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Manual of Dunmeri Painting: The Art of the Temple

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Nakalololo's picture
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Manual of Dunmeri Painting

The Art of the Temple

 
by Llevndryn Sershilavu of House Arador Dayn – 2E588

 

This manual is based on my own speculations from research and observations of the Dunmer's graphic art as depicted in the games. It contains elements of invention and is therefore an apocrypha.

I added two important sources of inspiration in the footnotes. To these I will add Iceflame542's answer on the state of mathematics in the Elder Scrolls as well as this National Geographic article on ancient Egyptian art.

With the exception of the tapestry depicting Veloth and of the Hands of Almalexia, all the drawings are my own and some represent existing player characters. For the figure of Ralen Venim, I was inspired by an illustration by Sangre. Myzel's work has also been an inspiration.

FRENCH VERSION HERE

 

The visual language of the Temple is one of geometry. Unlike the pictorial tradition of Men which spread through Tamriel with the colonization by the Empire, and to that of Summerset which has its own unique history, Dunmeri art does not have an aesthetic aim. While for the peoples mentioned – and most notably among the Altmer – it is not unusual to recognize the name of a painter, this notion is foreign to the Dark Elves. For the Dunmer Housemer, it is above all a set of liturgical and pragmatic practices that take on strict rigor and have nothing to do with contemplative pleasure. In this sense, Dunmeri religious painting known as the Art of the Temple is the application of mathematical science. Everything in it is about geometric relations and angular meanings. No trace of vulgar symmetry for all that; the lines which can sometimes appear disharmonious to the layman's eyes incorporate more complex demonstrations.

 

The representations of the Temple do not only show; they manifest the presence of and reinforce ALMSIVI. The more its incarnations are shown, the more it will be loved and will exist. These representations have a power of protection on the faithful, but also and especially on the subjects represented whose divinity is nourished by the devotion of the latter. There is therefore a major stake around the Art of the Temple which serves as a vehicle for divine power. One of the consequences of this state of affairs is the need for a large number of painter-copyists who must master the difficult mathematical art in order to spread it as much as possible in Resdayn. It should come as no surprise then that no painter's name has gained popularity: these are scholars and calculators whose work is primarily to develop formulas to perfection. Thus, although the caste remains unrecognized (perhaps by design), these painter-copyists constitute one of the most important institutions of Housemer society. If they fail, the powers of the Tribunal will fail.

 

This manual, although independent of the Temple, will therefore serve its interests as it is intended as an introduction to this difficult technique capable of channeling the divine. Obviously, this is a magic that does not have the adornments, and as such, it must assume a certain universality although the Temple retains a monopoly of its arcane. Whoever understands its finer properties could thus deviate their intentions towards their own interests…

 

 

STYLE DESCRIPTION

The iconic style of the Temple is based on forms composing the axiomatic basis of the drawing from which vectors will be drawn in order to develop the rest of the figure. In other words, the key elements of the drawing (often the character's head and a central body shape) will determine what the rest will look like. These elements are a base around which the other shapes will naturally unfold. The visual link between all the elements will provoke the resonances which are at the origin of the power of this art.

 

Geometry is therefore at the heart of the process because it honors ALMSIVI with its perfection and strengthens it with its power. It is interesting to use the word "resonance" to speak of this power, because this resonance permeating the shapes of the drawing will create an echo in the mind of the viewer where the image will be imprinted. Even a non-follower, as long as he sees this image, will remember it and thus make the existence of the subject represented last a little more.

 

Once again at odds with Men who prefer the portrait, the figures portrayed by the Dunmer are in full view, from front or three-quarter, sometimes floating. They may be in profile on a few occasions, but this is a portrayal inherited from the Chimers that is now becoming outmoded. The presence of landscape is rare but still exist for certain precise themes. This is particularly the case on the friezes of the Palace and the Library of Vivec.

 

Mainly made up of straight lines, the structural shapes can on certain occasions display curves. The latter are in particular much more present in the Vivec style that we will study in detail in an appendix. To these structural shapes are added ellipses which are often used for the props of the subjects or for magical effects. The head of the characters, one of the axiomatic elements of the representations, is a notable exception in the rigid outline of the rest of the figure since it is mainly made of curves.

