Art And Architecture in the

Middle Ages
Aneela Ramzan
Introduction

• Art historians attempt to classify medieval art into major periods and
styles, often with some difficulty.
• A generally accepted scheme includes the later phases of Early
Christian art, Migration Period art, Byzantine art, Insular art, Pre-
Romanesque, Romanesque art, and Gothic art, as well as many other
periods within these central styles.
• In addition each region, mostly during the period in the process of
becoming nations or cultures, had its own distinct artistic style, such
as Anglo-Saxon art or Norse art.
Medieval Art

• Medieval art was produced in many media, and the works that
remain in large numbers include sculpture, illuminated
manuscripts, stained glass, metalwork and mosaics, all of which have
had a higher survival rate than other media such as fresco wall-
paintings, work in precious metals or textiles, including tapestry. 
• Medieval art in Europe grew out of the artistic heritage of the Roman
Empire and the iconographic traditions of the early Christian church.
• The history of medieval art can be seen as the history of the interplay
between the elements of classical, early Christian and "barbarian" art.
• The period ended with the self perceived Renaissance recovery of the
skills and values of classical art, and the artistic legacy of the Middle
Ages was then disparaged for some centuries.
Medieval Art Styles
Early Christian and Late Antique art

• More generally described as Late Antique art, covers the period

from about 200 (before which no distinct Christian art survives),
until the onset of a fully Byzantine style in about 500
• In the course of the 4th century Christianity went from being a
persecuted popular sect to the official religion of the Empire,
adapting existing Roman styles and often iconography, from both
popular and Imperial art.
• From the start of the period the main survivals of Christian art are
the tomb-paintings in popular styles of the catacombs of Rome, but
by the end there were a number of lavish mosaics in churches built
under Imperial patronage.
• Over this period imperial Late Roman art went through a strikingly
"baroque" phase, and then largely abandoned classical style and
Greek realism in favour of a more mystical and hieratic style
• Figures are mostly seen frontally staring out at the viewer, where
classical art tended to show a profile view - the change was
eventually seen even on coins. 
• The individuality of portraits, a great strength of Roman art,
declines sharply, and the anatomy and drapery of figures is shown
with much less realism. 
Byzantine art

• Byzantine art is the art of the Greek-speaking Byzantine Empire

formed after the division of the Roman Empire between Eastern and
Western halves
• In the early medieval period the best Byzantine art, often from the
large Imperial workshops, represented an ideal of sophistication and
technique which European patrons tried to emulate.
• Byzantine art was extremely conservative, for religious and cultural
reasons, but retained a continuous tradition of Greek realism, which
contended with a strong anti-realist and hieratic impulse. 
• During the period of Byzantine iconoclasm in 730-843 the vast
majority of icons (sacred images usually painted on wood) were
destroyed; so little remains that today any discovery sheds new
understanding, and most remaining works are in Italy or Egypt
• After the resumption of icon production in 843 until 1453 the
Byzantine art tradition continued with relatively few changes,
despite, or because of, the slow decline of the Empire.
• Monumental sculpture with figures remained a taboo in Byzantine
art
• But small ivory reliefs were a speciality, as was relief decoration on
bowls and other metal objects.
• The Byzantine Empire produced much of the finest art of the
Middle Ages in terms of quality of material and workmanship, with
court production centred on Constantinople
• Byzantine art's crowning achievement were the
monumental frescos and mosaics inside domed churches, most of
which have not survived due to natural disasters and the
appropriation of churches to mosques
•  Byzantine silk textiles, often woven or embroidered with designs of
both animal and human figures, the former often reflecting
traditions originating much further east, were unexcelled in the
Christian world until almost the end of the Empire.
Byzantine art: Key Characteristic

• Byzantine arts were mostly concerned with religious expression.

• One of the most profound Byzantine art characteristics was the
translation of church theology into artistic forms such as sculptures,
mosaics and paintings.
• These art pieces were produced in such rigid tradition that resulted in
a highly sophisticated artistic style, which had remained unequalled
in Western art.
Byzantine Architecture

• Building style of Constantinople after AD 330. 

