Illuminated

Initials

Illuminations from the Middle

Ages• In early medieval times,

monks were the sole makers of illuminated manuscripts. Before universities existed, monasteries were the central places for learning. Monks copied books mainly for use in worship. However, rulers and high-ranking churchmen commissioned books from monasteries, including historical records and Greek and Roman literature.

Illuminations from the Middle

Ages• To make a new manuscript, a monk

had to obtain a book to copy. He might have to travel quite a distance to borrow one from another monastery, and even stay there to do his copying.

• Scribes worked in a room called a scriptorium. Sometimes the same person was both scribe and illustrartor, but not necessarily. One monk might do the writing and another the illuminating.

• While they translated the bible, they would decorate or “illuminate” the first letter in a paragraph.

Illuminations from the Middle

AgesAfter the 12th century, monks were no longer the only scribes. The rise of universities and the middle class created a demand for books and book production became a way to make more money. Making illuminated manuscripts became a business conducted in cities. A person who wanted a book would order it through a bookseller, who hired scribes and illuminators to do the work.

• Bent over his desk, an Iranian illuminator puts the last touches on a gilded garden of the minuscule intertwined paisleys that have decorated the Koran for hundreds of years.

• One of the oldest Iranian art forms, illumination (tazhib) has survived since the pre-Islamic era but now risks extinction if it fails to attract patrons, who prefer modern art to traditional work.

• "The harmony and the intense concentration calms me to an extent that I forget all my problems," he said.

• The art dates back to the Sassanid era in pre-Islamic Iran but flourished after the 7th century advent of Islam, which banned human depictions.

• Faced with such limitations, Iranian artists poured their creative talent into beautifying the holy script, carpets and mosques.

Tazhib

• During the fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries, the Mamluk rulers of Egypt commissioned huge copies of the Koran for public reading in mosques and religious schools. Rich illumination in gold and colors embellished the beginnings of chapters, as on this page.

• MFA Boston

This miniature painting was one of the middle ages or “Gothic” time periods best art.

manus scriptus

Manuscript

Illuminated Manuscripts

The word manuscript is derived from the Latin words manus (hand) and scriptus, from the verb scribere (to write).

Today the term is used to describe any handwritten text.

The word illumination comes from the Latin verb illuminare (to light up), which, in this context, describes the glow created by the radiant colors of the illustrations, especially gold and silver.

Illuminated Manuscripts

1. Your Name Initial – one or all

2. Three Symbols – Things that represent you

3. Border - border should relate to the rest of your illumination.

4. A Color Harmony and expert shading skills

Illuminated InitialsProject Requirements:

Thumbnail Sketches:

Small, quick preparatory sketches that explore different ideas and compositions

Shading

For each shape in your drawing, shade with three colored pencils: light, medium and dark. These can be of the same color or analogous colors (colors next to each other on the color wheel)

Invent a creative illumination of your own initials

You will need to do a minimum of six thumbnail sketches and a large rough draft before starting the final !

Your final illumination should include:

1. Your Name Initial – one or all

2. Three Symbols – Things that represent you

3. Border - border should relate to the rest of your illumination.

4. A Color Harmony and expert shading skills

Your grade will be based on Creativity, Design, Craftsmanship, Effort and Attitude.