Why art????

Why did prehistoric man create art?

Why did the Egyptians create art?

Why did the Greeks and Romans create art?

Why do we create art today?

Medieval Art

Time period is 400 AD – 1400 AD3 styles: Byzantine, Romanesque and Gothic

Fall of Roman Empire and rise of the Church led to a shift in thought from the “here and now” to the “hereafter”…focus not on the beauty of the human body (Greek/Roman focus) but now a focus on the human soul.

Medieval Art

The Medieval Era wasn’t just a time of “dark ages”…there were many bright spots in bookmaking, architecture, sculpture and especially stained glass.

The art was used to educate the illiterate public and was very symbolic in nature. It was about man’s place or station in life and the need to focus on the soul.

CHARTRES CATHEDRAL, FRANCE

• Mass and bulk of Roman architecture was replaced with a light, airy and vertical design.

• Cathedrals had “flying buttresses” that helped support the weight

• Interiors were full of stained glass and art that educated the people with narrative stories…reminded people of their low station in life but that all wasn’t lost

• Light filtered in through stained glass windows and eyes were directed UPWARD

Medieval architecture included:

• Pointed arches• Flying Buttresses• Gargoyles• Stained Glass • Frescoes

CHARTRES, FLYING BUTTRESSES

Mont St. Michel at low tide

REIMS CATHEDRAL, FRANCE

CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL, ENGLAND

The Altar and the Pulpit

Stained Glass

• Used to educate the people who couldn’t read and write…designs were narrative and symbolic

• Used to allow light into the Cathedrals and buildings…drew the eye upwards

• Used to add beauty to the interiors

Medieval Art

“Dance of Death” in Bern Cathedral in Switzerland.

Image from the plague era…here Death, in the form of a skeleton, takes the life of a wealthy man. His money can’t save him…this image was a reminder that death can come for anyone despite their position or status.

Stained Glass window examples

Examples of illuminated

manuscripts

DUCCIOMADONNA AND CHILD1278

Private altar/triptych about the Passions of the Christ

1. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE FEATURES/PARTS OF MEDIEVAL ARCHITECTURE?

2. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE FUNCTIONS THAT STAINED GLASS WINDOWS SERVED IN GOTHIC CATHEDRALS?

3. WHAT OTHER TYPES OF ARTWORK WAS CREATED IN MEDIEVAL TIMES?