 

Symbolic importance is placed on the hands which convey a crucial part of the artistic message, depending on how much they deviate from the Hand of Almalexia symbol.

 

The arrangement of the shapes making up the figure is therefore the result of a geometric language whose fruits constitute a symbolism. This abstract language is understood by all Dunmer on an unconscious level and resonates in their minds universally – just as music, having mathematical foundations, resonates in everyone's ears.

 

 

ORIGINS AND HISTORY

The oldest known representation which can be considered to be the basis of the Art of the Temple is the Chimeri tapestry depicting the exodus of the Chimer following the prophet Veloth.

 

 

The link with current Art of the Temple is not obvious, but it is possible to recognize the appearance of embryos of geometric shapes characteristic of this art, especially in the drapes. The pointy, elongated aureole extending from Veloth's skull is also characteristic. We will have the opportunity to discuss this again in an appendix dealing with the imagery of the Temple. All of these details suggest that the maker(s) of this fresco may have accidentally discovered the magical properties of what would become the Art of the Temple.

 

From there, the art has been more and more refined until it became the precision technique it is today, serving to represent the saints and the sacred in order to strengthen it.

 

Another objective of this art is that of protecting the ancestors in family crypts and tombs, in particular from necromancy. Sigils – often an urn crowned with the Hand of Almalexia – serve as a sort of cancellation magic in the face of necromancy. A macabre mage who would desecrate Dunmer ancestors would have to erase all these seals, numerous and often hidden in every corner.

 

But the best-known power – even if it is undoubtedly the most anecdotal – is that of distributing the blessing of the saint represented on the altar. This blessing is described by a symbol on the right of the figure, sometimes even by the first letter of the word of power. In fact, this is a simplified version of this magic that act as a dull siphoning spell. Inside the altar is a casket containing a fragment of the dust from the saint's bones. The symbol, activated by the presence of the spirit of the devotee in front, will drain an infinitesimal amount of the saint's divinity and temporarily place it there in the mind of the devotee. The latter, having at the same time contemplated the figure of the saint, will be briefly reinforced by his divinity before returning it simply by keeping the memory of the figure. One might argue that the effect is induced more by the follower's conviction than by real magic.[1]

 

This art therefore has a purely pragmatic goal. There is, however, an exception to the rule in the Vivec style, which has managed to introduce an aesthetic dimension with elegant and complex formulas that are even more difficult to master. As announced, the subject will be treated in an appendix.

 

Rendered dominant by the Temple, the Art of the Temple is today the main form of pictorial art in Resdayn and is practiced almost exclusively for religious purposes.

 

 

TECHNIQUE

The need to disseminate the holy images throughout Resdayn gave rise to a technique of replicating these images specific to the Dunmeri regions.

 

On the one hand, the most learned of painters calculate and compose new figures, while the vast majority of these painter-copyists perform known representations by developing the given axiomatic forms. Sometimes there are variations in the final result, because a calculation always has several possible developments, but this should not be seen as a desire for a personal touch.

 

 The development is done as follows:

  1. Start from given axiomatic forms (here in red)
  2. Deduce the vectors (red arrows). Well placed, they should approximately emphasize the silhouette of the figure. They encompass the movement inherent in the axiomatic form.
  3. Fill the interstices with the secondary shapes by following the vectors
  4. Define the shape of the hand according to the message to convey
  5. Add attributes
  6. Add pure geometric shapes where it is necessary to enhance the effect (here around the attribute in the character's hand)

 

In order to reproduce the completed figures in a large number, a printing process was found. Resdayn being characterized by its entomic craftsmership, it was only natural that painter-copyists turned to wax. Thanks to the wax obtained from certain insects, they can protect the areas of the fabric not to be printed from the dye, in order to affix the designs on the unprotected areas.

