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It was common during the Gothic period for an individual of any social ranking to carry some sort of religious item. When a person was unable to attend church the object(s) would be used for personal prayer and practices. It’s not surprising to see that elites and nobles used these symbols to reflect their status and wealth. ‘The Sainte Chapelle, Paris’ (1239-1248 CE) demonstrates on a larger scale how status and wealth affects private devotional objects and spaces. The king, his family, and court had a personal chapelle built into the palace. The king and queen also had their own personal quarters to worship in private. It’s important to recognize the influence the church had on all walks of life, and how personal religious objects were widely used amongst everyone.
To Laura Barber
I thought you made great points about how elites and nobles would use decorated religious objects to further stratify themselves from lower ranked social classes. Do you believe that these wealthier individuals took advantage of the adornment of these objects to further establish their social status?To Laura Barber
You had great examples explaining the inspiration that influenced Abbot Suger to recreate Medieval architecture we know as Gothic. Besides the religious aspect of his inspiration, what factors of his environment do you think inspired him? Great job this semester!‘The Abbey Church of Saint Denis’ greatly contrasts from the architecture of the Romanesque period. The columns of the previous era gave a grounded feeling due to the width and strength of designs. The Gothic period architecture and artwork lifts the eyes by thinning and elongating columns and removes walls to open up the space. With the incorporation of the pointed arch, it gave structural integrity allowing more space for windows. The light was associated with the divine, giving the sense of feeling closer to it while in attendance of church. The intent of having a heavenly surroundings influences the practitioners to have a positive outlook. It’s recognizable how this uplifting environment came to develop out of the chaos that occurred in the Medieval era.
Pilgrimage opened the door for all walks of life to practice and take place in church. Even those who weren’t welcomed locally could travel elsewhere to continue practicing their beliefs. ‘The Abbey of Notre Dame, Fontenay’ architecture was built by the monks who lived there. The abbey was made specifically for prayer, created with a simple design in mind because decoration would be considered distracting. They practiced living a simple life, the monks all slept in one dormitory with one set of clothes and straw hay for beds. ‘The Santiago de Compostela’ was constructed with double aisles surrounding the center where Mass would take place. This was done to avoid disturbing service so visitors could see the holy relics quickly and quietly. The architecture that was planned not only served as a religious symbol but incorporated functionality.
To Laura Barber
I thought you had great examples explaining what motivated people to go on pilgrimages. Do you think that those who went on pilgrimages were factors in how Medieval culture/art developed?To Laura Barber
The ‘Bayeux Tapestry’ was a great example of how both illiterate and literate could understand a message and/or story. Do you believe that some imagery could have been altered to manipulate those who are illiterate? Possibly for political gain by the church?Many Medieval churches took opportunity to use the monumental scale of its architecture by displaying biblical imagery and symbols on it. ‘The Church of Saint Lazare at Autun’ used the archway entrance of the church to depict the Last Testament. The art piece shows the representation of Christ watching over heaven and hell, to his right is Saint Michael weighing souls on a scale that is being tipped by a demon. Underneath the image is a inscription stating “May this terror terrify those whom earthly error bind, for the horror of these images here in this manor truly depicts that will be’. Those who were illiterate could still comprehend the gravity of its message. The church would remind all levels of society that God weighs everyone’s soul the same, and the imagery allows all to understand.
To Kaitlyn
I agree that the Early Medieval era resembled the Byzantine art more then the Classical art. There’s a bigger gap in time between the Classical and Byzantine period. What factors do you think influenced the Medieval art the most; such as religion or fashion?The Early Medieval era was a combination of Nordic and Celtic culture that incorporated a religion originating along the Mediterranean with a culture of its own. ‘The High Crosses of Ahenny’ from County Tipperary, Ireland incorporated the Byzantine cross with traditional celtic knot motifs. ‘The Coronation Gospels, Gospel of Matthew’ displays the classic Greco-Roman robes. Some pieces from ‘The Jewelry of Queen Arnegunde’ (580-590 CE) share similar characteristics to Byzantine jewelry and are believed to be imported. Many different factors including art, fashion, and religion were brought to the region through trade and conquest. With multiple cultures influencing the Early Medieval era it created a unique culture of its own that we ironically know as the ‘Dark Ages’.
To Laura Barber
I agree how with how the Medieval era was mislabeled as the ‘Dark Ages’. What factors do you believe contributed to the reference of ‘Dark Ages’? Do you think that different cultures created this label to change perspectives or because that’s how they perceived it themselves?The reference ‘Dark Ages’ was given to the Medieval period by the Romans with a different perspective of culture. What we learned about the Romans previously was how they were heavily influenced by the Greeks who shared the practice of realism in art. ‘The Symbol of the Evangelist Matthew, The Gospel Book of Durrow’ contrasts from how the Greco-Romans depicted the human physique. Unlike their southern neighbors ‘The Book of Kells’ from Chi Rho Iota, Scotland holds more details in the design through shapes and color. These designs that were created gave the capability to incorporate hidden images and references. There is no denying how much cultures influence each other in art, but we can recognize how language impacts our perspective. Labels such as ‘Dark Ages’ and ‘barbarian’ are just as influential as art can be to a culture.
As we learned earlier in the semester the Greco-Roman art displayed realism. ‘The Ivory Panel with Archangel’ from the Byzantine Empire may be inspired by the Greco-Roman robes but encompasses its own style through dimension and spacing in the artwork. ‘Rebecca at the Well’ from the Vienna Genesis made in Syria or Palestine also shares the same characteristics of style as the Romans but differs from the realism perspective of art. The image shows multiple scenes being played out in one. The Byzantine artwork is a continuation of the Greek and Romans but evolved into its own style due to new factors influencing the culture.
If we look back to ideology from Mesopotamia we can see a pattern of how societies and cultures collapse with the change of deities and believes. City-states had competing deities that would be replaced by other rising powers. As civilizations expand the establishment of values and/or religious beliefs and practices becomes crucial for an empires growth. ‘The Virgin and Child With Saints and Angels Icon’ from Monastery of St. Catherine, Mount Sinai, Egypt and ‘The Virgin of Vladimir’ could be perceived as threats to a relatively new religion. Humans often act out of fear so it can be understable why acts of destruction towards images with icons were done.
To Valene
Your example of how the Slavic culture influenced the Byzantine art was great. Do you think the difference between Greco-Roman and Byzantine art was due to factors of how they perceived the relationship between God(s) and humanity? The Greeks believed that their gods had human qualities and traits vs how Christianity views God as heavenly and good.
