medieval era.pdf

7/21/2019 MEDIEVAL ERA.pdf

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MEDIEVAL ERA


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Medieval Era

Introduction

Illuminated Manuscripts

Byzantine Art

c.500-800 - Early Medieval Art

c.780-900 - Carolingian Art

c.900-1000 - Ottonian Art

c.1000-1200 - Romanesque Art

c.1200-1400 - Gothic Art

(smarthistory.khanacademy.org)
http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/


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In about 395AD, the Empire was segmented into the East and WestDominions

Te Eastern half of the Roman Empire thrived as the sophisticated Byzantinesociety. Te cities in the western half of Roman Empire degenerated and

became small villages.

Shortly aferward, 476AD, the Eastern Empire was overrun by Germanicbarbarians who ransacked and looted cities, leading to their eventual break-down.

East Constantinople (Byzantium) maintain a continuous sovereignty.

West Rome disintegrated. Broke up into contesting Barbarians kingdoms.

Migration Period Barbarian kingdoms - Franks, Burgundians, Visigoths,Anglo-Saxons, Lombards and others


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*An interval between the passing of the Roman empire and the

rebirth of its civilizations (two great civilizations)

In 325AD, Constantine ends Christian persecution.

Medieval civilization Interrelationship ofa. Christianity,b. Greco-Roman tradition and thec. new energetic spirit of the Celtic- Germanic people Barbarians

Connote: Empty, cruel, and dark


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*An interval between the passing of the Roman empire andthe rebirth of its civilizations (two great civilizations)

Feudal CommunitiesAn economic system where serfs work for the

lord in exchange for protection gradually tookhold throughout the lands.

Each feudal lord set up a small self-sufficientcommunity, there was no need for interactingwith other people and only limited need oftrading.

Tis medieval communities were usuallysurrounded by a protective wall or set up on ahigh land mass for protection; all of the noblesand serfs lived within the wall.


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Illumination manuscripts:Technically, it is a handmade book of the

medieval period that is embellished withprecious metals, jewellery, especially gold leaf,that reect light in a luminous manner.

Tey are small, portable objects that made upthe nomads gear during the migration period.

Illuminated books became an important vehicleof the medieval art.


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Illumination manuscripts:Te vibrant luminosity of gold leaf, as it reected

light from the pages of handwritten books, gavethe sensation of the page being literallyilluminated; this dazzling effect gave birth to theterm illuminated manuscript.

Two great traditions of manuscript illuminationare the Eastern in Islamic countries and the

Western in Europe, dating from classical antiquity.

Sacred writings held great meaning for Christians,Jews and Muslims


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MonasticismA system by which communities of persons liveaway from the world and dedicated themselves tothe spiritual life,

Was instituted in the Eastern Christian world byBasil in the fourth century and in the west byBenedict in the sixth century.

Te Celts of Ireland, converted to Christianity in thefh century.


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Parchment as a writing surface (190 BC)

> Scroll vs Codex

> Te development of Codex book

> Greek word Pergamene meaning skin from Pergogmon.

> Library-building competition Ptolemy V placed an embargoon papyrus shipments to prevent Eumenes from continuing hisproduction scrolls.

> Parchment production

> Advantages and disadvantages


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Te development of books-Codex

With the production of parchment as writing surface around 100AD, the development of books aswe know them began. Te form of a book, or codex, with a lef, verso and right, reto page began to bedeveloped at this time.

Te clumsy process of unrolling and rolling scrolls to look up information yielded to the quickprocess of opening a codex to the desired page. Cumbersome papyrus gives way to sheets of

parchments bound together as a codex; thus the book proper is born.

Te vertical strips on the back of a papyrus stroll make writing on both sides impractical. Both sidesof the parchment pages in a codex could be used for writing, storage space and material costs bothdropped.

Te durability and permanence of the codex appealed to christians because their writings wereconsidered sacred. With a whole pantheon of gods and little clear distinction between god and man,pagan scholars were less inclined to revere their religious writings.

Traditionally, pagan writings were on scrolls. Christians were involved in comparative study ofdifferent texts. It is easy to have several codices open on a table but virtually impossible to haveseveral scrolls unrolled for comparative reference.

Christians sought the codex format to alienate themselves from the pagan scroll pagans clung totheir scrolls in resistance to Christianity.


