Reply To: Illuminated Manuscripts

[Aubri Stogsdill]

Like in Byzantine art, we see in the illuminated manuscripts that humans are not depicted in a ‘realistic’ way. They are generally depicted in a way that would have a viewer believe them to carry more spiritual attributes rather than relatable human attributes. Art was not used in the dark ages to bolster humanistic values, rather the images in the manuscripts would have primarily been used to carry a religious message. As this was a time when Christianity was prominent, the message of the gospels was often portrayed in these manuscripts. The primary goal was to tell stories, not so much to heighten the perspective of political leaders like we have seen in other periods. It is also clear that while they were not fully ‘following’ the second commandment, like the Byzantines, the people in the dark ages did not want to create images that could be worships as deities.