Week 3 Tutorial

In the tutorial today we had a look at Coptic binding!! I was so excited by the prospect of creating my own book because it something that I have never done before. I found the whole process to be quite easy and enjoyable at the same time. I would have much preferred if my book had been a little neater but what can you do??? The Coptic binding exercise made me interested in having a look at several different binding styles, and although I know it is not reliable I had a look at Wikipedia and some of the different binding types that was talked about on there. The site I went to was Bookbinding.

Also while waiting for tools to be passed around during the bookmaking interlude Susan asked the class to have a look over one of the study activities for Topic 2. It was the book comparison between Les Tres Riches Hures Du Duc De Berry and the Book of Kells, which I had already had a look at last week in class with Catherine. I came to some interesting conclusions when I was comparing these two books. When looking at the Duc de Berry and the Book of Kells there are many distinct differences. The Book of Kells, was really only intended for public display and Duc de Berry was meant to be displayed. This is most notable through the use of different coloring styles. Duc de Berry is far more extravagant in regards to color. There is a strong use of blues and golds, and the color is far more vibrant. Also the era that the two books came from is far different. The printing process had improved dramatically in the era of Duc de Berry.

When look at the styles between the two books The Book of Kells was written in the insular style, meaning narrow-minded or provincial, and the images were of Celtic design. Duc de Berry, on the other hand took a more naturalistic approach and the imagery was more closely related to the human form.

During this class there wasn’t anything that I really struggled with grasping which was wonderful. I always love it when things proceed smoothly. I found some interest in Duc de Berry and the painting style that was used in it. The imagery was quite intriguing and I would like to have a look at similar books.