Medieval Art – Universal History

The Late Middle Ages fascinate many people for its art, of which an enormous number of samples have been preserved. Like all art, the medieval art It was the expression of the mentality of that time.
However, medieval society underwent many changes between the 11th century and the 13th century. These changes were manifested in art, giving rise to two different styles: the romanesque and the gothic.
the romanesque it appeared in the 11th century in Western Europe, during the heyday of the feudal system: it was a country style. Nineteenth-century scholars gave it the name Romanesque because it was based, in large part, on the art of the early Christians in Rome.
the gothic, instead, originated in cities. The Renaissance called it derogatory Gothic, since they considered that this art was as primitive as the Goths. Today, however, the Gothic style has been revalued and is considered one of the most remarkable expressions of medieval art.
Both the Romanesque and the Gothic were Christian arts and their mission was to educate the faithful. Its artists were largely anonymous, since at that time no one signed their works.

Medieval art as an instrument of the Church

stone bibles

EI medieval art intended to instruct the people, who were illiterate, about the truths of Christianity. Art became the main means of propaganda for the Church. However, the Romanesque did not achieve this goal: its symbolic meaning and the form of its religious representations were very difficult to interpret, since they obeyed the taste of a minority: that of the clergy and the nobility.
This happened, for example, with images such as the capital seen in the photograph: it represents the scene called mystical mill, which indicates that Christianity received and elaborated the content of the ancient scriptures. With the Gothic, on the other hand, religious art ceased to be the mysterious language of a small group to become a mode of expression understood by almost everyone.

anonymous artists

When you see a beautiful work of art, the first thing you often ask is who made it. However, medieval artists will never be known, for back then, the artistic works were made in groups and were not signed. In the Middle Ages, the artists and craftsmen employed in the construction of a church were grouped into communities called lodges. The lodges were artistic guilds under the direction of persons appointed, generally, by the Church. Only at the end of the Gothic period, around the 14th century, did the artist break ties with the lodge, began to work alone and with it, to lose his anonymity. He then became an individual with ideas and a style and a name of his own.

Romanesque art in medieval art

From the year 1000, due to the enormous increase in ecclesiastical goods, the European fields were filled with churches and monasteries. These buildings were built in a new style, the Romanesque, which is considered the first great European art.
the romanesque style it was devised by the monks of Cluny to propagate Christianity. The Romanesque was a monastic art.
In the Middle Ages, the most important posts in the Church were reserved for nobles. Romanesque, which was an ecclesiastical art, therefore reflected the mentality of feudal nobles. This means that the Romanesque was an aristocratic art.
Finally, as Romanesque art developed during the feudal period, it was also a rural art, since at that time the majority of the population lived dispersed in the countryside.

The architecture of medieval art: God’s fortresses

Since the Romanesque was a Christian art, its most characteristic constructions were churches and monasteries. Romanesque constructions are imposing buildings that reflect the power of the Church. they have been called strengths of god, because they are big, firm and solid like the castles of that time. Other distinctive features of Romanesque architecture were:
– The use of semicircles in arches and vaults, called semicircular arches.
– The use of stone vaults or barrel vaultsthat is, vaults in the shape of a semicircle, to cover the naves of the church.
– The addition of towers to the facades.
– The construction of very thick walls with few openings to support the weight of the vaults.

The sculpture and painting of medieval art

Both the painting and the Romanesque sculpture were part of the building: they are subordinated to the architectural framework on which they rest. The sculpture was worked in stone, and the painting was worked on walls.
The fundamental characteristic of Romanesque sculpture and painting is its lack of realism. The representations of him are rigid and with few details. That is why they are inexpressive.
– The sculpture It is concentrated, above all, in the access portals and in the capitals. The preferred themes were the Last Judgment and the Passion of Christ. But in addition, images of work, daily life, and even monsters and allegorical figures were illustrated.
– The paint it was carried out directly on the walls of the churches. It was, therefore, frescoes, where the images of Christ or the Virgin with the child were preferably painted.

