of our art,” the narrator states. Moreover, the narrator presents this narrative contrasting the permanence of the material abbey with the transience of life, particularly with regards to Master Paul. He writes, “The stone will have lost its man, as a woman loses her lover. What I wish for is that the death awaiting him may be averted, that instead the huge quarry might collapse upon him; that would be a death worthy of a hero.” The narrator …show more content…
"When we took walks, he showed us the effects of light and shadow; he told us the names of the colors that were on various objects and also explained the lines which showed movement. In this movement there was nevertheless rest, and rest in movement is the requisite of every work of art." The works of art in the Asper farmer's house was a collection of assorted and diverse materials and forms that the author was inclined to have a deep appreciation