The Middle Ages began with the fall of the Roman Empire and lasted until the beginning of Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. The growth of Christianity and its widespread acceptance created the need for many new cultural items so majority of artwork we have from this time period was made for the church. This caused a shift from the classical fascination with observation of the world to a focus on the spiritual realm. The most common form of visual art was illuminated manuscripts. The distribution of these manuscripts throughout the western world was largely due to the dynamic and growing relationships between the church, regional rulers, and their subjects.
In the early Medieval period, Monks began isolating themselves from the outside world and dedicated their lives to serving God. In order to make sure these monasteries still answered to the Church, the papacy instituted Benedictine rule, under which, there were certain standards that the church expected monasteries to follow. Monks were bound to liturgical hours which regulated specific prayers and tasks they had to carry out each day. This grew into a belief that these tasks and prayers made them more likely to earn Salvation, which Kings (as well as their subjects) would eventually want in on. One way for Kings to earn this “salvation” was for them to give land and resources to monasteries in exchange for prayer and often illuminated manuscripts. These agreements caused monasteries to become wealthy and powerful. Because of this, illuminated manuscripts, already a luxury item, became even more valuable, adorned with gold and jewels.
Illuminated manuscripts were not only a bargaining chip and staple in sermon giving, but were sought after among the wealthy in an attempt to achieve the level of holiness that monks had. Education within the church became prevalent with the rise of scholasticism and a wealthy merchant class. In the church, children of merchants would learn to read and study both holy texts and works of Aristotle who was known as “the philosopher.” This created a huge demand for more illuminated manuscripts.
One of most common subjects within illuminated manuscripts was Christ. He would be depicted as a child with the Virgin Mary, being baptized, or in His Majesty. These images are not highly realistic, but are stylized, emphasizing His holiness and beauty within the spiritual realm. Since there was periodically fear of idolatry within the church, He, as well as other figures were painted in this simplified manner in order to convey the dire importance of not focusing on the image itself, but on what the image represented.
Even though these manuscripts were created by different artists in different regions, they usually contained similar stylistic and iconographic details. Christ, as well as other holy figures generally had halos around their heads or surrounding their whole bodies. The proportions of their hands and feet were often exaggerated in order to draw attention to their worshipful poses as well as symbolic items that they held. Their clothing would not fall like real fabric, but was highly stylized and patterned. The space around Christ and the Virgin rarely represented specific places or landscapes, but gave an otherworldly aura. It was usually colorfully patterned and filled in with gold leaf. The color purple was often used to symbolize Christ’s royalty and holiness.
The unique cultural development in the early Middle Ages gave way to a whole new variety of religious images. While religious practice and tradition governed stylistic elements within Christian art, the balance of power between the papacy, monastic orders, kings, and the elite created a fascinating channel for the creation of these expensive and influential objects. Very difficult and time consuming to create, it was only the growing wealth of monasteries that allowed books to become so popular. The emergence of this artform would both spark a rise in literacy and in individual religious participation, making it a catalyst that would transform the world.
In the early Medieval period, Monks began isolating themselves from the outside world and dedicated their lives to serving God. In order to make sure these monasteries still answered to the Church, the papacy instituted Benedictine rule, under which, there were certain standards that the church expected monasteries to follow. Monks were bound to liturgical hours which regulated specific prayers and tasks they had to carry out each day. This grew into a belief that these tasks and prayers made them more likely to earn Salvation, which Kings (as well as their subjects) would eventually want in on. One way for Kings to earn this “salvation” was for them to give land and resources to monasteries in exchange for prayer and often illuminated manuscripts. These agreements caused monasteries to become wealthy and powerful. Because of this, illuminated manuscripts, already a luxury item, became even more valuable, adorned with gold and jewels.
Illuminated manuscripts were not only a bargaining chip and staple in sermon giving, but were sought after among the wealthy in an attempt to achieve the level of holiness that monks had. Education within the church became prevalent with the rise of scholasticism and a wealthy merchant class. In the church, children of merchants would learn to read and study both holy texts and works of Aristotle who was known as “the philosopher.” This created a huge demand for more illuminated manuscripts.
One of most common subjects within illuminated manuscripts was Christ. He would be depicted as a child with the Virgin Mary, being baptized, or in His Majesty. These images are not highly realistic, but are stylized, emphasizing His holiness and beauty within the spiritual realm. Since there was periodically fear of idolatry within the church, He, as well as other figures were painted in this simplified manner in order to convey the dire importance of not focusing on the image itself, but on what the image represented.
Even though these manuscripts were created by different artists in different regions, they usually contained similar stylistic and iconographic details. Christ, as well as other holy figures generally had halos around their heads or surrounding their whole bodies. The proportions of their hands and feet were often exaggerated in order to draw attention to their worshipful poses as well as symbolic items that they held. Their clothing would not fall like real fabric, but was highly stylized and patterned. The space around Christ and the Virgin rarely represented specific places or landscapes, but gave an otherworldly aura. It was usually colorfully patterned and filled in with gold leaf. The color purple was often used to symbolize Christ’s royalty and holiness.
The unique cultural development in the early Middle Ages gave way to a whole new variety of religious images. While religious practice and tradition governed stylistic elements within Christian art, the balance of power between the papacy, monastic orders, kings, and the elite created a fascinating channel for the creation of these expensive and influential objects. Very difficult and time consuming to create, it was only the growing wealth of monasteries that allowed books to become so popular. The emergence of this artform would both spark a rise in literacy and in individual religious participation, making it a catalyst that would transform the world.
Leila Murrieta
Corinne Diamond
Jordan Velasquez
Hannah Hooker
Angelica Munoz
Jonathan Gonzales
Autumn Marie Quillen
Rebecca Sanchez
Jaime Benitez
Becca Jenea
Corinne Diamond
Jordan Velasquez
Hannah Hooker
Angelica Munoz
Jonathan Gonzales
Autumn Marie Quillen
Rebecca Sanchez
Jaime Benitez
Becca Jenea