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Often the possession of large, ornate, expensive private devotional or religious objects were both a display of wealth and religious devotion. Although smaller religious objects were common, larger, more expensive commissions, such as illustrated bibles or private worship spaces, demanded vast financial resources. These may have been ascertained in avoidance of the rather impersonal church spaces of the time, or rather as displays of religious devotion, which might help others to see them in a more positive light or help them to gain favor in the eyes of God.
The stained glass windows brought about by Abbot Suger through the Cathedral of St. Denis changed everything about church structure of the time. The windows, which allowed in more light than their predecessors, were artworks in and of themselves, and quickly became popular. The architecture of churches soon evolved to better accommodate the windows, creating loftier churches with higher ceilings and pointed arches. This may have drawn the eye upward and given a more optimistic, colorful, and lightfilled view than churches past, as light was often associated with that of a heavenly nature during this time period.
Churches during the Romanesque period changed to accommodate pilgrims, or those on spiritual journeys. They would often have separate, easily accessible, large areas for viewing relics in reliquaries that would be accessible to large numbers of pilgrims without disturbing the Mass.
I have seen churches set up like this in my travels, so it is neat to learn more about this shift. When I visited Lithunia (where my grandfather lived) we visited many churches with seperate areas containing reliquaries, sometimes even containing the bodies of saints. It was really fascinating.Churches functioned as bibles for the illiterate in that they provided a visual way (through art) for the large numbers of illiterate individuals to learn about the religious events and customs of Christianity, or other political or social events of importance.. For example, the Bayeux Tapestry would help viewers (even if they could not read) to understand events leading up to the Norman conquest. They also functioned as hubs for the community, and were beneficial to societies on an economic level.
These manuscripts depicted images which were religious in nature but did not directly depict religious icons, so as to avoid graven images, which harkens back to the periods of iconoclasm in the Byzantine period. The influence of the Byzantine period is strong in Early Medieval times. Less obvious but still present is the influence of the Classical period, which can be observed in the style of art portrayed. These manuscripts were beautiful examples of art work of the time.
Calling this period the Dark Ages is definitely misleading. So many advances were made in art and literature. New styles were employed and new themes represented. Much significant art was produced. However, there were of course drawbacks to this time period which may make calling it ‘the dark ages’ far more reasonable.
The shift from realism to a style which focused more on content and message demonstrates a shift in what was viewed as societally and politically important in Eurasia during this time. During this time, several large spiritual systems, such as early Christianity, Islam, and Judiasm, became large and significant forces both socially, culturally, and politically. Art, especially iconography, was used to communicate the importance of spiritual systems and themes rather than the realistic imagery of Greco-Roman times. I think this is a key social and political shift in understanding the history.
Art produced during the Byzantine time was often highly spiritually significant, such as relics which connected believers to the divine in a very tangible way, or iconography which demonstrated the significance of certain individuals or events to early Christians. However, iconoclasm occurred at a time of crisis for the Byzantine empire, and the empire was split into two groups. Those who believed in the use of images and those who did not. Those who did often believed that the icons took on their own special powers. From what I’ve read, it was even occasionally believed that the icons could defend themselves or bleed when attacked. It certainly seems to tie into what we discussed in regards to graven images last week– that sometimes those who were for the use of iconography in the Byzantine empire assigned special powers and significance to the objects themselves, focusing on them rather than the larger spiritual beliefs at play.
We see this especially in the architecture of the time, which often resembled or modeled Roman architecture, especially in the churches or basilicas. We can also observe the similarity between art of the time and art of other cultures in the sculpture of the time, which often depicted it’s subject by using similar techniques. We see the subject matter of other cultures and times, though, sometimes altered or brought into a new meaning. Many symbols were adopted and their meaning changed.
This is an interesting question. I grew up in a household with a lot of christian iconography. I think the difference comes down to not worshipping what is displayed in art, but rather using the art to remind us of what is featured within it and to help us celebrate it. Art often reflects what has value or is important within a culture or peoples. During this time, we see the intense spirituality reflected in the art, perhaps disproportionately since the christian church often had the most money to commission art.
Art is, by definition, a method of communication. It makes sense that in times where only the rich and powerful could afford to commission art, they might manipulate it to propagate a certain message or idea. Often, art with certain themes would be commissioned in order to promote an idea, and art with certain themes would be repressed to suppress an idea or movement. We can observe this in the Roman empire by considering art which often depicted leaders as more powerful, or more just. This art promoted the idea among citizens that the leaders were fit to rule, and therefore helped them to sustain their power. Propoganda art was certainly a powerful tool during this time.
We see traces of the Roman empire all around us in modern society. It is present in the way we construct buildings (especially formal buildings which hold some sort of power- often political), the value we place on sports, and the art that we create. We are influenced by the work produced during the Roman empire, but also influenced therefore by the work that influenced the Romans. Roman art was often a reflection of the cultures and societies around and before them. The influence of the Romans is certainly present in contemporary society and culture.
Whoops, I forgot to post my paper as well.
Here’s the link for that: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11zP8TsIjBis3c_s9hm_-ptq7L9GaCaT566sWPNfZ5pk/edit?usp=sharingFor my final project, I recreated a bronze cast bird created during the Shang Dynasty of China (11th century BCE). The bird was originally designed to be a chariot finial. I was drawn to the bold gesture and form of the work and decided to recreate it in paint. This was the first time that I have endeavored to recreate a three dimensional work in paint, and I definitely struggled with certain aspects but learned a lot about the process and appreciated the time to study such an impressive, elegant work.
I have created a slide show of the original work and my own work, as well as my thoughts about what did and did not work. The link is as follows: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1-FwmDE9JREPv0lc1ihSdZB0jmXAcq-AUzEQA5DDgiVQ/edit?usp=sharing.
I look forward to seeing what everyone else chooses to recreate for this project!I definitely noticed that women were more prevalent in the Etruscan wing than previously. Previously, we had discussed art which displayed women as symbols of fertility and abundance, or later art which depicted women in very limited formal settings and poses. In Hellenistic art, we see art of younger and older women in a variety of poses, settings, and expressions appear. Then, in Etruscan art, we see art which is created for women or of women more frequently. For example, we see the tomb of an Etruscan woman who was buried with jewelry, incense, and thirty mourning figures around her. It would follow that Etruscan women seemed to have more prominence in Etruscan society than that which we have studied previously, a fascinating shift.