 

The complete process is as follows:

  1. The drawing is engraved in negative on two plates which will be covered with wax.
  2. The hot wax enters the hollow spaces and the plates are affixed to the fabric.
  3. Once it has adhered to the fabric on both sides, details are added using a reservoir-type hollow rod into which wax flows.
  4. The fabric is then soaked in a bath containing the pigment of the desired color.
  5. Once impregnated, it is taken out of the dye and then soaked in boiling water to collect the wax which will be reused.
  6. The fabric is dried.
  7. The process should be repeated for each different color. (There is usually only one color, other than in the Vivec style.)
  8. The fabric is then often protected with a final layer of transparent wax which will not be removed, especially in cases where the fabric will be exposed to the outside.

 

A possible variation is to completely cover the fabric with wax and forge the patterns on iron plates which will be heated in order to melt the wax at the locations of a coloration.

 

Note that if the quenching is too slow, the wax hardens and cracks, which creates imperfections in the final result because the dye trickles into the cracks. Imperfections are obviously avoided at all costs.[2]

 

 

WORKS ANALYSIS

In order to illustrate the various development possibilities that this style can offer, we will study some figures highlighting different peculiarities. Although the figures depicted are normally saints, for the sake of the exercise and in order not to risk blasphemy, I have portrayed some members of my order here.

 

Self-portrait of Llevndryn Sershilavu, Ponihn am Thil Arador Dayn

It is possible to distinguish quite easily that the character represented is an Ashlander. This in particular thanks to his outfit, but also by what his hands communicate. We do recognize the iconic Hand of Almalexia, but it is severed at the knuckles, a sign of the Ashlander’s rupture with the Tribunal. The figure floats – a pose which is not unusual and which may signify the nomadic nature of the Dunmer or in other cases his qualification to walk between different planes of reality. The position of his arm and his hand in front of his face is reminiscent of the aradoor[3] populations who must protect their eyes from the ashy winds.

 

Ralen Venim, Gaharikhan am Thil Arador Dayn

The character is shown in profile. Although this pose is outmoded and was used primarily by the Chimer, it is still the subject of some recourse, especially when it comes to portraying a venerable figure who has a substantial connection to the past and ancient peoples. Here, the character's belt buckle as well as the characteristic patterns at the hem of the dress directly refer to the Dwemer, who are evidently that link with an ancient people that explains the profile pose. The character holds one attribute: a tea for which he is known to be a heavy drinker. The smoke from the tea is enhanced with pure geometric patterns – here ellipses – to anchor the representation more effectively in the mind.

 

Maëfarayn Ihrfihn, Almanar am Thil Arador Dayn and Cyian Ihrfihn, Inil am Thil Arador Dayn

The two characters are twins, which explains the similarity of the shapes that compose them. We notice in particular much larger forms – large flat areas of color decorated with pure geometric shapes. These patterns appearing in negative directly on their body mark the presence of arcane power. They are not surprising once you know that these are two Telvannii. Maëfarayn Ihrfihn's relaxed but confident pose reflects her status of Almanar [4] of the order. That of Cyian Ihrfihn is much more ambiguous, and this especially because of an attribute towards which all the lines lead: a weapon which testifies to the dubious nature of the character. One more interesting thing with these figures is the fact that their bracelets, which are attributes, are represented by pure geometric shapes. This is a symbolic way of showing that they have a dimension of immateriality.

 

 

COUNTER-ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION

I would finally like to suggest a second possible interpretation. Maybe there is nothing magical about all of this. There might be something more discreditable that explains the effectiveness of the Art of the Temple: images alone have power. After all, an image is a sign just like a word; it says things and shapes minds. So what do these images do? Nothing if no one is looking at them. Except that the Temple does everything for them to be watched. As soon as they pass in front of our eyes, they have the power to make us envy, fear; to make us think, cry; especially to make us act and to make us remember.

 

We could imagine that the Temple, on the contrary, would want to destroy the images of the saints and the Tribunes, lest the people worship the representations rather than what they represent. But the reverse is true, and for a striking reason: the images are our gods. We couldn't say, "This is not a god." by pointing at an image because in reality it is: the idea is the true god because his memory makes it exist in us. In addition, the image is proof of divinity. Why shouldn't the Tribunes be gods if they are worth being painted and looked at by all of Housemer society? The omnipresence of their images makes them an evidence.