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Te making of a manuscripts -

Parchment Production


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Parchment Production

A writing surface made from the skins of domestic animals particularly calves,sheep and goats

Tese rened leather sheets are made by rst washing the skin and removing allhair or wool, then, the skin is stretched tightly on a fame and scraped to removeall traces of hair or esh. Afer been whiten with chalk, it is smoothed withpumice. (a light porous kind of lava use rubbing stains from the skin or aspowder for polishing things.)

Parchment is larger, more durable and

exible than papyrus sheet, it had asmoother surface and became very popular as a writing surface. Te highestquality of parchment is called Vellum and is make from the smooth skins ofnewborn calves.

Vellum comes from the Old French velin, meaning calf. It does not soak up inkor paint and so preserves the original colours better.


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Copisti A production letterer.


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- Miniature [minium]- Illuminator


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Graphic terminology

Ornaments

Carpet page

Interlaces

Lacertines

Diminuendo

Ligature

Monogram

Textura

Uncial

Half-Uncial


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Book of Kells AD794-806

Ornaments

Diminuendo

Ligature

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the initial page of the Breves Causae of St. Matthew.Te initial N dominates this page of illumination.Te decoration incorporates geometric and interlaced animaldesigns which are echoed in the border. A panel of ornamentalsquare-form letters is encased by the border and was a feature ofthese decorative page.Ligature: consisting of two or more joined letters, e.g. , .


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Lindisfarne Gospels AD698

Ornaments

Carpet page

Interlaces

Lacertines

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Ornaments: full page of decorative designInterlaces: Two dimensional decoration formed by a numberof ribbons or strips woven into a complex yet symmetricaldesignTe inscribed cross regularizes the rhythms of the serpentinesand seems to heighten the effect. Te motives are placed in

detailed symmetries, with inversions, reversals, and repetitionsthat must be closely studied with the magnifying glass if onewould appreciate not so much their variety as their mazelikecomplexity.

Te zoomophic forms are intermingled with clusters andknots of line, and the whole design pulses and vibrates like an

electromagnetic energy eld.Te colour is rich yet cool, theentire spectrum being embraced but in hues of low intensity.Shape and colour are so adroitly adjusted that a smooth andperfectly even surface is achieved, a balance between anoverall, steady harmony of colour with maximum motion ofgure and line.


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Te book of Durrow AD680> Diminuendo: A decreasing scale ofgraphic information

> Ligature: Character composed of two ormore letterform which are joined into a

single graphic con

guration

Letter style> Uncial: Which were written on four guidelines that were one inch apart. Tese uncialare the precursor of upper and lowercaseletters. Roundness, diminished serifs and

new subtle ascenders and descender.

> Half-Uncial: Began to appear aroundAD600. Aim to save parchment, and todevelop beautiful letterforms for the sacredtext that were quick to write. Te foundationfor lowercase was established.


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Book of Kells AD794-806Chi-Rho initial page> Monogram: Tree letters of thealphabet to convey a transcendentalspiritual expression of deep religious

faith.>Lacertines: Most commonly foundin Celtic Art, are interlaces created byanimal forms. Interlaces are a two-dimensional decoration formed by anumber of ribbons or straps woveninto a complex, usually symmetrical

design.T

e art is intricate, of

enincorporating animals into theelaborate twisting knots, and maze-likeweavings. Some of the most commonanimals used in lacertines are snakes,birds, lions, and dogs.


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Graphic terminology

Douce Apocalypse, AD1265

Page layout

Column

Margin

Indentation

Texture (Black Letter)


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Types of Manuscripts

Bible- Bible was among the largest books produced during the early Middle Ages, somemeasuring as much as 50cmx35cm, often in two or more volumes. These large bibles wereprimarily intended for monasteries and religious institutions, to be read out aloud at lecternsduring services or at meal times, and to be studied.

Psalters- Psalters consisted primarily of the 150 psalms. They were in the main devotional orstudy books, and the most popular lay persons book before the books of hours in the late 13thcentury. Traditionally, the psalms were preceded by Calendar pages, illustrated with the labours ofthe twelve months of the year, signs of the zodiac, and a list of saints days, including those foimportance to the patron or owner. They also contained other texts and prayers, chosen by thewoner or person commissioning the book.

Book of the Hours- Book of Hours were best-sellers in the late Middle Ages, owned by royalty,nobles and the rich alike, and could even, by the 15thcentury, be purchased in shops. Theirpopularity was due to a change in the churchs attitude to personal devotion in the 13thcentury,coupled with increasing literacy and an enormous growth in wealth during the 14thand 15thcenturies. Many were small, pocket-sized, and easily portable.


