History of art, Art from Medieval time period

Medieval Era
 The Middle Ages are a time period in
European history. ... This period of time
is also known as the Medieval Age, the
Dark Ages (due to the lost technology of
the Roman empire), or the Age of Faith
(because of the rise of Christianity and
Islam).

 People use the phrase “Middle Ages” to
describe 1000 or so years of Europe
between the fall of Rome in 476 CE and
the beginning of the Renaissance in the
14th century.
 Many scholars call the era the “medieval
period” instead; “Middle Ages,” they say,
incorrectly implies that the period is an
insignificant blip (malfunction) sandwiched
between two much more important

 The period of European history which we
call “Medieval” is usually regarded as
consisting of the thousand years or so
between the fall of the Roman empire in
the west (around 400 CE), through to the
start of the Italian Renaissance (in c.
1400).

 The term was coined by later historians,
and means “Middle Ages”, which might
today be rendered as “in-between times”
– that period which came after the high
civilizations of the Greeks and Romans ,
and before the high civilization of the
Renaissance: an age of barbarism,
ignorance, illiteracy and violence.

 Modern historians regard these centuries
as the cradle of the modern age, a time
when many elements of our society which
we value – democracy, industrialization,
science and so on, had their roots. It was
one of the most fascinating and
transformative eras in world history.

 We still get an echo of this in the ideas
surrounding the term “Gothic” – dark, gloomy,
sinister.
 In fact, though, modern historians regard these
centuries as the cradle of the modern age, a
time when many elements of our society which
we value – democracy, industrialisation, science
and so on, had their roots.
 It was one of the most fascinating and
transformative eras in world history.

Changing frontiers
 By definition the civilization of medieval Europe
lay in Europe.
 However, in terms of those features we
associate with medieval society –
feudalism, chivalry (knights, nobleman,
horsemen) , Christendom (society of
Christians) and so on – the location changed
over time, and never really covered all of
Europe.
 Northern Italy and much of eastern Europe, for
example, never became fully feudal societies;
large tracts of Spain did not belong to
Christendom for many centuries; the concept of
chivalry only came to the fore comparatively late

 The roots of many medieval elements of society
had their geographical origins in the provinces of
the late Roman empire, mainly Gaul
(France), Spain and Italy.
 When the Roman empire collapsed and these
provinces were overrun by barbarian tribes, the
fusion between Roman and German cultures
eventually produced a recognizably “feudal”
society – which is one of the defining feature of
medieval European civilization (though the word
“feudalism” needs some careful handling).

 This distinguishes the areas of the old
western Roman empire from that of
the eastern Roman empire.
 Here, Roman power survived for a
thousand years longer than in the west,
centered on Constantinople.
 Modern scholars describe this as
the Byzantine empire, and it came to
influence much of eastern Europe.

 Western Europe, plus those parts of northern and central
Europe which became part of the same cultural
community, formed a very distinct society in medieval
times: a civilization whose roots lay in the Christian,
Latin-speaking provinces of the late Roman empire and
the Germanic kingdoms which succeeded them.
 As time went by, the borders of this civilization changed.
 Peripheral (small/ unimportant) areas were
added: England in the 6th century, the Low Countries in
the 7th, the German people in the 8th and 9th centuries,
and the Scandinavians and western Slavic people in the
10th and 11th centuries.
 Meanwhile, much of Spain was lost when the Muslims
seized it in the early 8th century, and only gradually
regained.

 Medieval European society grew out of the
ruins of the Roman empire.
 From the 5th century onwards, barbarian
invasions led to the disintegration of
Roman power in the western provinces.
 These territories also experienced a sharp
decline in material civilisation.
 A literate, complex urban society gave way
to an almost illiterate, much simpler and
more rural one.

 Much, however, continued from one era to the next.
 Most notably, the Christian Church survived the fall of
the Roman empire to become the predominant cultural
influence in medieval Europe.
 The Latin language continued in use as the language of
the Church.
 Much of the learning of Greece and Rome was preserved
by the Church, and Roman law influenced the law codes
of the barbarian kingdoms.
 Late Roman art and architecture continued in use for
the few stone church buildings still being erected, and
eventually would evolve into the medieval Romanesque
and Gothic styles.

