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#7622
Tamara Toy
Participant

I never have cared for the term, “The Dark Ages” for the Medieval period. While it does make sense when speaking of aesthetics, given the earlier periods, it is usually meant with the idea of a lack of innovation. In my opinion overall, this is when the ancient world starts to turn towards modernity. How this can be considered lacking in innovation, I do not understand. When talking purely on the topic of art, I can see it in some ways. After some of the almost living art of the previous periods, some of these pieces do seem to lack color and vibrancy. However, even with this shift, there are still some things that would still defy the idea of the Dark ages. The Book of Kells is truly amazing, as is so much of the metalworking of this period. The Celtic Knotwork, both in items such as the Book of Kells, or in any other representation of art, is intriguing and captivating, as an art as well as a mode of storytelling. So, I still feel that the term “The Dark Ages” is misplaced and unwarranted.