400a.d. to 1400. a.d.

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Medieval Art The Age of Faith

• 400a.d. to 1400. a.d.
• Rome Falls and the Church gains power

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Introduction

• The Middle Ages included the millennium from the
  5th to the 15th century, roughly from the fall
  of Rome until the renaissance. During its initial
  period, called the Dark Ages, after the death of
  the byzantine Emperor Justinian in 565 until the
  reign of Charlemagne in 800, barbarians destroyed
  what had taken 3,000 years to build. Yet the Dark
  Ages were only part of the Middle Ages story,
  There were many bright spots in art and
  architecture, from the splendor of the byzantine
  court in Constantinople to the majesty of gothic
  cathedrals.

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Introduction

• 3 Major shifts occurred that had far-reaching
  effects on Western civilization
• Cultural leadership moved north from the
  Mediterranean to France, Germany, and the British
  Isles.
• Christianity triumphed over paganism and
  barbarism.
• Emphasis shifted from the here- and now- to the
  hereafter, and with it from the body as beautiful
  to the body as corrupt.

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Introduction

• Since the Christian focus was on salvation for a
  glorious afterlife, interest in realistically
  representing objects of the world disappeared.
  Nudes were forbidden, and even images of clothed
  bodies showed ignorance of anatomy. The
  Greco-Roman ideals of harmonious proportions and
  balance between the body and mind ceased to
  exist. Instead, medieval artisans were interested
  exclusively in the soul, especially in
  instructing new believers in church dogma. Art
  became the servant of the church. Theologians
  believed church members would come to appreciate
  divine beauty through material beauty, and lavish
  mosaics, paintings, and sculpture were the result.

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Overview

begins with the fall of Rome and extends to the
Renaissance Rome diminishes and the Church gains
power Society ( life and death) are centered on
the church The Church is the major purchaser of
Art Constantine is the first Christian emperor,
he moves the capitol from Rome to Constantinople,
therefore,there is an Oriental influence in
Art. Most people are illiterate. The knowledge
from Antiquity is preserved and copied in
monasteries. The Book making industry is
born. Emphasis on Life after death.
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Art distinguishing
characteristics

• Flat, lack of environmental clues due to Oriental
  influence as well as determination to avoid any
  resemblance to earlier pagan work.
• Symbolic not realistic, figures meant not to
  remind one of earth but to elevate persons
  thoughts from the earthly realm to the spiritual
  .
• Collaborative efforts on Cathedrals, mosaics, etc.

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Three Periods of the MEDIEVAL ART

• Byzantine Art
• Romanesque
• Gothic

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Byzantine Art

• Constantinople was close to Asia as well as to
  Greece, and because of this proximity, Greek,
  Roman, and Asian art and culture all influenced
  Byzantine artists.
• Byzantine art featured very rich colors and
  heavily outlined figures that appeared flat and
  stiff.

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Color choice symbolic(Gold or purple sky-kingdom
of god)

•  John C. Weber Collection, New YorkIcon with the
  Virgin Eleousa, early 14th centuryByzantine4
  3/8 x 3 3/8 x 1/2 in. (11.2 x 8.6 x 1.3
  cm)Enlarge for more detail

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• Some of the worlds greatest art, in the form of
  mosaics, was created during the 5th and 6th
  centuries in Turkish Byzantium and its Italian
  capital, Ravenna. Mosaics were intended to
  publicize the now official Christian creed, so
  their subject was generally religion with Christ
  shown as teacher and all powerful ruler.
  Sumptuous grandeur, with halos spotlighting
  sacred figures and shimmering gold backgrounds,
  characterized these works.

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• Human figures were flat, stiff, and symmetrically
  placed, seeming to float as if hung from pegs.
  Artisans had no interest in suggesting
  perspective or volume. Tall, slim human figures
  with almond-shaped faces, huge eyes, and solemn
  expressions gazed straight ahead, without the
  least hint of movement.

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ROMAN Mosaics Byzantine Mosaics
Used opaque marble cubes Used reflective glass cubes
Pieces had smooth flat finish Surfaces left uneven so work sparkled
Colors limited due to use of natural stones Glowing glass in wide range of colors
Typically found on floor of private homes Found on walls and ceilings-especially church dome and apse
Subjects were secular, like battles, games Subjects were sacred, like Christ as shepherd Used minute pieces fr realistic detail
Used minute pieces for realistic detail Large cubes in stylized designs
Background represented landscape Background was abstract, sky-blue, then gold
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Review

roman
Byzantine
Roman
Byzantine
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Hagia Sophia (pronounced HAH zhee ah soh FEE ah
the name means holy wisdom)

Commissioned by Emperor Justinian and designed by
2 mathematicians, Anthemius of Tralles and
Isidorus of Miletus, the Hagia Sophiais is a
completely innovative structure, recognized as
the climax of Byzantine architectural style.
3 football fields long the Hagia Sophia merged
the vast scale of Roman buildings with an Eastern
mystical atmosphere. A Byzantine contribution to
engineering pendentives ( 4 arches forming a
square) supported a dome. This structural
revolution accounted for the lofty, unobstructed
interior with its soaring dome.
40 arched windows encircle the base
of the dome, creating the illusion that it rests
on a halo of light.
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The Romanesque Period 1050-1200

• With the Roman Catholic faith firmly established,
  a wave of church construction began throughout
  feudal Europe.
• Builders borrowed elements from roman
  architecture, such as rounded arches and columns.
• Due to wooden roofs being prone to fire medieval
  artisans began to roof churches with stone
  vaulting, barrel or groin vaults resting on piers
  could span large opening with fiew internal
  supports or obstructions.
• Interiors were dark and somber because due to the
  weight of the heavy stone roofs not many windows
  could be added.
• The exteriors were plain except for sculptural
  relief around the main portal. Most church-goers
  were illiterate, so sculpture taught doctrine by
  telling stories in stone.