Society
 For most of the Middle Ages, European society was
almost entirely rural, with a very simple social structure:
nobles at the top, peasants at the bottom, and very few
people in between.
 During the later part of the period, however, trade
expanded and towns becoming larger and more
numerous.
 More people joined the “middle classes” between
peasants and lords: such groups as merchants,
craftsmen, shopkeepers and so on.
 The numerically tiny fief-holding aristocracy of nobles
and knights lived in castles, manor houses and, when in
town, mansions.

 They were supported economically by the
labour of the peasants, who formed the
great majority of the population.
 The peasants lived in small scattered
villages and hamlets (small town/ village
without church), working the land and
doing a host of other jobs to provide for
their everyday needs.

 A small but growing minority of the population
(between 5 and 10%) lived in the few towns,
which were tiny by modern standards.
 These townsmen worked as merchants,
craftsmen and laborers.
 Other groups in society were churchmen, and
also some communities of people, such as Jews,
who were not really fully accepted members of
the wider society.

Medieval French manuscript illustration of
the three classes of medieval society

Definition
 Fief: A piece of land held on certain
condition
 Serfs: Peasants
 Tieth: Tax
 Vassal: Person receiving land
 Feudal: Word feudal is from fief
 Manor house: Large country house with
land
 Mansion: A large, impressive house.

Medieval History
 Medieval Life and Times encompass one of the most
exciting and turbulent times in English and European
History.
 The Medieval people of the Middle Ages and Dark Ages
were warlike, they sought to conquer new lands and
have even been described as barbaric.
 The crusades (campaign/ war) exposed the English and
the Europeans to a more refined society and the great
Eastern fortresses which influenced Medieval
architecture.

 The elegance of the Far East, with its silks,
tapestries, precious stones, perfumes,
spices, pearls, and ivory prompted a
change in society with a new and
exceptional interest in beautiful objects
and elegant manners and new routes
for Medieval Trade.
 But meanwhile the Medieval Battles for
new territory and power raged on in
Medieval History.

Medieval History of
Feudalism
 The Medieval history of feudalism covers
the main European countries.
 The disintegration of Europe following the
departure and power of the Romans
slowly led to European Feudalism.
 From France feudalism spread to the
major European countries including
Germany, Spain, Italy, Scandinavia,
England and the Slavic countries.

THE MIDDLE AGES: THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH
 After the fall of Rome, no single state or
government united the people who lived
on the European continent.
 Instead, the Catholic Church became the
most powerful institution of the medieval
period.
 Kings, queens and other leaders derived
much of their power from their alliances
with and protection of the Church.

 Ordinary people across Europe had to
“tithe” (tax) 10 percent of their earnings
each year to the Church; at the same
time, the Church was mostly exempt from
taxation. These policies helped it to
accumulate a great deal of money and
power.

THE RISE OF ISLAM
 Meanwhile, the Islamic world was growing
larger and more powerful.
 After the prophet Muhammad’s death in
632 CE, Muslim armies conquered large
parts of the Middle East, uniting them
under the rule of a single caliph.
 At its height, the medieval Islamic world
was more than three times bigger than all
of Christendom.

 Under the caliphs, great cities such as Cairo, Baghdad
and Damascus fostered a vibrant intellectual and cultural
life.
 Poets, scientists and philosophers wrote thousands of
books (on paper, a Chinese invention that had made its
way into the Islamic world by the 8th century).
 Scholars translated Greek, Iranian and Indian texts into
Arabic. Inventors devised technologies like the pinhole
camera, soap, windmills, surgical instruments, an early
flying machine and the system of numerals that we use
today.
 And religious scholars and mystics translated, interpreted
and taught the Quran and other scriptural texts to
people across the Middle East.

THE MIDDLE AGES: THE
CRUSADES
 Toward the end of the 11th century, the Catholic
Church began to authorize military expeditions,
or Crusades, to expel Muslim “infidels” from the
Holy Land.
 Crusaders, who wore red crosses on their coats
to advertise their status, believed that their
service would guarantee the remission of their
sins and ensure that they could spend all
eternity in Heaven.
 (They also received more worldly rewards, such
as papal protection of their property and
forgiveness of some kinds of loan payments.)

