The medieval art
The medieval art of the Western world covers
a vast scope of time and place, over 1000 years of art in Europe, and at times the
Middle East and North Africa. It includes major art movements and periods,
national and regional art, genres, revivals, the artists crafts, and the
artists themselves.
Art historians attempt to classify medieval art into major periods and
styles, often with some difficulty. A generally accepted scheme includes Early Christian art, Migration Period art, Byzantine art, Insular art, Pre-Romanesque and Romanesque art, and Gothic art, as well as many other periods within these central
styles. In addition each region, mostly during the period in the process of
becoming nations or cultures, had its own distinct
artistic style, such as Anglo-Saxon art or Norse art.
Medieval art was produced in many media, and the works that remain in
large numbers include sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, stained glass, metalwork and mosaics,
all of which have had a higher survival rate than other media like fresco wall-paintings, work in precious
metals or textiles,
including tapestry.
Especially in the early part of the period, works in the so-called "minor
arts" or decorative arts, such as metalwork, ivory carving, enamel and embroidery using
precious metals, were probably more highly valued than paintings or monumental sculpture.
Medieval art in Europe grew out of the artistic heritage of the Roman Empire and
the iconographic traditions of the early Christian church.
These sources were mixed with the vigorous "Barbarian" artistic
culture of Northern Europe to produce a remarkable artistic legacy. Indeed the
history of medieval art can be seen as the history of the interplay between the
elements of classical, early Christian and "barbarian" art. Apart
from the formal aspects of classicism, there was a continuous tradition of
realistic depiction of objects that survived in Byzantine art throughout the
period, while in the West it appears intermittently, combining and sometimes
competing with new expressionist possibilities developed in Western Europe and
the Northern legacy of energetic decorative elements. The period ended with the
self-perceived Renaissance recovery
of the skills and values of classical art, and the artistic legacy of the Middle Ages was
then disparaged for some centuries. Since a revival of interest and
understanding in the 19th century it has been seen as a period of enormous
achievement that underlies the development of later Western art.
Art during the Middle Ages saw many changes and the
emergence of the early Renaissance period. Byzantine Art was the name given to
the style of art used in very early Middle Ages Art. This period was also known
as the Dark Ages ( 410 AD - 1066 AD ). The Dark Ages were followed by the
Medieval era of the Middle Ages (1066 - 1485) and changes in Middle Ages Art
which saw the emergence of the early Renaissance Art. To appreciate the full
extent of the changes in Middle Ages Art and the Early Renaissance it is
helpful to understand its fore-runner - Byzantium Art and its effects on art
during the Middle Ages.
Medieval Education
Medieval education was often conducted under the auspices of the
Church. During the 800s, French ruler Charlemagne realized his empire needed
educated people if it was to survive, and he turned to the Catholic Church as
the source of such education. His decree commanded that every cathedral and
monastery was to establish a school to provide a free education to every boy
who had the intelligence and the perseverance to follow a demanding course of
study.
Grammar, rhetoric, logic, Latin, astronomy, philosophy and
mathematics formed the core of most curriculums. During the Dark Ages, the only
natural science learned came from popular encyclopedias based on ancient
writings of Pliny and other Roman sources. The medieval student might learn
that hyenas can change their sex at will and that an elephant's only fear is of
dragons. Students learned more when they ventured out into the countryside to
talk with trappers, hunters, furriers and poachers, who spent their time
observing wildlife.
Medieval students often sat together on the floor, scrawling notes
from lessons using a bone or ivory stylus on wooden tablets coated with green
or black wax. Knights were also educated and looked down upon if they could not
read and write. Girls were virtually ignored when it came to education. Only daughters
of the very rich and powerful were allowed to attend select courses.
At 14 or 15, some scholars would continue education at a university.
These were a creation of the Middle Ages and could be found in larger European
cities. Wars and invasions often halted studies, but these universities would
reemerge during the later Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The cap and gown
that college graduates wear today have their roots in medieval academic
garments.