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Romanesque Architecture
St. Sernin facade
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ILLUMINIATED MANUSCRIPTS

• With hordes of pillagers looting and razing
  cities of the former Roman empire, monasteries
  were all that stood between Western Europe and
  total chaos. Here monks and nuns copied
  manuscripts, keeping alive both the art of
  illustration in particular and Western
  civilization in general.
• The papyrus scroll used from Egypt to Rome was
  replaced by the vellum (calfskin) or parchment
  (lambskin) codes, made of separate pages bound at
  one side. Manuscripts were considered sacred
  objects containing the work of god. They were
  decorated lavishly, so their outward beauty would
  reflect their sublime contents. Covers were made
  of gold studded with precious and semiprecious
  gems.
• Until printing was developed in the 15th century,
  these manuscripts were the only form of books in
  existence, preserving not only religious
  teachings but also Classical literature.

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• Painters mainly worked on elaborate decorations
  for Bibles and Prayer books
• Elongated figures and elegant insignificant
  details are rendered with so much care that they
  become the dominant feature.

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Gothic Art/ Height and Light1200-1500

• The Gothic Cathedral Medieval architectures
  greatest triumph
• The solid, heavy Romanesque structures were
  replaced with structures of lightness and grace

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Gothic Style

• In Europe in the twelfth century, many people
  moved into towns. Workers (stone carvers,
  carpenters, etc.), organized into guilds (unions)
  , where apprentices were taught by masters. A
  wealthy merchant class, with pride in their
  growing cities, and religious faith led to the
  building of huge cathedrals.
• Two developments in architecture_ the pointed
  arch and the flying buttress, along with the use
  of the vault allowed them to make taller
  buildings whose walls were perforated with stain
  glass windows that changed the light to a rich,
  glowing color and educated the illiterate with
  Biblical Stories being reveled in glass.
• Gothic cathedrals were such a symbol of civic
• Pride that an invader's worst insult was to pull
  down the tower of conquered towns cathedral.
  Communal devotion was
• So intense that Lords and ladies worked beside
  butchers and masons, dragging carts loaded with
  stone from quarries. Buildings were so elaborate
  tat construction literally took ages6 centuries
  for Cologne Cathedral.

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Chartres Cathedral Built to hose the veil of the
Virgin given to the city by Charlemagne's
grandson. Charles the Bald, in 876, it is a
multi-media masterpiece. Its Stain glass windows,
the most intact collection of medieval glass in
the world, measure 26,900 feet in total area.
Illustrating the Bible, the lives of saints, even
traditional crafts of France, the windows are
like a gigantic, glowing, illuminated manuscript.
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Stain glass windows s
Stain glass windows replaced frescos to instruct
illiterate masses
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Arches
Arches (formed by narrow stone ribs extended from
tall pillars)
Ribbed vault (ceiling supported by pointed arches)
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Flying buttresses
Flying buttresses are arm like stone beams.
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Ribbed Vault
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Vault Review
3 Common types of Vaults 1. Barrel vault 2.A
groin vault 3.A rib vault
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Giotto Late Gothic Period 1266 or 7-1337
Giotto was an artist that formed a bridge between
the Medieval times and the Renaissance.He moved
toward realism in his depiction of figures and
used naturalistic backgrounds (his skies were
blue).He led the way to a new manner of painting
that transformed the flat surface into what
appears to be an open space filled with
people,see The Kiss of Judas.
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            Giotto, Kiss of Judas (228
K)Scrovegni (Arena) Chapel, near Padua
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Art of the Middle Ages ReviewThroughout the
middle Ages, in a succession of 3 styles, art was
concerned with religion. The main forms of art
and architecture associated with each style were
Byzantine Romanesque Gothic
Art Mosaics, icons Frescoes, stylized sculpture Stained glass, more natural sculpture
Architecture Central-dome church Barrel-vaulted church Pointed-arch cathedral
Example Hagia Sophia St. Sernin Chartres
Date 532-37 Begun 1080 1194-1260
Place Constantinople, Turkey Toulouse, France Chartres, France
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Romanesque vs. Gothic
Romanesque Gothic
Emphasis Horizontal Vertical
Elevation Modest height soaring
Layout Multiple units Unified, unbroken space
Main trait Rounded arch Pointed arch
Support system Piers, walls Exterior buttresses
Engineering Barrel and groin vaults Ribbed groin vaults
Ambiance Dark, solemn Airy, bright
Exterior simple, severe Richly decorated with sculpture
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Questions

• What distinguishes medieval art from the art
  of other historical periods?
• What was the main focus of life for the average
  citizen during the medieval period?
• What institution took the place of Rome (after
  its fall) in power and influence?
• How was the knowledge of antiquity preserved
  during the medieval period?
• How are Roman mosaics different from Byzantine
  Mosaics?
• How do Romanesque and Gothic Cathedrals differ?