 The Crusades began in 1095, when Pope Urban
summoned a Christian army to fight its way to
Jerusalem, and continued on and off until the end of the
15th century.
 No one “won” the Crusades; in fact, many thousands of
people from both sides lost their lives.
 They did make ordinary Catholics across Christendom
feel like they had a common purpose, and they inspired
waves of religious enthusiasm among people who might
otherwise have felt alienated from the official Church.
 They also exposed Crusaders to Islamic literature,
science and technology–exposure that would have a
lasting effect on European intellectual life.

THE MIDDLE AGES:
ECONOMICS AND SOCIETY
 In medieval Europe, rural life was governed by a
system scholars call “feudalism.”
 In a feudal society, the king granted large pieces
of land called fiefs to noblemen and bishops.
 Landless peasants known as serfs did most of
the work on the fiefs: They planted and
harvested crops and gave most of the produce
to the landowner.
 In exchange for their labor, they were allowed to
live on the land.
 They were also promised protection in case of
enemy invasion.

Agricultural innovation and Trade
with East
 During the 11th century, however, feudal life began to
change.
 Agricultural innovations such as the heavy plow and
three-field crop rotation made farming more efficient and
productive, so fewer farm workers were needed–but
thanks to the expanded and improved food supply, the
population grew.
 As a result, more and more people were drawn to towns
and cities. Meanwhile, the Crusades had expanded trade
routes to the East and given Europeans a taste for
imported goods such as wine, olive oil and luxurious
textiles.
 As the commercial economy developed, port cities in
particular thrived. By 1300, there were some 15 cities in
Europe with a population of more than 50,000.

 In these cities, a new era was born: the
Renaissance.
 The Renaissance was a time of great
intellectual and economic change, but it
was not a complete “rebirth”: It had its
roots in the world of the Middle Ages.

 Although once regarded as a time of uninterrupted
ignorance, superstition, and social oppression, the
Middle Ages are now understood as a dynamic period
during which the idea of Europe as a distinct cultural unit
emerged.
 During late antiquity and the early Middle Ages, political,
social, economic, and cultural structures were profoundly
reorganized, as Roman imperial traditions gave way to
those of the Germanic peoples who established
kingdoms in the former Western Empire.
 New forms of political leadership were introduced, the
population of Europe was gradually Christianized,
and monasticism was established as the ideal form of
religious life.

 These developments reached their mature form
in the 9th century during the reign
of Charlemagne and other rulers of
the Carolingian dynasty, who oversaw a broad
cultural revival known as the Carolingian
renaissance.
 (Pope Leo III named the Frankish
king Charlemagne the “Emperor of the
Romans”–the first since that empire’s fall more
than 300 years before. Over time,
Charlemagne’s realm became the Holy Roman
Empire, one of several political entities in Europe
whose interests tended to align with those of the

 In the central, or high, Middle Ages, even more dramatic
growth occurred.
 The period was marked by economic and territorial
expansion, demographic and urban growth, the
emergence of national identity, and the restructuring
of secular (worldly) and religious (ecclesiastical/church)
institutions.
 It was the era of the Crusades, Gothic art and
 architecture, the papal monarchy (State
 controlled by Popes), the birth of the university,
 the recovery of ancient Greek thought, and the
soaring intellectual achievements of St. Thomas
Aquinas (c. 1224–74)( philosopher, church’s
Doctor).

 It has been traditionally held that by the 14th
century the dynamic force
of medieval civilization had been spent and that
the late Middle Ages were characterized by
decline and decay.
 Europe did indeed suffer disasters of war,
famine, and plague in the 14th century, but
many of the underlying social, intellectual, and
political structures remained intact.
 In the 15th and 16th centuries, Europe
experienced an intellectual and economic revival,
conventionally called the Renaissance, that laid
the foundation for the subsequent expansion of
European culture throughout the world.

 Many historians have questioned the
conventional dating of the beginning and end of
the Middle Ages, which were never precise in
any case and cannot be located in any year or
even century.
 Some scholars have advocated extending the
period defined as late antiquity (c. 250–
c. 750 CE) into the 10th century or later, and
some have proposed a Middle Ages lasting from
about 1000 to 1800.
 Still others argue for the inclusion of the old
periods Middle Ages, Renaissance,
and Reformation into a single period beginning
in late antiquity and ending in the second half of
the 16th century.