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Apocalypses- The Apocalypses is the last book in the New Testament, also known as the Bookof Revelations. The text of the Apocalypses deals with the visions experienced by the apostle St.John, many of them concerned with the end of the world.

Musical Manuscripts- The gradual was the main choir book that was utilised during Masses;the antiphonal contained sung portions of the Divine Office. All medieval churches would havehad both books which were usually large, commonly measuring 60cm x 45cm, so that the wholechoir could gather around and sing from the one text.

Life of Saints- These recounted episodes from saints lives, both real and apocryphal, includingmiracles and martyrdoms. The texts of their lives became increasingly popular following theproduction during the 13thcentury of the Gold Legend, a compilation by Jacobus de Voragine of

saints lives, and that of the Virgin Mary.

Histories and Chronicles- Medieval royalty and nobles enjoyed studying history, both ancientand contemporary, actual and imagined. They took great delight in biblical histories as well asthe classical histories by Livy and Herodotus, and in the stories of Troy, and of Alexander theGreat. Royal and noble patrons were anxious to trace back their lineage to known and heroicfigures, and to bask in their glory.


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Antique Texts- There was a vast legacy of Antique texts throughout Europe during the MiddleAges. Latin and Greek copies of classical history, philosophy, poetry, geography and naturalhistory were collected, translated and read by both churchmen and lay persons.

Bestiaries- Bestiaries were books for private use, containing descriptions and tales of animals,birds, and imaginary and fantastic creatures. The text for bestiaries drew heavily on the Greek

text, the Physiologus, thought to have been compiled in the 2ndcentury BC and which wastranslated into Latin in the 5thcentury AD

Herbals- Herbal, largely books of science and medicine for practitioners with few illustrations,were based on texts of Apuleius and Dioscorides. They dealt with culinary and medicinalproperties of plants flowers, herbs, tress, fruit and vegetables. Some also contained advice onbehaviours and moods angers, shyness, drunkenness and other aspects of living (for

instance, too much horse-riding) which caused sickness both of the body and mind. Remediesincluded not only foods and medicines, but singing, dancing and even meditating.

Romances and Literature- Romance, recounting tales of heroic deeds, great adventures, loveand courtly behaviour, were the most popular secular texts of medieval times. For centuries, thestories of King Arthur and his knights, and of Tristen and Isolde, had been retold and sung bytroubadours and other traveling minstrels, between the castles and courts across Europe.


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A Change in Attitude

Portrait of the scribe Eadwine in theEadwine Psalter, 10th century AD

A portrait in one of the page represents aliving man, a priestly scribe

*A change in attitude that points to thefuture emergence of the artist as a personand a name


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The Crusades

Jerusalem was a holy city to Jew,Muslims and Christian. For morethan 200 years, Christian and Muslimarmies fought for control of territoryaround Jerusalem known as the HolyLand

Medieval Era


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Black Death

The most horrific natural disaster of the Middle AgesA devastating plague that killed many millions ofpeople in Europe and Asia. One Italian historianwrote: This is the end of the world.


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Medieval towns (12th century)

Churches, guilds, fairs and markets all drew people into the towns. Groups called guilds wereformed by traders and craft workers to organize their businesses and to set standards of work.Guilds also pageants, dramas and religious processions, and set up training schools. Work wasalso to be found in towns building magnificent cathedrals and churches, as well as castles and

defensive walls.Free craftsman, not ancient slave, organized in guilds constituted the firm foundation ofMedieval urban economy.

Thriving towns, populated by free men, provided a stimulus for commerce and industry, andthe new towns were founded and flourished.

Most of the prosperous European cities of today were established or underwent renovation atabout 12thcentury.

Florence, mother city of the modern world, had early laid the foundation of its wealth and, bythe fifteenth century, had the spirit and the means to lead Europe into the bold, creative age ofdiscovery we call the Renaissance.


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Conclusion

A successful and inspiring synthesis of religion, philosophy, and art; and the first firmformation of the states that will make modern history.

Monasticism Art and Architecture Feudal society transform into Cities International Trade Craftsmen and guild Secular Universities

Humanism

: A school of thought that placed humans at the centre of theuniversities, without divine intervention. Adopted many of philosophical beliefs of

the ancient Greek and Roman cultures. - to unfold the birth of Renaissance Art in

Europe.

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