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 Its 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.
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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.
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Byzantine Art In General Byzantine refers to eastern
Mediterranean art from 330 ADE (when Constantine transferred Roman
Empire from Rome to Byzantinum) until the citys fall in 1453
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Byzantinum
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Predominant Art Form: Mosaics
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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 Title: Empress Theodora & Attendants Date: c
547 ACE
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The historiated initial is a capital letter P since the letters
following are ETRUS, making the word PETRUS (Peter in Latin).
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Historiated initial from a manuscript of Books XXI-XXX of
Livy's History of Rome. Produced in Italy in the fifteenth
century
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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.
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Book of Kells
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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. Architecture Overview
Romanesque Architecture Builders borrowed elements from Roman
architecture, such as rounded arches and columns, hence the term
Romanesque.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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 churchs interior was dim.
The exterior of Romanesque churches was rather plain.
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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.
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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.
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Pointed Arch
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Ribbed Vault
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Flying Buttress
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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.
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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
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It was believed a churchs beauty would inspire people in their
beliefs. The chief forms of inspirational decoration in Gothic
cathedrals were sculpture, stained glass and tapestries.
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Interior of Cathedral of Chartres
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Review NAVE TRANSEPT ROSE WINDOW FLYING BUTTRESS BUTTRESS
CLERESTORY VAULT
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Gargoyles Gargoyles are sculptures of imaginary beasts created
during the Middle Ages.
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Gargoyles had two known purposes: 1. 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.
2. 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.
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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.
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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.