Cambridge Scholars Publishing Tracing their Tracks: Identification of Nordic Styles from the Early Middle Ages to the end of the Viking Period

Product Description Understanding the relation of semiology to Western iconography is essential, as it is the element that, often unconsciously, influences perception in Western society. Scholars, such as Klaus Düwel with his outstanding knowledge of runic script, sometimes reach their limits if inscriptions are complemented with abstract images that may be accidental scratches or, on the other hand, a sign or signs indicating symbolic meaning. The detailed definition of the Medieval World by Margaret Clunies Ross (University of Sydney) created the background for this book in which artefacts from Old Norse culture are considered in order to understand their often complex context, providing an insight into the development of visual communication in Western society. Artefacts from Medieval Scandinavia show techniques and principles from visual perception consciously or unconsciously adopted by artists and craftsmen more than a thousand years earlier than was initially recognised by scientists. Today, such elements are recognised by some artists and designers. However, in the relevant literature, discussion of this important aspect of visual art with respect to Medieval Scandinavia has been lacking – until now! About the Author Peter Hupfauf studied Fine Arts and Graphic Design at Kunstschule Westend in Frankfurt, Germany, from 1964 to 1968. He received his Diploma of Teaching in Technical Education from the University of Technology, Sydney, in 1993, and his Master of Fine Arts from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, in 1998, before obtaining his PhD from the University of Sydney in 2004, with his thesis “Signs and symbols represented in Germanic, particularly early Scandinavian, iconography between the Migration Period and the end of the Viking Age”. He is currently a member of The Medieval and Early Modern Centre at the University of Sydney. His publications include “An Artist’s Journey” in East-West’s inflight magazine (1989), and “The role of the artist in contemporary society as compared to pre-Christian and early Medieval society in Northern Europe” in Old Norse Myths, Literature and Society (2000).