Division
 This thousand-year long period can be divided into
three main phases, of unequal length
i. The five-plus centuries after the fall of Rome (up to
c.1000) have been called the Dark Ages
ii. The period of the High Middle Ages, from about
1000 to 1350, was the high water mark of medieval
civilization
iii. about 1350 to 1500 the period of the late Middle
Ages was a time of transition, seeing the emergence
of modern Europe.

Early Medieval Period
 The Early Middle Ages or Early
Medieval Period, lasting from the 5th to
the 10th century CE, marked the start of
the Middle Ages of European history.
The Early Middle Ages followed the
decline of the Western Roman Empire and
preceded the High Middle Ages (c. 10th
to 13th centuries).

 The five-plus centuries after the fall of
Rome (up to c.1000) have been called the
Dark Ages
 witnessed a dramatic decline in the level
of material civilization.
 Long distance trade shrank, the currency
collapsed, the economy mostly reverted to
barter, and the towns diminished in size.
 Literacy, and with it learning, all but
vanished.

 European society was reshaped with the
rise of self-sufficient estates or manors
(State owned large country houses/ district covered by
police station/ area under state), then of horse-
soldiers (knights), and finally of feudalism.
 The Christian Church, already highly
influential by the time of the western
Roman empire’s fall, strengthened its hold
on society.

 During the Early Middle
Ages, the Catholic Church
financed many projects,
and the oldest examples of
Christian art survive in the
Roman catacombs, or burial
crypts beneath the city.
 By 350 AD, the Church had two power centers,
Rome in the West and Constantinople (the
capital of the Byzantine Empire) in the East.

 Medieval artists decorated churches
and works for public
appreciation using
classical themes.
 For example,
Roman mosaics
made of small
stone cubes called
tesserae offered
Christian scenery.

 In about 350 AD, Rome’s Santa Costanza,
a mausoleum built for Constantine’s
daughter, included a vault decorated with
mosaics.


 Nearby, in Santa Maria Maggiore, the
mosaic called Melchizedek Offering Bread
and Wine to Abraham was constructed 80
years later.
 Early Christian mosaics used muted colors
like classical mosaics, but in the fourth
century, mosaicists moved to brighter
colors and patterns.

High middle age (Romanesque)
 The period of the High Middle Ages, from
about 1000 to 1350, was the high water
mark of medieval civilization, leaving a
durable legacy in the soaring
cathedrals and massive
castles which sprang up
all over Europe.

 We call those time as HIGH time which
had stability, during which the era
prospered, e.g. high civilization of Greeks
or Romans.

 It took five plus centuries to get back to
stability.
 Once stable Christian churches took over
everything and spent a lot on Cathedrals
and castles which were a marvel in art.

 At the beginning of the eleventh century,
Romanesque architecture symbolized the
growing wealth of European cities and the
power of Church
monasteries.
 For example,
Romanesque buildings,
especially monasteries
and churches, were
marked by semi-circular
arches, thick stone walls,
and stable construction.

 In 1070 or 1077 AD, St. Sernin, located in
Toulouse, France, was built with a stone
barrel vault ceiling.
 St. Sernin is remembered as a model of
the Romanesque
“pilgrimage
church.”

Late Middle ages
 From about 1350 to 1500 the period of the late Middle
Ages was a time of transition, seeing the emergence
of modern Europe.
 It opened with the Black Death, which swept through
Europe, killing perhaps a third of its people and having a
huge impact on society.
 It ended with such developments as the
o Italian Renaissance,
o the fall of Constantinople,
o the Age of Discovery, and
o the spread of printing.

The fall of Constantinople
 1453
 With the end of Roman Era the Byzantine
Era (Eastern Rome) also came to an end.
 Looked for allies but no luck
 Turned to prayers (Christianity)
 Ottoman (Turks/Muslims) took over
Constantinople, capital of Byzantine.

 The Gothic style developed in
the middle of the twelfth
century and is named after
the Goths who ruled France.
Some contemporaries of the
Goths thought the use of
figures such as gargoyles was
hideous, but Gothic
cathedrals represent the most
beautiful and timeless
accomplishments of the period.