Imposing buildings of medieval art

Romanesque churches were imposing buildings. A chronicler of the time explained this sudden proliferation of churches in the countryside after the year 1000 by saying that it was as if the world had suddenly woken up and suddenly put on the white mantle of the churches. However, according to the art historian A. Hausser, the Romanesque churches were not built with the faithful in mind: they were too large and therefore never filled. These churches were built, according to this specialist, for the glory of God and to symbolize the supreme authority of the Church.

Romanesque themes

The most important themes of Romanesque sculpture were the Last Judgment and Passion of Christ. The Last Judgment was the favorite theme for the eardrums of the churches. This topic obeyed the general belief that in the year one thousand. Christ would return to Earth to later judge all men. The other theme, the Passion, was adapted to the feudal mentality: the aristocratic society of that time did not like the nude or humiliation, which they believed unworthy of God. That’s why. in the Romanesque Passions the Crucified is not depicted dejected on the cross, but almost in a firm position. As a rule, he is depicted with open eyes, wearing a crown and a dress.

Gothic art in medieval art

The Gothic style originated in France. The first Gothic constructions were made in Paris and nearby regions during the 12th century. Over the course of the next century, Gothic spread throughout Western Europe.
the gothic was product of urban and commercial renaissance of the Middle Ages: with commerce and in the cities the taste was refined. The bourgeois no longer satisfied with the Romanesque, simple and rough, and they wanted art to be a true object of value.
Then, the bourgeois financed a new style of construction in the cities. In this way the Gothic was born, which once again created truly beautiful artistic works. The Gothic was therefore a urban and bourgeois style.

The architecture

The main exponent of Gothic architecture was the cathedral, some of which reached more than 40 meters. Among the most famous are Notre Dame Cathedral, in Paris, and Reims Cathedral, also in France, and Cologne Cathedral, in Germany.
However, the new directions of the West led to the construction of urban monuments: the markets, where the merchants carried out their commercial activities, and the palaces, where the wealthiest bourgeois lived.
The fundamental characteristics of Gothic architecture are:

• The use of a pointed arch, the pointed arch, in windows and vaults. It was composed of two arches that intersected at an angle.
• The use of ribbed vaults, formed by two diagonally crossed arches. Thus the weight of the vault was conducted through the arches to four specific points, the walls were released from their support function, and they could be perforated to place stained glass windows.
• The construction of flying buttresses, exterior arches that propped up the vaults to better support the building.
• The elevation of the ships, which gave their constructions a very slender appearance.

sculptures and stained glass

Like the Romanesque, the Gothic sculpture was made of stone and formed part of the building. However, the figures were represented with more details, they acquired greater movement and naturalness. That is why the sculpture became more human.
The most notable statues were placed on both sides of the portals of the cathedrals. This made it possible for the faithful to view episodes of sacred history from outside the church.
Once inside, the stained glass windows fulfilled the same didactic function and at the same time, they gave light to the space.

God is happy with everything

Unlike the Romanesque, the Gothic was concerned with details in its works of art. This change was due to a new religious trend preached by Saint Thomas Aquinas, one of the most important theologians of the Middle Ages. Saint Thomas wrote: God rejoices in all things, because each and every one is in harmony with his Essence.. These simple words were the religious justification of Gothic art: all things, no matter how small, were related to the Lord. All, therefore, expressed the divine in their own way. For this reason, from the Gothic period, the Church considered that everything was worthy of representation.

stained glass art

The Gothic stained glass windows were made so that the colored light that entered through the windows would give the faithful the feeling that there was definitely a divine presence in the churches. Like many other inventions of the Middle Ages, stained glass windows were of oriental origin. Apparently Venice was the first center of the glass industry in Europe. The evolution of the Gothic style gave this industry a huge boost, as a greater demand for glass soon arose. Despite this, glass was always expensive and scarce in the Middle Ages.