European Art: Medieval Period to Renaissance

Study Notes

Medieval Period

Characteristics of Medieval Art:
- Subjects are mostly religious
- Figures look flat and stiff with little real movement
- Important figures are large and fully clothed
- Faces are solemn with little emotion
- Paintings use vibrant colors
- Backgrounds are a single color, often gold, with no interest in creating a realistic space
- The church forbids displaying the naked human body
Forms of Art: stained-glass windows, sculptures, illuminated manuscripts, paintings, and tapestries
Purposes: to teach religion to people who cannot read or write
3 Major Periods of Medieval Art: Early Christian, Romanesque, and Gothic

Early Christian Age (350 C.E)

The Catholic Church had two main centers of power: Rome and Constantinople
Medieval art was popular in houses of worship and was used as decoration for the public's appreciation

Romanesque Architecture (11th Century)

Semi-circular arches, heavy stone walls, and stable construction in monasteries and churches marked the growth of the European City

Defining Art from the Medieval Period to the Renaissance

The Dark Ages refer to the Early Middle Ages, or occasionally the entire Middle Ages, in Western Europe after the fall of the Western Roman Empire
The fall of Ancient Rome in 476 A.D. marked the beginning of the "darkness" in Europe
Byzantine art, architecture, paintings, and other visual arts were produced in the Middle Ages in the Byzantine Empire (centered at Constantinople)
Byzantine Empire continued to exist for many more centuries

Gothic Style (12th Century)

Developed as a result of the French Monarchy
Characterized by menacing gargoyles and flying buttresses in Gothic Cathedral

Famous Artist of Medieval Period

Duccio di Bouninsegna, founder of the Sienese School painting, was one of the greatest Italian painters
Maesta has been recognized as the greatest of all his works

Renaissance Period

Renaissance art is marked by the gradual shift from the abstract forms of the medieval period to the representational forms of the 15th century
Characteristics of Renaissance Art:
- Both religious and nonreligious scenes
- Figures look idealized, perfect
- Bodies may look active, moving
- Bodies may be nude or clothed
- Real people doing real tasks of daily life
- Faces express what people are thinking
- Colors respond to the light that falls on them
- Interest in nature, lots of natural details
- Paintings are symmetrical (balanced on both sides)
Forms of Art: sculptures, murals, drawings, paintings
Purposes: to show the importance of people and nature, not just religion
3 Major Periods of Renaissance Art: Proto-Renaissance, Early Renaissance, and High Renaissance

Proto-Renaissance Art (1300-1400)

Refers to the Renaissance in Italy, pioneering "figurative realism"
It is the foundation of what was considered the period of the Italian Renaissance
In the early Renaissance, one of the principal characteristics is humanism

Description

Explore the transition from Medieval art to the Italian Renaissance, shaped by trade, diplomacy, and conquest in the 15th century. Learn about the characteristics of Medieval art and the impact of European courts on the spread of artistic movements.