The Anatomy of Viking Art: A Quick Guide to the Styles of Norse Animal Ornament

by Jonas Lau Markussen

The Norse artwork of the Viking Age is incredibly captivating, with its intricate interlacing patterns and fierce animal figures woven together into some of the most exceptional expressions of art created by mankind. But as fascinating as it may be to look at, it may be as difficult to understand exactly how these patterns are constructed, and even more difficult to understand how to recreate them.
This guide breaks down the styles of Viking Age art in an easy to understand manner, to help you to quickly acquire a good grasp of its anatomy. Clear illustrations and graphics straightforwardly present the characteristics of each style, so you'll be able to easily distinguish each from the others, and understand how one style developed into the next. The accompanying timelines, maps and concise historical descriptions further help you to root your understanding of the styles in their historical context.

Genres: Art, History

84 pages, Hardcover

Published November 6, 2019

Reviews

[Ryan McCarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really accessible introduction to the evolution of Norse art styles during the Viking Age. Well researched but not overly academic.

[E.T. Gunnarsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I imagine to be an artist's dream, The Anatomy of Viking Art: A Quick Guide to the Styles of Norse Animal Ornament by Jonas Lau Markussenquickly became one of my favorite "reference books" as soon as I read it. A short read, this book covers Norse history slightly, though it is mostly focused on the design, pattern, and " how-to" part of Norse art.

Each section gives fairly detailed descriptions of Old Norse art styles, from 750 AD to 1125 AD. Each art style is given a date, historical examples, an idea of the history happening at the time, and an idea of why the art progressed and was the way it was.

I recommend this book for anyone trying to do Old Norse art styles or even for those who just want a tattoo or something simple.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The layout of this book and the detailed illustrated descriptions are fascinating.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome little guide for teaching yourself about the characteristics of Viking art. Well researched with an excellent bibliography, the author packs a lot of useful information into this short book. Recommended for anyone studying Viking art and design, whether scholarly or not.