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3. The Middle Ages: The Fall of the Roman Empire, Romanesque and Gothic

Introduction to the Middle Ages 1

  • Middle Ages is the period of time in Europe between:
    • The end of antiquity in the fifth century (the fall of the Roman Empire, 476 CE).
    • And the Renaissance, or rebirth of classical learning, in the fifteenth century and sixteenth centuries.
  • The Middle Ages was not a time of ignorance and backwardness, but rather a period during which Christianity flourished in Europe.
  • During this time, the Roman Empire slowly fragmented into many smaller political entities.
  • The geographical boundaries for European countries today were established during the Middle Ages.
  • Good things happened during the Middle Ages, including:
    • The formation and rise of universities.
    • The establishment of the rule of law.
    • Numerous periods of ecclesiastical reform.
    • The birth of the tourism industry.
    • Visual arts flourished.
  • Byzantium:
    • The eastern half of the Roman Empire.
    • Although the Roman Empire in the west had fragmented, the eastern part stayed intact.
    • Their capital was Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), which was founded as the new Rome by the emperor Constantine in 330 CE.
    • The Byzantine Empire lasted until 1453 when the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople.
    • Constantinople was a center of learning and culture, with the Hagia Sophia as its most famous building.
    • The Byzantine Empire experienced two periods of Iconoclasm (730-787 and 814-842) when images and image-making were problematic.
    • The Latin crusaders sacked Constantinople in 1204.
  • In the European West, Medieval art is often broken into smaller periods. These date ranges vary by location:
    • Early Medieval Art (500-800 CE).
    • Carolingian Art (800-900 CE).
    • Ottonian Art (900-1000 CE).
    • Romanesque Art (1000-1200 CE).
    • Gothic Art (1200-1400 CE).

Early Christianity 2 3 4 5 6

Early Christianity 2

  • Apostle Paul spread Christianity from Palestine to Greco-Roman cities (100 CE).
  • Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity in 312 CE.
  • In the Roman Empire, religions were two types:
    • Public religions: Polytheistic, state-sponsored, civic, inclusive, and focused on the customs and traditions of the Roman people.
    • Private religions: mysterious, exclusive, secretive, and focused on the individual.
  • Christianity was a private mystery religion in the Roman Empire (in the first three centuries).
  • There was no problem with mystery religions practicing civic religions in public.
  • Christianity emphasis was placed on baptism, which marked the initiation of the convert into the mysteries of the faith.
  • Christianity, on the other hand, believed in monotheism and the afterlife; this has led to them refusing to participate in the public religions; which in turn led to their persecution.

A New Pictorial Language: The Image in Early Medieval Art 3

  • Classical art, or the art of ancient Greece and Rome, sought to create a convincing illusion for the viewer.
  • Artists sculpting the images of gods and goddesses tried to make their statues appear like idealized human figures.
  • The Aphrodite of Knidos by Praxiteles was so realistic that it was thought that it could talk.
  • Early Christianity forbade the creation of images of God, or any living creature because it was considered idolatry.
  • Tertullian believed that an artist can not be Christian, so they should quit art.
  • Augustine believed that all art was a lie, actors in play or images are not the actual person they are playing.
  • Christian art:
    • Started to move away from naturalistic representation and instead pushed toward abstraction.
    • Artists began to abandon classical artistic conventions like shading, modeling and perspective conventions that make the image appear more real.
    • Artists no longer observed details in nature to record them in paint, bronze, marble, or mosaic.
    • Instead, artists favored flat representations of people, animals and objects that only looked nominally like their subjects in real life.

Early Christian Art 4

  • The beginnings of an identifiable Christian art can be traced to the beginning of the third century.
  • The best explanation for the emergence of Christian art in the early church is due to the important role images played in Greco-Roman culture.
  • As Christianity gained converts, these new Christians had been brought up on the value of images in their previous cultural experience and they wanted to continue this in their Christian experience.
  • For example, there was a change in burial practices in the Roman world away from cremation to inhumation.
  • The art in this period did not include anything about the Nativity, Crucifixion, or Resurrection of Christ as it was secretive.

Medieval churches: sources and forms 5

  • Many of Europe’s medieval cathedrals are museums in their own right with impressive collections of art, architecture, and artifacts.
  • Architectural styles varied from place to place, building to building, some basic features were fairly universal in monumental churches built in the Middle Ages, and the prototype for that type of building was the Roman basilica.
  • Prototype: The ancient Roman basilica:
    • Basilica was a type of public building that was used for meetings, legal proceedings, and other civic events.
    • The building was rectangular, with the long, central portion of the hall made up of the nave.

