The Middle Ages

What are the Middle Ages? The Middle Ages are mainly classified as falling between 500 – 1500 ADE- which is roughly from the fall of Rome to the rising of the Renaissance It’s initial period, called the Dark Ages occurring after the death of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian (565) until the reign of Charlemagne (800), barbarians destroyed much of what had taken 3000 years to build Byzantine art, Romanesque art, and Gothic art- all had one main focus: God.

Art overview Art in the Middle Ages (also known as the Medieval period) was inseparable from religion. The purpose of art was to awe and inspire the viewer with the greatness of God. Because so many people were illiterate during this time, art played a very important role.

Byzantine Art – In General Byzantine refers to eastern Mediterranean art from 330 ADE (when Constantine transferred Roman Empire from Rome to Byzantinum) until the city’s fall in 1453

Byzantinum

Predominant Art Form: Mosaics

The clear key subject is a central Christ figure Title: Empress Theodora & Attendants Date: c 547 ACE Key Points: This specific mosaic was to publicize the official Christian creed- to pay tribute to it. The clear key subject is a central Christ figure Gold & ornate but very flat with little anatomical reality

Byzantine Architecture The Emperor Justinian decided to build a church in Constantinople to prove it as his grand empire He assigned the task to 2 mathematicians (Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus) Hagia Sophia was built in 532- 37 The name meant holy wisdom It was 3 football fields long It had a massive central dome and allowed a great amount of light in!

Romanesque Art With the Roman Catholic faith firmly planted, there was a huge wave of church construction in feudal Europe from 1050 – 1200 This became known as the Romanesque movement as the architects borrowed liberally from the Roman architecture in their use of rounded arches & columns 2D art was mainly in illuminated manuscripts created to celebrate the word of God – created by Monks on parchment.

What is an Illuminated Manuscript? handwritten books decorated with gold or silver, brilliant colours, elaborate designs, decorated letters, borders and miniature painted scenes. Manuscripts contain most of the finest surviving examples of medieval painting.

Who made them and how were they made? Illuminated manuscripts were drawn by monks in secluded monasteries throughout Europe. Manuscripts were most often written on parchment (skin of a sheep or goat prepared for writing on) and covered in leather.

What were they used for? They were considered sacred objects containing the word of God. They were decorated lavishly so their outward beauty would reflect their sublime contents. Most illuminated manuscripts were made for churches or monasteries. But many wealthy people also owned their own illuminated prayer books. Until printing was developed in the fifteenth century, these manuscripts were the only form of books in existence, preserving religious teachings.

What is a historiated initial? A historiated initial is an oversized initial letter containing an identifiable narrative scene or figures, sometimes relating to the text. Historiated initials first appeared in manuscripts of the early 800s and remained popular throughout the Middle Ages.

The historiated initial is a capital letter P since the letters following are ETRUS, making the word PETRUS (Peter in Latin).

Historiated initial from a manuscript of Books XXI-XXX of Livy's History of Rome. Produced in Italy in the fifteenth century

What is the Book of Kells? The Book of Kells is one of the most famous books in the history of the world and was completed circa 800 AD. It contains transcriptions of the four Gospels, lavishly illustrated and ornamented. The scribes and artists who created the Book were monks who lived in a monastery on the remote island off the west coast of Scotland. The Book of Kells contains 680 pages. Just two of the pages are without ornament. Parts of it have been lost.

Book of Kells

Architecture Overview During the Middle Ages architecture was the main means of artistic expression. The building of churches and cathedrals, as well as their decoration, was the primary means of employment for artists and builders.

Dates: Romanesque Art: 1000-1150 Gothic Art: 1150-1500 Gothic

Romanesque Architecture Builders borrowed elements from Roman architecture, such as rounded arches and columns, hence the term Romanesque.

large interest in religion  people traveled on pilgrimages to visit sites of saints and martyrs  they believed that holy relics (important religious objects) had the power to do miracles 

They began to build churches in the shape of the Latin cross.   The pilgrim would enter the church through the nave.  The relics of the church would be held and displayed in the area of the high alter.  The pilgrims would be allowed to view the relics from the ambulatory.

The architects wanted to get away from using wood for the ceilings (fire hazards) so they began to use stone.   The stone was very heavy so barrel vaults were used in the ceiling. In addition, large piles of stone would be stacked along the wall in intervals to buttress (or support) the walls from pushing outward.

Due to the weight of the stone ceiling, the walls of the church had to be very thick.  Windows had to be small to keep the strength of the wall strong.  Because of this, the church’s interior was dim.  The exterior of Romanesque churches was rather plain.

Notre-Dame-La-Grande Poitiers, France. 1162-1271 Small windows makes the interior dark and gloomy. The exterior has more sculpture than many Romanesque churches. The cone-shaped helmets were added at a later time.

Gothic Architecture The peak of Middle Ages artistic achievement was the Gothic cathedral. Built from 1200 to 1500, the cathedrals had soaring interiors unlike anything ever seen before. Gothic architecture has three distinct characteristics which set it apart from Romanesque:pointed arches, ribbed vaulting, and flying buttresses.  

Pointed Arch Pointed Arch

Ribbed Vault

Flying Buttress

These developments allowed the architects to make the churches much larger and brighter. The once dim Romanesque Cathedral were transformed into a very bright and warm feeling Gothic Cathedral. 

Cathedral of Chartres, France about 1194 Incorporated many new ideas: Flying buttresses (flying arches combined with tower buttresses) eliminated the need for heavy, solid walls Huge walls of stained glass

It was believed a church’s beauty would inspire people in their beliefs. The chief forms of inspirational decoration in Gothic cathedrals were sculpture, stained glass and tapestries.

Interior of Cathedral of Chartres

Review NAVE VAULT TRANSEPT FLYING BUTTRESS CLERESTORY BUTTRESS ROSE WINDOW

Gargoyles Gargoyles are sculptures of imaginary beasts created during the Middle Ages.

Gargoyles had two known purposes: They were located along the roof and downspouts on cathedral buildings. Their function was to drain the water away from the stone carvings on the buildings. Medieval Europeans believed that demons were trying to persuade or trick people into a state of sin. Cathedrals were holy places that were believed to be free from sin, and medieval artists were employed to help keep them that way. These artists would create sculptures for Gothic cathedrals that were gruesome enough to scare away even the most terrifying demons.

3. Some scholars also believe they were created to serve as a reminder to the people that the spirits of hell were awaiting them if they did not believe the religious beliefs of the church and try to lead a virtuous life.

What were gargoyles made of? Although the first gargoyles were made out of wood, later gargoyles were usually carved from limestone or marble, and sometimes lead. Gargoyles were carved on the ground, from a clay model, and then placed in position. They were often painted, but the paint on old gargoyles still surviving today has either been worn off or been removed.