AVS. Arkitektúr verktækni skipulag - 01.12.2003, Qupperneq 52

Ein margra skemmtilegra mynda úr handritum Jóns
bónda Bjarnassonar. Hann lét sér augljóslega
ekkert óviðkomandi. / One of many interesting
pictures from the manuscripts of the farmer Jón
Barnason. He was clearly interested in everything
From the lines and forms, one can
read the search of these people,
for something to lighten the daily toil
and an attempt to get a grip on exis-
tence. People do not seem to be
quite ready to leave Catholicism,
and in many places, heroes from the
old Scandinavian theology.
VOLUMINOUS MANUSCRIPT
WRITING AND PRINTING
Printing started in lceland around the
period of my research, mainly of
religious books. One can clearly see
how printed books influenced
manuscript-making from the layout of
the text and drawings. There is a
marked difference between the man-
uscripts which I have already begun
to record their pictures from, which
are mostly printed on paper, and
the skin-manuscripts from the
Institute of Árini Magnússon. The
craft used in creating the old
manuscripts is naturally much greater
and the material more valuable. That
is why only wealthy farmers, many of
which owned churches, had such
manuscripts made. Certainly this
craft required specialists to prepare
the skin for manuscripts. The making
of timber book-covers required spe-
cialised knowledge, as did the mak-
ing of the beautiful embossed leather
often found on their covers. To be a
scribe was a respected occupation,
and many of the old manuscripts
are beautifully decorated. Paper
began to be used after the advent of
Lutheranism, making it easier and
cheaper for the common farmer to
write about his interests. Although
many farmers wrote their texts
directly into the manuscripts them-
selves, it is obvious that often the
help of a good scribe is enlisted.
When decorations or pictures are
required, space is often left in the
text. It is probable that someone else
supplied the aesthetic part.
In our present age, when handwritten
text is disappearing, one can look
at calligraphy as pictorial art. We put
an emphasis on taking photos of
beautiful and well-proportioned
pages, which undoubtedly are going
to be noticed and admired by graph-
ic artists. These paper manuscripts,
which have not been much noticed
until now, are totally different from
the old manuscripts. They are usually
not as rich and accordingly more
plain and honest. They are written by
the people of the country and reflect
their wishes and dreams.
THE OPENING OF THE DATA-
BANK
As a teacher of art for 25 years, I am
especially glad to be able to assist in
the making of this important pictorial
heritage, which has until now been
hidden, unavailable to the classroom.
Galdrastafur Þar sem Jesús er blandað í málið til
öryggis. / Magic lettering where Jesus is added
for safety.
In the future, when further research
has been added to the pictorial data-
base, it will perhaps help us to find a
position in our existence.
The first web-release of www.lysir.is
places an emphasis on providing
a service for pictorial artists, design-
ers and calligraphers. The next
release will provide a database and
access-controlled function, enabling
researchers to access the material.
Users will be able to comment on the
pictures and search according to
given criteria.
www.lysir.is is also a commercial
venture. Pictures on the site can be
purchased, through producer Dikta
ehf. Design and work on the website
has been in the hands of María
Jakobsdóttir, librarian and
information specialist and a student
of systems analysis at HR. Darri
Lorenzen and Una Lorenzen are our
graphic designers. The look of the
vebsite, the logo and all the work
with the pictures is their work. ■