 For example, Notre Dame Cathedral in
Paris has been added to many times since
the twelfth century, but it still bears
important Gothic features such as
gargoyles and flying buttresses.

Medieval Art
 The medieval period of art history spans
from the fall of the Roman Empire in 300
AD to the beginning of the Renaissance in
1400 AD. In the Middle Ages, art evolves
as humans continue addressing the
traditional and the new, including Biblical
subjects, Christian dogma, and Classical
mythology. This article introduces a few
concepts of three periods—Early Christian,
Romanesque, and Gothic.

Comparison
 There are plenty of ways to analyze
900 years of medieval art,
including examining decorations inside
churches.
 Human forms such as the Madonna and
Baby Jesus evolve from large heads on
small bodies in Early Christianity to
abstract forms in the Romanesque era.
 In the Gothic era, the Madonna and Child
are more naturalistic with tall, bony
figures.

 Even the facial features of the Madonna
and Child changed over 900 years.
 By the Gothic era in France, Mary had an
approachable, warm countenance,
signaling the Church’s recognition that
images should attract people instead of
intimidating them.
 In the Renaissance, artists would become
bolder about exploring the themes of
Christianity even in works commissioned
by the Church.

Medieval Art and Architecture -
An Expression of the Spiritual
 Medieval art illustrates the passionate interest and
idealistic expression of the Christian and Catholic faith.
Architectural designs and their interior décor showed
avid expressions of the deep religious faith of the people
of the Middle Ages.
 This was an era when political order was almost non-
existent, and every common man or woman had no
hope in life and little to live for, except the hope of
happiness and peace in heaven.
 The churches served as the centre of town life and were
designed and built by the people and not the clergy.
They served other purposes that met the requirements
of their daily life, with many housing schools, libraries,
museums, and picture galleries.

History - Christian Art and
Religious iconography
 Christian art and religious iconography
began, about two centuries after the
death of Jesus Christ. Christian art and
religious iconography was originally based
on the classical art styles and imagery
used by the Ancient Greeks and
the Ancient Romans. In the period
encompassing Medieval art iconography
began to be standardised and to relate
more closely to the texts found in the
Bible.

Main Divisions of Middle Ages
Art
 Medieval art is generally divided into
different types, each of which was
expressed differently in different regions
and at different times. They are:
 The Byzantine period
 Early Christian period
 Romanesque and Norman period
 Gothic period

Byzantine Art (330 -1453)
 The capital of the Roman Empire was Byzantium which was
renamed as Constantinople.
 The Roman Empire was split into two sections - the Eastern and
Western part of the Roman Empire.
 The Western part of the Roman Empire disintegrated but the
Eastern, or Byzantium Empire, stayed intact.
 Early Medieval Art reflect the differences between the development
of the Catholic religion in the west and the Byzantium Empire of the
east.
 Byzantine Art was the name given to the style of art used in very
early years of this era or period.
 This period was also known as the Dark Ages ( 410 AD - 1066 AD ).
 The Dark Ages were followed by the Medieval times of the Middle
Ages (1066 - 1485) and changes which saw the emergence of the
early Renaissance Art.

Byzantine Art (330 -1453)
 Byzantine art was developed in Constantinople, then the
capital of the Eastern Roman Empire.
 This style was characterized by a combination of Roman
and Oriental arts, with dome ceilings being typical
features.
 The iconoclastic (radical) movement at the time
absolutely forbade the use of human or animal forms in
their artworks.
 According to the history of art, such forms were
regarded by the Byzantine as idolatry and 'graven
images', which were frowned upon in the Ten
Commandments.
 The architecture of the churches was not only brilliant
and grandiose but mostly reflected the wealth and
intellectual level of their designers and builders.

Early Christian Art (330 -
880)
 This was developed (to some extent) in countries
bordering the eastern Mediterranean region, but
primarily in central Italy.
 Churches and monuments were constructed with stones
found in the ruins of pagan temples.
 The Early Christian art forms developed after the people
of the Roman Empire officially adopted Christianity.
 They had features which included flat ceilings, semi-
circular arched forms, elaborately panelled flat wood
ceilings, and straight high walls with small window
openings at the topmost parts of the structures.
 Interiors were rich and elaborate with mosaics on the
walls, ornately framed paintings, and marble
incrustations.

