ART HISTORY

ARCH 1233
COURSE TUTOR SAMIA ZABEEN
B.ARCH (BUET), M.ARCH (ONGOING)
AMIAB

FACULTY
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE, KUET

FORMER ADJUNCT FACULTY

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE, BUET
LECTURE 4 • Romanesque Art
CONTENTS
 LECTURE 4 The term Romanesque (Roman like) refers to a
broad range of styles, embracing the regional
Romanesque Art variants that flourished in Western Europe in the
eleventh and twelfth centuries.

• Due to the stability and prosperity of the

Christian Church there was enormous surge in
religious building activities.

• Monasteries owned significant tracts of land

which enhanced their political power and this
contributed to revival of all kind s of art work

4 types of Artwork
• Sculptural Decoration
• Manuscripts
• Mural Work
• Tapestry
 LECTURE 4 Sculptural Decoration at Atun

Romanesque Art • Romanesque developments in capital

decoration are reflected at Atun Cathedral in
Burgandy.
• Its sculptural decoration was carved by
Gislebertus .
• A capital representing the Flight into Egypt
shows the holy family fleeing the edict of King
Herod which decreed the death of all male
children under the age of two
 LECTURE 4
Romanesque Art

Flight into Egypt_ Atun Cathedral

 LECTURE 4 Flight into Egypt- Atun Cathedral

Romanesque Art • Joseph leads a lively high stepping donkey

carrying Mary and Christ out of Bethlehem into
Egypt.
• The capital exemplifies a taste for elegant
surface design which is the characteristic of
Romanesque sculpture.
• Decorative foliage is related to the background
• Circle designs are repeated in the borders on
the halos, and in donkey’s trappings. of the
draperies, on Joseph’s hat.
• Also curve lines are expressed in the draperies.
• The Romanesque artist’s disregard of gravity is
evident in the figure of Christ. He faces front ,
with his right hand resting on a sphere held by
Mary. He is suspended between her knees, with
no indication of support of his weight.
 LECTURE 4
Romanesque Art

The Last Judgement Tympanum at Autun

Gislebertus
 LECTURE 4 Last Judgement Tympanum at Autun
• Tympanum- a vertical recessed triangular space
Romanesque Art forming the center of a pediment, typically
decorated.
• A similar taste for flat patterns and
weightlessness characterizes the monumental
tympanum at Autun.
• It represents a large, imposing figure of Christ
appearing in majestic light at the last judgement.
• Supported by four angels, Christ sits frontally on a
throne and spreads out his arm in a broad gesture
proclaiming his divine presence and welcoming
worshipers to the cathedral.
 LECTURE 4 Last Judgement at Autun

Romanesque Art • His drapery forms a pattern of flattened curves

that correspond to the curved arms
• On either side of the Christ are two tiers of angels
and souls-the saved at his right and the damned
at his left
• Christ’s left hand indicates the weighing of the
souls on the lower tier
• To the right of the scale, two grotesque devils
weigh a tiny monstrous creature, one of the
damned
• At the extreme right, several more damned souls
fall downtrodden, denoting their future in hell
• In this detail, Gislebertus plays on the theme of
physical weight and weightlessness as a
metaphor for spirituality and salvation
• On the lowest horizontal tier, at the far left of the
tympanum, there are two pilgrims, identifiable
from their walking sticks and travelling bags
 LECTURE 4 Romanesque Manuscripts

Romanesque Art • Some of the greatest achievement of

Romanesque art were the illuminated
manuscripts produced in the scriptoria of
monasteries
• Scriptorium- a room set apart for writing,
especially one in a monastery where manuscripts
were copied
• Romanesque manuscript illumination is
characterized by flatten space and lively pattern
 LECTURE 4
Romanesque Art

New Testament Initial L

Saint Matthew
 LECTURE 4 New Testament Initial L and Saint Matthew

Romanesque Art • Saint Matthew is frontal and relatively

symmetrical. His feet are flat and vertical, so that
he has no rational support
• The patterned semicircular below the feet echoes
the halo and the round arch above
• On the initial L , the intertwined human, animal,
and floral forms are typical Romanesque
manuscript motifs
• A particularly exuberant Romanesque interlace
appears in an eleventh-century manuscript page
illustrating the initial T
• Its energy is conveyed by the dynamic movement
of intertwined forms
• Mixing of nature and abstraction is evident
 LECTURE 4 Mural Painting

Romanesque Art • In addition to illuminated manuscripts,

Romanesque artists painted monumental murals
on the walls of churches and chapels
• The murals had both a decorative and didactic,
teaching function
• The mural was done by many artists with a
diverse background
• The Romanesque chapel in Castle Appiano, in
north Italy, illustrates the use of rich colors - blue,
green, brown and yellow and lively forms
• These would have been more striking before they
were damaged
 LECTURE 4
Romanesque Art

Marry and Christ with two Angels_Chapel of Castel

Appiano c1200
 LECTURE 4 Tapestry

Romanesque Art • A tapestry is a form of textile art,

traditionally woven by hand on a loom.
• Tapestry is relatively fragile, and difficult to make,
so most historical pieces are intended to hang
vertically on a wall (or sometimes in tents), or
sometimes horizontally over a piece of furniture
such as a table or bed. Some periods made
smaller pieces, often long and narrow and used
as borders for other textiles.
 LECTURE 4 The Bayeux ‘Tapestry’

Romanesque Art • One of the most intriguing Romanesque works of

art is the so-called ’Bayeux Tapestry’ which
depicts Norman invasion of in 1066
• The event show William the conqueror leading a
group of Norman nobles against the English
• It is over 230’ long contains 626 human figure
• A team with several artist, technician , designer
and historian worked altogether
• The work is actually an embroidery, made by
stitching colored wool onto a bleached linen
• The ‘Tapestry’ was created for the Cathedral of
Bayeux in Normandy near the northern coast of
France
• The tapestry has Latin inscriptions
 LECTURE 4
Romanesque Art

Bayeux Tapestry_ c1070-1080

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