• Byzantine architects were eclectic, at first drawing heavily on
Roman temple features. 
• The most distinctive feature was the domed roof on a square base
• The grouping of small domes or semi-domes round the large central
dome was effective
• Walls were sheeted internally with marble and vaults and domes
with coloured glass mosaics on a golden background.
Migration Period through Christianization

• Migration Period art describes the art of the "barbarian" Germanic

and Eastern-European peoples who were on the move, and then
settling within the former Roman Empire, during the Migration
Period from about 300-700
• The blanket term covers a wide range of ethnic or regional styles
including early Anglo-Saxon art, Visigothic art, Norse art,
and Merovingian art, all of which made use of the animal style as
well as geometric motifs derived from classical art.
• Most artworks were small and portable and those surviving are
mostly jewellery and metalwork, with the art expressed in
geometric or schematic designs, often beautifully conceived and
made, with few human figures and no attempt at realism. The early
Anglo-Saxon grave goods from Sutton Hoo are among the best
examples.
• As the "barbarian" peoples were Christianized, these influences
interacted with the post-classical Mediterranean Christian artistic
tradition, and new forms like the illuminated manuscript, and
indeed coins, which attempted to emulate Roman provincial
coins and Byzantine types
• As for larger works, there are references to Anglo-Saxon wooden
pagan statues, all now lost, and in Norse art the tradition of
carved runestones was maintained after their conversion to
Christianity. 
 Anglo Saxon Art
• Anglo Saxon artwork was
characterised by the use of
especially bright and vivid colours
when it came to illustrated
manuscripts. Anglo Saxon
metalwork was characterised by
highly intricate and fine work.
The influence of Islamic art

• Islamic art covers a wide variety of media including calligraphy,

illustrated manuscripts, textiles, ceramics, metalwork and glass
• Early Islamic art used mosaic artists and sculptors trained in the
Byzantine and Coptic traditions. Instead of wall-paintings, Islamic art
used painted tiles
Romanesque art

• Romanesque art developed in the period between about 1000 to

the rise of Gothic art in the 12th century
• Romanesque architecture is dominated by thick walls, massive
structures conceived as a single organic form, with vaulted roofs
and round-headed windows and arches.
• Romanesque sculpture and painting is often extremely vigorous and
expressive, and very inventive in terms of iconography—the
subjects chosen and their treatment
• The vast majority of surviving art is religious
• Stained glass became a significant art-form in the period, though
little Romanesque glass survives.
• The strong emphasis on the suffering of Christ and other sacred
figures entered Western art in this period, a feature that strongly
distinguishes it from both Byzantine and classical art for the
remainder of the Middle Ages and beyond.
• The end of the Romanesque period saw the start of the greatly
increased emphasis on the Virgin Mary in theology, literature and
so also art that was to reach its full extent in the Gothic period.
Romanesque Art: Key Characteristic

• Romanesque Art is characterized by it’s beautiful style in both

painting and sculpture.
• It is well represented in the iconic models such as Christ in majesty,
scenes from the life of Christ and the Last Judgement.
• The illuminated Romanesque manuscripts show lavish coloured
decorations of the period. Romanesque art can be seen in the bible
and Psalters of the time.
Romanesque Architecture

• Romanesque architecture relies upon its walls, or sections of walls

called piers, to bear the load of the structure, rather than using
arches, columns, vaults, and other systems to manage the weight.
Walls

• The masoned wall, which would become its defining characteristic.

Constructed from whatever building materials were easily obtainable,
their appearance would vary between brick, limestone, granite and
flint, making each one distinct.
Arch
• The staggered archivolts and the change in color and texture, which
was achieved by the use of alternating layers of different types of
stone.
• The pairing of two arched
windows or arcade openings
separated by a pillar
or colonette and often set
within a larger arch. 
 • Combinations of piers, columns and their alternation schemes and
Vaults
the resulting arcades
Gothic art

• The term originated with the Gothic architecture which developed

in France from about 1137 with the rebuilding of the Abbey Church
of St Denis.
• The new architecture allowed for much larger windows, and
stained glass of a quality never excelled.
• The process of establishing a distinct Western style was begun
by Cimabue and Duccio, and completed by Giotto, who is
traditionally regarded as the starting point for the development of
Renaissance painting.
Gothic Architecture
• 1. Grand, Tall Designs, Which Swept Upwards With Height and
Grace
2. The Flying Buttress
 3. Pointed Arch

• 3. The Pointed Arch

4. The Vaulted Ceiling
5. Light, Airy Interiors
6. The Gargoyles of Gothic Architecture

• Gargoyle’s intended
purpose: to strike fear into
the hearts of ill-educated
Medieval peasants, scaring
them into the church or
cathedral.
• Many gargoyles include
elements of the grotesque:
exaggerated, evil features or
threatening poses, which
would have leered down
from on-high.
7. The Emphasis
Upon the Decorative
Style and the Ornate