{"id":4631,"date":"2019-01-10T10:47:15","date_gmt":"2019-01-10T09:47:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/doloresherrero.com\/?p=4631"},"modified":"2026-03-12T13:16:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T12:16:40","slug":"gesturality-in-images-of-gargoyles-expressive-force-in-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doloresherrero.com\/en\/gesturality-in-images-of-gargoyles-expressive-force-in-art\/","title":{"rendered":"Gargoyles and Gestural Expression: Part One"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this entry, we will explore one of the most fascinating aspects of gargoyle<\/a> iconography: gestural expression.<\/p>\n

We have previously examined expressiveness<\/a>, particularly of the face, and today we begin to consider other gestures of the face and body in gargoyle imagery.<\/p>\n

We will enter into the world of gestural expression in these remarkable stone figures, and we will do so in two parts.<\/p>\n

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The Gesture of Pulling the Mouth Open with the Hands<\/h2>\n

In this first entry, we begin with one of the most common gestures found in gargoyles. It is the gesture of bringing the hands to the mouth and pulling it towards the sides of the face. The art historian Janetta Rebold Benton links this gesture to the sin of gluttony, relating the figures to devouring giants. She also suggests that it may be connected to the torment endured by Christ at the hands of those who spat on him, struck him, and pulled his hair. However, for Rebold Benton, this gesture should be understood rather as something comic, joyful, and carefree; in England, such grimacing faces were traditionally represented in choir stalls, an art form closely linked to gargoyle iconography.<\/p>\n

This gesture may likewise be associated with hell and the diabolical. In passage 92 of the Pagina Meditationum<\/em> by the mystic Margarita de Oingt (13th century), where she describes her vision of hell, she writes: \u201cAfterwards they will make them pass from one torment to another. They will be so hungry that they will eat their tongues and hands out of necessity.\u201d<\/p>\n

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