 

This is what the Ashlanders would say: this is a masquerade. The Ashlanders tradition challenges the idea that the divinity of the Tribunal is given by the love of the people and their ancestors for it. Its source would be other. An analysis taking the perspective of this tradition would add an observation: an image can lie. It can show what isn't, and it has another power on its side: the power of invisibility. We only see the Tribunes as they want us to see them; they are invisible to the people outside of their representations.

 

Yet I feel the truth overlaps these two interpretations. While images are not magical, they nonetheless have a power that is by no means anecdotal. They bring into existence what did not exist. What we call magic without defining it too much could be just an artifice compared to this real power of creation and conservation. An image, a word, is a body for an idea. Its transmission is its memory, which anchors it in time. The love that the Tribunal claims, though insanely banal, is really what makes it exist, because it mobilizes this power of memory against that of oblivion.

 

If they do all of this, it is because they are afraid that they will be forgotten.

 

 

 

 

 


Appendix: The Vivec Style

 

Accompanying the development of the City of Vivec, Lord Vivec developed their own style of the Art of the Temple. Refining the techniques of the painter-copyists, they was able to introduce an aesthetic dimension which is the result of elegant as well as powerful developments in geometric science. The style therefore corresponds to their taste, but also to their ambition since they ensures that their image is not only widespread, but that it is also beautiful.

 

The Vivec style is much richer in curve than the classic version. All control lies in the balance between concave and convex curves. The forms, including axiomatic forms, are generally thinner and slender. Taken apart, such a shape seems to adopt the lines of a sharp blade with a keen point and a light body. This results in a lower proportion of dye patches and therefore a more airy figure.

 

Unlike the classic style which usually uses just one color, Vivec does not hesitate to add a second or even more color to his compositions. We can then find a figure placed on a background of lighter abstract patterns, generally starting from the bottom of the canvas. The frescoes located inside the different cantons of the City of Vivec are a breathtaking example of the use of colors coupled with rare representations of landscapes.

 

In particular, you can see the difference in styles by comparing the two versions of the Hand of Almalexia. Vivec has their own stylization of the Hand, sometimes wrongly called "Hand of Vivec" by abuse of language. In both cases, the Hand of Almalexia is traditionally arranged in an elongated downward-pointing triangle with each vertex inscribed with one of the three initials of ALMSIVI. While this triangle is closed in the classic style, the Hand overflows it in the Vivec style, symbolic of the divinity that is difficult to contain. The position of the thumb also changes sides. For the rest, we find the typical curves of the Vivec style, which oppose the linear layout. With this comparison, it’s not unreasonable to think that it was Lord Vivec who introduced even the less pronounced curves into the classic style, with each of the Tribunes bringing their own twist.

 

Classic style on the left, Vivec style on the right

 

However, it is still the classic version of the Hand of Almalexia that dominates. This can be explained by the intimate connection of this symbol with the Ordinators she directs, a symbol that can already be found in the representations of St. Olms the Just, founder of this order. Although the symbol features the name of the goddess, it is not clear who this hand belongs to. The name could simply be amalgamated with her personal guardhouse, the members of which are called her Hands. The hand depicted on the symbol could then actually be that of St. Olms.

 

Thus, the regional Vivec style shines in Resdayn and particularly in Vvardenfell in the image of their city. The pleasure of contemplation it provokes makes it all the more conducive to transmission and memory, making it the most powerful instance of the Art of the Temple today.

 

 

 


Appendix: Symbols and Religious Imagery

 

Icons friezes

The Velothi and Ashlanders influence has not been completely erased from the Temple imagery. It is found in particular on the right of the figures on the shrines of the saints. Among the letters of the words of powers conferring the blessings, it is possible to find icons whose style clashes with the rest of the composition. It is an ancient art inherited from the Chimeri period that took root even before the schism of Dunmeri society between Ashlanders and Housemer.