Early Art in what was the
Western Empire - Romanesque
Art
 The Western Empire (Europe) was
dominated by warring factions and their
quest for conquest and power .
 Early Medieval Art was initially restricted
to the production of Pietistic painting
(religious Christian art) in the form of
illuminated manuscripts, mosaics and
fresco paintings in churches.
 There were no portrait paintings. The
colors were generally muted.

Romanesque and Norman
Medieval Art Forms (800 -
1150)
 The styles of this period were developed in France and other
Western regions.
 They are characterized by simple structural forms with window and
door openings designed with semi-circular arched top sections.
 The term 'Romanesque art' refers to medieval styles of art that were
greatly influenced by Italy and Southern France.
 This same style was taken to the shores of England by William the
Conqueror where it became known as Norman art and continued
until it evolved into the Gothic forms of the 12th century.
 Romanesque buildings were huge, strong and almost foreboding in
appearance but they had simple surface enrichment showcasing the
simplistic ways of life of the planners who were monks.
 Architectural forms were basically interpretations of their own
concept of Roman architecture.

Gothic Art - Advances and
Styles
 The Later Middle Ages saw the emergence
of Gothic Art and major advances of art in
Medieval Times.
 During this period artists broke away from
the influences of the Byzantium and
Romanesque art style. It developed into
Gothic highly visual art.
 The artists and painters were founders of
the movement towards greater realism
which culminated in the Renaissance art
style.

Gothic Art and Architecture
(1150 -1500)
 "Verticality" is emphasized in Gothic art and architecture, which
feature almost skeletal stone structures and great expanses of
stained glass showing biblical stories, pared-down wall surfaces, and
extremely pointed arches.
 Furniture designs were ‘borrowed’ from their architectural forms and
structures with arches, pillars, and rigid silhouettes.
 Through the Gothic period, building construction was constantly
geared towards lightness of forms but with enormous spiked heights
to the extent that there were times when over ornamentation
coupled with delicate structural forms made their structures
collapse.
 The structural collapse was, of course, imminent because
construction methods never followed scientific principles but were
rather done by mere 'rule of thumb'.
 Only when many buildings started to collapse before they were
completed did they then rebuild them with stronger and sturdier
supports.

 All in all, medieval art, the art of the Middle
Ages, covered an enormous scope of time and
place. It existed for over a thousand years, not
only in the European region but also the Middle
East and North Africa. It included not only major
art movements and eras but also regional art,
types of art, the medieval artists and their works
as well.
 And because religious faith was the way of life,
the history of art of the Middle Ages tells us
about social, political and historical events,
through the building of church cathedrals and
eclectic structures that were erected in
practically every town and city in the region.

Advances of Art - the
Artists
 The advances of art during these times
was due to the changes in more liberal
religious beliefs and the efforts and the
pioneering art styles developed by the
artists, sculptors and painters of the
period of the Middle Ages.
 The most important and famous artists
and sculptors of the Middle Ages included
Donatello, Giotto, Leon Battista Alberti,
Cimabue, Filippo Brunelleschi, Fra Angelico
and Lorenzo Ghiberti.

Advances of Art - the Women
Artists
 The advances of art in relation to women
artists was due to the changes in more
liberal religious beliefs and the efforts and
the pioneering art styles developed by the
female artists, illuminators, sculptors and
painters. Many women took religious
orders during this period and were
allowed to work on such projects as
creating the most beautiful illuminated
manuscripts.

Different Types of Medieval
Art
 Medieval art increased from the type depicted in Pietistic painting (religious paintings)
in the form displayed in illuminated manuscripts, mosaics and fresco paintings in
churches. Medieval art included the following art by type:
 Illuminated manuscript (decorated hand written book)
 Metalwork especially bronze art
 Silversmith and Goldsmith and new forms of jewelry
 Painting
 Fresco (Painting done on plaster)
 Panel painting (painting on wooden panel single or multiple)
 Embroidery and tapestry art such as the Bayeux Tapestry (thread art on thick cloth)
 Ceramic art
 Mosaic
 Tessera (small block of stone, glass or tile used in mosaic construction)
 Sculpture
 Engraving
 Stained Glass art
 Heraldry (military medals)

History of art, Art from Medieval time period

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