Art History

Middle Ages

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Early Christian
Byzantine
Early Medieval
Romanesque
Gothic

 

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Morgan Library *****
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Early Christian

met museum site (****)

000 - 100 1st century
100 - 200 2nd century
200 - 300 3rd century
300 - 400 4th century
400 - 500 5th century
500 - 600 6th century

note: the difference between angels and archangels? archangels have names. 4th century

catacombs

 

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old st. peters

info: lengthy, with links to descriptions of cultsarranged along a single longitudinal axis indebted to the layout of Greek temples. Greek temples faced the rising sun.see also basilica of constantinemodest cost, majestic simplicty, structural logic, strength. however, builders found new ideas in the east. arches directly from columns, zig-zags, no intervening entablature.Church opposite of classical temple - exterior and interior are opposite - classical - rich ext sparse interior - church reveresed simpe, exterior and rich interior - metaphor for spiuritual life??
artists of the catacombs probably replaced by official artists - as christianity becomes accepted - also - large architectural commisions meant more wall space had to be decorated

Sta. Costanzanote 1: arch
vault
corinthian columnnote 2: when you see octagons in architecture of this period, it is becuase the number 8 symbolized resurrection, the eighth day. (pg 217)Images of mosaics

(roman baths)compare with Sta. Costanza

sarcophagus of Junius Bassus, marble
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see desc pg 2265th century

good shepard, mosaic, ravenna
pg 220
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note: is this art as self expression (see your artist statements), or interior decoration?

note influences - christ is posed as greek philosopher
halo is from emperor as sun king - and the cross itself is roman device according to janson. where is an example?

the parting of lot and abraham, mosaic

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lot with his daughters heading toward sodom --abe towards canaan
sta maria maggiore rome
similar to COLUMN OF TRAJAN - simplified forms easier to see from a distance; shorthand devices (pg 221) symbols - see grape-cluster of heads

pg 221 foundation of chrstian art tradition takes 175 years and complete by 500 AD
note: betrayal of christ p221 and similarity of these mosaic forms to tetrartchs.6th century

jacob wrestling the angel , vienna genesis
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note: parchment, vellum, bleached animal hide, p224 - 225

S. Apollinare, Ravenna
Image/virtual tour(plug_in required) after constantine moves to Byzantium in 323, milan becomes capitol of western world.
in 402 ravenna becomes capitol after emp Honorus retreats from milan6th century

Byzantine

summary of byzantine/medieval

arts influenced by asia, persia, syria, coptic egypt. naturalistic representation is replaced by symbolic decoration. and why not look to the east? the west is being overun by barbarians. p 128 wd

map constantinople
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S Vitale, Ravenna p 230
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note: octogons favored symbol - 8th dayresurrection

Hagia Sophia p 232
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Justinian : fused greek, roman, oriental, christian into byzantine. mobs had burned down many existing structures. justinian rebuilt in the byzantine style. (p 130 - 131 wd)
10,000 workers
320,000 pounds of goldmosaic desc p 134

p 235 text

icons p 248 text
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cnote: see pgs 238 - 248 for middle and late byzantineThe Byzantine reliance on images of Jesus and the saints opposes the second Commandment which states, "Thou shalt not make graven images to worship", but the Church counsel decreed that since Christ had been incarnated in human form, it was necessary to represent him in the flesh. Link

Early Medieval

arms and armor/met animal style p 252

The animal style is the artwork created by Northern nomadic peoples of ancient and medieval Europe. They derive from the Germanic and Nordic countries, which were barbaric tribes, until missionaries christianized them during the Middle Ages. Since they had always been nomadic people, their art was focused on things that they could carry, and were generally functional objects (i.e., decorative swords, horse-trappings, ship prows, etc). In general, their styles were based on animal imagery, combined with an intricate interlacing of geometric lines. Link

illuminated_manuscripts p 254
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carolingian_art_pg_257
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lindau_gospels p 265 info : morgan library

Romanesque

During the eleventh century, a growing spirit of religious enthusiasm resulted in increased pilgrimage traffic, and the crusades to liberate the Holy Land. Large churches were constructed to house relics and accommodate visitors who sought the spiritual benefits of pilgrimage...Janson summary1. The year was 1095 CE, William the Conqueror had united England under one crown 30 years earlier. The French had been dividing properties amongst their sons for generations, causing bloodshed between brothers over small pieces of real estate. In reaction, Pope Urban II expanded "The Truce of God", which outlawed fighting from Sunday to Wednesday, and banned fighting involving priests, monks, women, laborers and merchants on any day of the week. Italy was a collection of city-states, constantly being overrun by invading hordes, the latest of which were the Normans, who had just started to become "civilized"...summary of the crusades

2. factors for new energy in arts:
a. the norse and saracen raids had been beaten off. the magyars had been tamed.
b. the crusades aroused a fever of creative energy, and brought back ideas and images from the byzantine and moslem east.
c. shipping, trade expanded, generating money for arts.
d. the church now embraced images instead of fearing them - they could use them as propoganda.
more p 845 Durant 11th_century

st sernin france p 276
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romanesque 12th_century

pisa baptistry and cathedral italy p 285
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Gothic

Gothic churches paid for by the poor. small donations in great numbers. huge crowds flocked to the masses. the cathedral provided a community center, place of worship, school for guilds, a bible isn stone. p 863 wd
built by master masons
towers - traditionally used for bells, and support for lateral and longitudinal pressure.
took 10, 20, even 100 years to complete. 872 wd
flying butresses - renaissance will reject - "a church with crutches" evolution of art : "there was a somber and static quality in byzantine art, a fragile and feminine elegance in arabic ornament, that could never represent the dynamic and masculine vitality of a rebarbarized and reinvigorated west." p 846 wd

12th/13th_century

notre dame paris
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history of gothic architecture images

Notes from Durant's 'Age of Faith'1. the middle ages (like any age of faith) discouraged individualism as insolent impiety - individuals were considered the hands of a larger group: the guild.2. much of the ancient greek and roman art had been destroyed by barbarians and the church. the church considered the body an instrument of satan, so study of anatomy dissappeared in the early medieval, replaced by gloomy faces and shapeless drapery.3. Monks perpetuated the artistic traditions and knowledge, yet a monestary tends to be a repository rather than a theatre for experimentation - it woud be up to the secular artist to take the lead.description of artists: p 847 Durant

13th_century  

cimabue/madonna enthroned
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durant: p 85

14th_century

duccio/madonna enthroned
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the annunciation of the death of the virgin (maesta altar)(pg 345 janson) shows us something we have never seen befor : two figures enclosed by an architectural interior.durant: p 854

giotto/the lamentation
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