Original artwork description:

NO MORE SHALL MY MORNING RISE IN OUTREMER
2018
59,1 (h) x 47,2 (w) x 0,8 in
150 (h) x 120 (w) x 2 cm
acrylic and oil on canvas

Inspired by the history of the medieval Kingdom of Jerusalem and the fall of Acre 1291: Outremer (French: outre-mer, meaning "overseas") was a general name used for the Crusader states; it originated after victories of Europeans in the First Crusade and was applied to the County of Edessa, the Principality of Antioch, the County of Tripoli, and especially the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

We hardly remember the names and the knightly bravery of the defenders, we hardly imagine the deepness of their religion and Christian motivation, but the fall of Acre was one of the most important battles of that medieval period. It signaled the end of the Jerusalem crusades. Acre was the capital of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, a crusader state established by European Christian knights in the Southern Levant after the First Crusade in 1099. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks. Acre was well defended by knights, with two lines of thick walls and had twelve powerful towers (which were built by European kings and rich pilgrims). The siege began on the 6th April 1291. The Sultan's catapults battering the walls, Muslim troops attacked the walls day by day. Resistance weakened after six weeks of bloody defense and tower after tower fell to the ground in ruins. Muslim forces entered the streets on the 18th May 1291 and before nightfall Acre was in Sultan's hands and a massacre started. We hardly remember the names and the knightly bravery of the defenders, we hardly imagine the deepness of their religion and Christian motivation, but the fall of Acre was one of the most important battles of that medieval period. It signaled the end of the Jerusalem crusades. The Holy Land and the Kingdom of Jerusalem were lost forever.

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"Templar is truly a fearless knight, and secure on every side, for his soul is protected by the armor of faith, just as his body is protected by the armor of steel. He is thus doubly armed and need fear neither demons nor men."
~ Bernard de Clairvax (1090 - 1153) ex: "Liber ad milites templi de laude novae militiae" (Book to the Knights of the Temple, in praise of the new knighthood)

This fight between the Orient and Occident, between (Roman Catholic) Christianity and Islam has a long history. What I know: those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it (Winston Churchill). Only the deeper knowledge of the past enables a peaceful tomorrow. This fact includes the attempt of understanding individual medieval environment, motivation and set of beliefs. Beyond all question historical narratives of the Era of Crusades offer us stories of humility, courage, creed, and hope and inspired romance, philosophy, and literature by accounts of heroism, chivalry, and piety. Emotions mixed with their unshakeable belief in God that motivated kings, knights, servants and ordinary people to “Take the Cross”.

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This painting is also part of the triptych THE FAITHFUL AND THE FALLEN (also available here at Artfinder) and offers an aesthetic and colourful impression on your wall AND as my authentic and personal artwork an artistic subsurface message. For further information and more photos please visit the page of the triptych at Artfinder.

I use exclusively oil and acrylic colours, canvas and wooden frames in a professional museum quality. The paintings wears my signature on the front and is signed, entitled and dated on the backside. Deliberately the sides are not part of the painting and show the black-painted canvas (beautiful contrast). The painting is ready to hang (on the backside: high-quality iron plates with metal inserts and nylon rope for gallery use), unframed and doesn’t need a frame or any additional surface treatment. The piece will be safely shipped in a custom wooden crate. It will be accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and a cover letter.

Please note: In context pictures are not necessarily to scale and are for illustrative purposes only. If you have any questions about this artwork or any other piece, feel free to contact me and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

Thanks so much for taking an interest in my work.

Warm wishes,
Christian

Materials used:

acrylic and oil on canvas

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