Romanesque 7

  • Romanesque architecture is based on Roman architectural elements. It is the rounded Roman arch that is the literal basis for structures built in this style.
  • Charlemagne (Holly Roman Emperor, 800CE) wanted to unite his empire and validate his reign, so he began building churches in the Roman style—particularly the style of Christian Rome in the days of Constantine, the first Christian Roman emperor.
  • Buildings became larger and more imposing. Examples of Romanesque cathedrals from the early Middle Ages (roughly 1000–1200) are solid, massive, impressive churches that are often still the largest structure in many towns.
  • In Britain, the Romanesque style became known as “Norman” because the major building scheme in the 11th and 12th centuries was instigated by William the Conqueror, who invaded Britain in 1066 from Normandy in northern France.
  • The decoration is often quite simple, using geometric shapes rather than floral or curvilinear patterns.
  • Common shapes used include diapers—squares or lozenges—and chevrons, which were zigzag patterns and shapes. Plain circles were also used, which echoed the half-circle shape of the ubiquitous arches.
  • Early Romanesque ceilings and roofs were often made of wood as if the architects had not quite understood how to span the two sides of the building using stone, which created outward thrust and stresses on the side walls.

Gothic 8 9

  • The original Gothic style was developed to bring sunshine into people’s lives, and especially into their churches.
  • The Goths were a so-called barbaric tribe who held power in various regions of Europe, between the collapse of the Roman Empire and the establishment of the Holy Roman Empire (so, from roughly the fifth to the eighth century).
  • The Gothic grew out of the Romanesque architectural style when both prosperity and relative peace allowed for several centuries of cultural development and great building schemes.
  • It was particularly in Britain and France.
  • The most fundamental element of the Gothic style of architecture is the pointed arch, which was likely borrowed from Islamic architecture that would have been seen in Spain at this time.
  • So, rather than having massive, drum-like columns as in the Romanesque churches, the new columns could be more slender as the pointed arch could support the weight of the roof.
  • The slender columns and lighter systems of thrust allowed for larger windows and more light.
  • After the great flowering of the Gothic style, tastes again shifted back to the neat, straight lines and rational geometry of the Classical era.
  • Abbot Suger built the Basilica of St. Denis in Paris, which is considered the first Gothic building in 1140-44.

Other Resources 10

  • Sainte-Chapelle is a royal chapel in the Gothic style, within the medieval Palais de la Cité, the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century, on the Île de la Cité in the River Seine in Paris, France.
Church Section Description
The central space in a Christian church Nave
A row of windows near the top of the nave Clerestory
Semi-circular extension at the end of the nave, holds the altar Apse
Entrance foyer of a church Narthex
An arched roof or ceiling Vault
The area around the altar, reserved for clergy Choir/Chancel
Small wings extended from the nave Transept
Area where the nave and transept intersect Crossing
An aisle in the apse behind the altar to allow for the movement of pilgrims Ambulatory

References

  1. Ross, N. (n.d.). Introduction to the Middle Ages. Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/early-europe-and-colonial-americas/medieval-europe-islamic-world/a/introduction-to-the-middle-ages ↩

  2. Farber, A. (n.d.). Early Christianity, an introduction. Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/medieval-world/early-christian-art/beginners-guide-early-christian-art/a/early-christianity-an-introduction ↩↩

  3. Ross, N. (n.d.). A New Pictorial Language: The Image in Early Medieval Art. Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/introduction-cultures-religions-apah/christianity-apah/a/a-new-pictorial-language-the-image-in-early-medieval-art ↩↩

  4. Farber, A. (n.d.). Early Christian Art. Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/medieval-world/early-christian-art/beginners-guide-early-christian-art/a/early-christian-art ↩↩

  5. Spanswick, V. (n.d.). Medieval churches: Sources and forms. Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/medieval-world/romanesque-art/beginners-guide-romanesque/a/medieval-churches-sources-and-forms ↩↩

  6. San Vitale, Ravenna [Video]. (n.d.). Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/early-europe-and-colonial-americas/medieval-europe-islamic-world/v/justinian-and-his-attendants-6th-century-ravenna ↩

  7. Spanswick, V. (n.d.). A beginner’s guide to Romanesque architecture. Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/medieval-world/romanesque-art/beginners-guide-romanesque/a/a-beginners-guide-to-romanesque-architecture ↩

  8. Spanswick, V. (n.d.). Gothic architecture: An introduction. Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/medieval-world/gothic-art/beginners-guide-gothic-art/a/gothic-architecture-an-introduction ↩

  9. Birth of the Gothic: Abbot Suger and the ambulatory at St. Denis [Video]. (n.d.). Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/medieval-world/gothic-art/gothic-art-in-france/v/birth-of-the-gothic-abbot-suger-and-the-ambulatory-in-the-basilica-of-st-denis-1140-44 ↩

  10. Sainte-Chapelle, Paris [Video]. (n.d.). Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/medieval-world/gothic-art/gothic-art-in-france/v/sainte-chapelle-paris ↩