Art History: Middle Ages
For the next two periods of art history, the art of the Middle Ages and Modern, my interest ebbs and flows with the subject matter. The art of the Middle Ages, or Medieval art, encompasses a large chunk of time. It begins just after the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century and continues through various movements until the mid-19th century. These include Byzantine, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Neo-Classicism, Romanticism, and Realism.
Much of the art during this time was of a religious nature, driven by the power and influence of the Church. In fact most, if not all of the art commissioned during the Early Middle Ages was by the Church, requesting holy scenes and depictions of the Christ or Madonna and Child. This was back when Christianity thought to influence its followers through fear. Even when I did follow the Christian path, I found these works of art to be anything but inviting. There is no attempt at realism in this dark period. The figures are depicted as sunken-eyed, with angry or judgmental expressions. Statues were placed high up so that the figures were always looking down at you. Their bodies were elongated and very slender, adding to the aloof and imposing feeling.
Maesta by Duccio
Jamb statues, Chartres Cathedral, France
Even the architecture of the cathedrals of the Middle Ages was imposing and frightening. The façades were intimidating. And on the inside, the incredibly high ceilings and long slender windows and high arches were designed to not only give the sense of the unreachable, unattainable holiness of the divine, but to also make the parishioner feel very small and insignificant. A reminder of his/her lowly spot in life.
Chartres Cathedral, France
Glasgow Cathedral, Scotland
Glasgow Cathedral choir, Scotland
Cologne Cathedral, Germany
Cologne Cathedral interior, Germany
Many of them did however, have rather elaborate and beautiful stained glass windows. The Rose Window of the Chartres Cathedral was one that I remember well from my studies.
Rose Window, Chartres Cathedral, France – photo by Eusebius (Guillaume Piolle)
It isn’t until later that the Church decided that it needed to be lighter and more inviting. Perhaps they realized that they could attract more followers with kindness than with fear of hell and eternal damnation. At this point, you’ll see religious paintings become more light and airy. The figures are no longer intimidating. Their expressions are a bit more serene and peaceful. Compare these two works of the Madonna and Child. In the first one by an unknown Florentine artist, we have more dark circles around the eyes and the Christ child doesn’t look like a child, but a tiny man. And in the second by Botticelli, there is light and sunshine. Both faces of the Madonna and child are well lit, no dark circles around the eyes, and their expressions are calm and without any kind of facial tension.
Florentine artist, 13th century, Madonna and Child, Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy
Botticelli – Madonna of the Book
The religious art of the Middle Ages came and went as the Church demanded. In the beginning, that was really the bread and butter of renowned artists. Some became quite wealthy being on the Church’s retainer. When the tides changed and suddenly religious depictions of any kind were viewed as idolatry, artists had to find other subjects to paint. But then the powers that be lightened up again and religious themed paintings reemerged.
Art history of the Middle Ages was a tough time for me in school. All of the paintings looked the same to me. All of the churches looked identical. I couldn’t tell one from the other and we needed to know artists, dates, locations, etc. I realized later that there was symbology in a lot of these works that should have piqued my interest, at least a little bit. But there are two things in life that always either bored me to tears or just got under my skin…religion and politics. Now, I hope by saying that, I’m not offending anyone. But I grew up on the tail end of the time when it was understood that you didn’t discuss those two things. Whether it was considered rude to discuss personal topics or too volatile a subject matter, I was never sure.
At any rate, I doubt politics being boring to me bothers anyone. In regards to religion…well, understand that I don’t mean that I’m not a spiritual person. I am most definitely spiritual. It’s the institutions of religion that don’t sit well with me. I’ve always felt that my spirituality is just that…mine. Between me and my higher power. I don’t feel the need to institutionalize that. My spirituality is a very personal thing. So with that being said, I hope you can see why I’m a little stand-offish about the subject matter.
That being said, my interest piques with artists like Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Raphael. Portraiture becomes popular with aristocrats and people of power and wealth. Those aren’t quite as captivating to me. But to see the studies of the masters like, Da Vinci and Michelangelo… It’s a rekindling of classic Greek and Roman art, attention to detail and musculature, tension and ease. With Da Vinci, it isn’t so much his paintings that I admired, but his sketches, his studies. He was an eternal student and inventor.
Leonardo da Vinci, Study of a Horse
Vetruvian Man, Leonard da Vinci
Flying Machine, Leonardo da Vinci
Anatomical Studies, Leonardo da Vinci
But I simply cannot ignore two of his most famous paintings, The Last Supper and Mona Lisa. It was interesting to me that Leonardo was not accustomed to painting frescoes, a technique of mural painting. As such, he painted with tempra over gesso. This wasn’t ideal in that both mediums allowed for mold and flaking and within one hundred years, the masterpiece was considered ruined.
The Last Supper, Leonardo da Vinci
And then there’s the timeless mystery of the woman with the enigmatic smile…the Mona Lisa. Who was she? Was she a real woman? Or was she DaVinci himself, dressed in drag as many have speculated? Not that far a stretch since his sexuality has been in question for centuries. Was the Mona Lisa portrait Leonardo’s idea of a joke? Is he out there somewhere having a good chuckle because we’ve yet to solve the mystery?
Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa
Michelangelo’s David is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful sculptures the world has ever known. And his Creation of Adam on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is one of the most recognized religious work of art. Caravaggio’s Conversion on the Way to Damascus, one of the most riveting and dramatic paintings. And Raphael’s red chalk studies for The Three Graces of Villa Farnesina are absolutely gorgeous.
Michelangelo, David
Michelangelo, Creation of Adam
Caravaggio, Conversion of the Way to Damascus
Raphael, Red chalk studies for Villa Farnesina-Three-Graces
It was also during this time that we start to see still life paintings and landscapes emerge. The still life paintings were just that. A still life with no people. A study of an arrangement of ordinary objects. And while the landscapes, or scenes of nature might have a human figure in them, they were generally very small in comparison to the rest. The intent of these paintings was obviously to call attention to the beauty of nature. So, while my first reaction has always been to write off the Middle Ages as my least favorite, I have to remember the likes of Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Caravaggio. And in doing so, I must come to the conclusion that this period is my second favorite.
I actually did take the time to watch a series of six videos on YouTube about this time period in art history. I am pleased to report that I found myself surprisingly engaged and found it much more interesting than I did when I had to take it in school. Perhaps because I knew there would be no exam afterwards? In any case, if you’re interested in finding out more, you can watch them here. This is the first of the six videos (they go in chronological order).
Landmarks of Western Art Documentary – Pt 1
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