Tag Archives: Crusades

Crusader’s tomb day 4

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Above: Island. Acrylic and oil on 14×10″ wood. Rose Strang 2024

This is one of today’s paintings as part of the Crusader’s tomb series I’m working on this year. (previous posts here – post 1

post 2

post 3

post 4)

I imagined our crusader, David de Lindsey visualising his home, as he lay in bed being looked after by Carmelite monks in the Middle East . He might dream of the landscape he’d pass on his voyage back to Scotland and Luffness, so the painting above is a sort of Bass Rock of the mind. It’s an island anyone entering the Firth of Forth would see as they sailed past.

I’m working on this series intuitively, allowing imagery to surface as it wishes. Here are two more paintings in progress from today’s session in the studio –

I’m exploring the traumatic side of de Lindsey’s experience, the painting above shows a quickly sketched copy of the danse macabre on red background from a Medieval painting. Underneath is the faint suggestion of a horse – a romanticised image associated with crusaders. The colour of the red oil paint also makes me think of a wax seal – a promise or signed contract maybe.

I’m using these images I suppose to explore the way we’re drawn to causes through powerful imagery. We’re such visual people and I wonder if those with visual impairments are less susceptible to (for example) political campaigns since they can’t see slogans and imagery!

At the same time the imagery I’m choosing is a way to say something about the idea of faith and the spirit, because we do share archetypal images in imagination, so the image above the red painting directly above might suggest spirit, and it echoes yesterday’s painting. Return II

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More paintings soon …

Crusader’s tomb day 3

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Above: Return II. Oil on 20×20″ canvas. Rose Strang 2024

It’s a bit boring to stick to one thing. It’s more interesting to be insecure. You should have a measure of uncertainty and perplexity. What’s happening? What am I doing? What can I do?

A quote from the artist Gerhard Richter there, by way of explanation to anyone wondering where my landscape paintings have gone! The painting above is an update of this earlier painting …

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There are numerous paintings in progress in my studio at the moment, but the one at the top of this post feels more resolved to me. I mentioned in my last blog post that there are lots of  ideas and threads which will hopefully converge at some point. It feels that’s starting to happen, possibly!

As any artist knows though, it’s really challenging to change course creatively. While you flounder around in a sea of paint it can look as though you’re lost, but you’re just giving yourself time to find something deeper and more authentic.

This feels necessary since I’m dealing with a complicated subject – one that has so many strands it’s impossible to merge them into one idea, except perhaps the idea of a journey – or faith.

(for more about ideas behind this series here are my three earlier posts – Crusader’s tomb,    Crusader’s tomb 1  and  Crusader’s tomb 2

I’ve just discovered, with a quick look online, that there are some dodgy looking groups utilising crusader symbology, which is disappointing. If I’m using any crusader symbology it’s in the sense of a journey towards understanding. Think Cadfael, returning from the Crusades older and wiser, deciding to work on his herb garden rather than chop up the so-called enemy!

When I contemplate David de Lindsay’s effigy at Aberlady, I’m moved to contemplate the idea of regret more than anything. I wonder what he thought or felt about the Crusades or ‘Holy War’ as he lay on his deathbed at Mount Carmel. De Lindsay didn’t just leave money for the founding of the Carmelite Friary at Aberlady as thanks for his remains being returned home after his death, he also left instructions for the upkeep of the Carmelite Order at Aberlady – as we see from records of his son’s instructions to distribute regular funding to the Friary and to the poor in the area.

More paintings tomorrow. In the meantime, here’s a photo of David de Lindsay’s effigy in the ruins of the Carmelite Friary at Aberlady.

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Crusader’s tomb day two

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Above – Return. Oil on 7×5″ wood. Rose Strang 2024

I’m starting to get a feel for this series, which is beginning to take me out of my comfort zone and into the realms of the abstract!

Countless times I’ve enjoyed painting freely and expressively, only to over-work the subject. I imagine this is a common experience among artists who feel pressured to create a consistent body of work, or a piece that looks as though it’s been worked on in the conventional sense, and is therefore worthwhile or sellable.

I think this series means more than that to me though. The questions is – why would I care about the remains of a Crusader’s tomb? It might seem like a deep dive into the past or an avoidance of present day reality, and that would be true in many ways. I think that creatively addressing a theme such as war is too overwhelming from a personal or more subjective perspective, at first.

These are some of the paintings I’ve been working on that resonate with me. I can see a direction where this series of paintings might progress.

It looks pretty disparate at the moment! I can see though how these themes can begin to merge.

In the last post I mentioned that I’m ‘living and breathing’ (or literally breathing at least!) 13th century culture by learning some songs from the period. It’s interesting how tuning into art from different times shows us parallels in experience from then and now.

More about the Crusades in the next post, but in the meantime, here’s a link to a beautiful song I’m learning from the 12th century by Richard the 1st, or Cœur de Lion as he was known, famous for his part in the Crusades. Whatever we think of him, we can probably all agree that he wrote beautiful music. He was trained in music composition from a young age, but some people just have talent!

There are many different versions and arrangements, but this is my favourite…