 

The history of this art is complex and consists of numerous moves back and forth between the Ashlanders who preserved it and the Housemer who re-adopted it. The style has known many variations, but it is interesting to note that certain lines and symbols have managed to make their way through time and reinterpretations, and this perhaps since the time of the Summerset Isles itself. On the right frieze, one notices in particular the second and fourth symbols which consist of abstract patterns seeming relatively intact of adaptations. It is possible that these date back to a time when pictorial representations were above all arcane and not figurative. But such symbols, recognizable by their pure geometric shapes, are also found incorporated into other icons with less distinct influences. This is particularly the case with the third symbol, of which the upturned teardrop head encompassing a rhombus is a typical manifestation.

 

The vertically composed frieze, reading chronologically from top to bottom most of the time, is placed on the right side of the figure and tells all or part of the subject's life. It is sometimes accompanied by the symbol of the patron of the Mer represented and even writings containing his name or that of his ancestors.

 

Let us take the frieze on the right. The first icon testifies to the nomadic nature of the subject, the humanoid legs signifying sedentary lifestyle and the scarab bust referring to the wild lands of Resdayn and therefore to nomadism. The second icon represents an event, possibly astrological, which turns the subject's life upside down and leads to the third icon on which the latter has lost their nomadic nature and has settled down. This sedentarization continues with the fourth icon, an abstract representation of the knowledge that characterizes the rest of the subject's life. The last two icons are inseparable. It seems that the nomadic nature of the subject finally comes back to confront them in the last entry. The subject, transformed in the penultimate icon, faces his death represented by the central skull leaving us ignorant of the outcome of this encounter.

 

It is difficult to understand why this art has been preserved by the Temple. Its ostensibly old appearance certainly gives it a value of authenticity which makes the representation more legitimate. Perhaps Housemer even see something mystical in its wild and dirty lines. As we can see today with the behavior of Housemer towards Ashlanders, it is possible to reject something and yet be fascinated by the same thing. The Temple reproduces these grimy features by voyeurism, to taste the savage power without getting dirty.

 

 

Aureoles

The aureole of flames dates back at least to this earliest tapestry of the prophet Veloth. It has known several stylizations but it is in the form of a long curved triangle that it is depicted for the first time. This shape is of notable importance because it will be used by the Temple to symbolize the Tribunal.

 

Nowadays, the most common form of this aureole is a triangle contained in a circle, laid out flat on the subject's head. The Triangle represents the triality of ALMSIVI embodied by Alma, Seht, and Vehk, while the circle symbolizes its oneness and indivisibility.

 

But originally, therefore, the triangle was not there to represent ALMSIVI since it precedes it. It was a flame from the subject's skull that was depicted. This flame was a symbol of divinity, but the chronology of the representations leads us to believe that this was a different divinity than that of ALMSIVI. The flame was transformed to represent ALMSIVI, but it was originally something quite different.

 

Very few subjects carry this original flame above the skull. In fact, there are only two known. Lord Vivec sports it and it is in this configuration that it is customary. The second subject that has been represented with is therefore the prophet Veloth. Whatever it was, Veloth had it.

 

It is not clear what form of divinity this is, if only it is divinity. Sources are lacking on this matter. But this is older than the Tribunal itself. An in-depth study from pre-Tribunal sources is absolutely necessary. There is something beyond ALMSIVI that Veloth and Vivec seem to have touched.

 

 

 

 

 


[1] [OOC] This paragraph is inspired by the work of lukkar on the shrines of Vvardenfell (https://www.deviantart.com/lukkar/art/Shrines-of-Vvardenfell-455923936)

[2] [OOC] This technique is inspired by African wax and Javanese batik. I recommend the excellent documentary « Wax Print » by Aiwan Obinyan on this topic.

[3] [OOC] Ashlands in Dunmeris

[4] [OOC] Mistress-Regent in Dunmeris

 

Iva Bessonov's picture
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Joined: 12/29/2020

Very elaborate and beautiful!

Nakalololo's picture
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Joined: 05/03/2016

Iva Bessonov wrote:
Very elaborate and beautiful!

Thank you!