The Illuminated Manuscripts

Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas. These ideas can also be depicted using objects. Symbolism is clearly visible in the book Inside Out and Back Again. When Ha and her family are leaving South Vietnam, they had to leave behind items that represented a part of them. Ha’s papaya tree symbolizes the rise and fall of hope and her home.

Also had lists of short words and sometimes included a prayer, but normally they had a short story or fable instead. With a greater surface area, battledores could also contain illustrations. These were generally pictures of everyday life that would have been familiar to children of the time (Dianeohio, 2006, ¶ 4).

The medieval times was filled with ideas based just around the church. As the Renaissance began, the arts developed into a freer and move creative society based on more Greek and Roman ideas. “Finding the feudal and ecclesiastical literature and Gothic art of the

The 1400’s was a time of the Renaissance, which was a change or rebirth in the Italian culture of art, politics and philosophy. Petrarch created a universal concept that changed the way people thought which was called humanism. Humanism is when people start to focus on the values and interests of humans. This idea started to spread with the help of the printing press which was a machine that made printing literature easier. Writers and artists were able to spread their ideas of humanism across Europe during the Renaissance through this machine. Artists like Raphael showed humanism with his painting of “The School of Athens”, Michelangelo’s sculpture of “David” and Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Vitruvian Man”.

Compare and contrast the St. Matthew page from the Gospel Book of Durrow with the St. Matthew page from the Coronation Gospels.  What does this comparison demonstrate about the cultural and artistic influences exchanged in Europe?  Do these images reveal ties to earlier cultures?  Provide both context and formal analysis in the course of your answer while considering the production techniques required to create illuminated manuscripts.

An illuminated manuscript is a script in which the text is accompanied with decoration as initials, borders and model illustrations. Medieval manuscript decoration included painted small scenes, ornate chapter letters, and even elaborate full-page paintings. Such decorations illustrated the writings and helped direct people through it. The pictures were mainly important because during medieval times, lots of people, who even owned manuscripts, were not able to read.

A legacy is something that has left behind it can be from many different thing such as a will etc. Some of these things can make a big influence without them even knowing so. These things don’t always have to be left behind for example, in 1879 Thomas Edison was able to create a long lasting light bulb, and now we use light bulbs every day, this would make it a legacy because it is carried throughout time

Towering buildings. Looking up at the sky, you see the beautiful sky scrapers in your attractive outlook. The parallel buildings of NYC are almost identical as they have the same frame, but every high-rise has its’ uniqueness in its detail and features. Art and architecture will always be found prevalent in history, as change will consistently manipulate concepts and notions. During the Romanesque time period art focused on praising God and in Illuminated Manuscripts biblical teachings were inscribed with added embellishments and gems. Even though Illuminated Manuscripts have the same frame with the same key components, in order to call it an Illuminated Manuscript, they all illustrate distinct differences in their detail. Modern day America

In “The Book of the Heart: Reading and Writing the Medieval Subject”, written by Eric Jager, he states that in the world of visual art in the medieval era, “book of the heart” was a commonly used image. Mr. Jager point out the different trends the term “book of the heart” goes through. Focusing on how the term went from literal to a commonly used figurative phrase, he tries to show how a frequently used term made such an impact on the past and the present. Using medieval art, literature, and other authors’ works, he analyzes the use of hearts and books, to show how the term takes on different trends. Jager examines the significance of the heart and how it was looked at as a book, and then uses art and literature to corroborate his idea.

Martin Luther, essentially a nobody with credentials, grew to become one of the most influential persons in the 16th century. Though his message was fought off by the Catholic church, with the help of the printing press and his followers, Luther’s message was able to spread throughout Europe. Similarly, taking a look at the message of “may your brief candle shine brightly” from Once Upon a Timepiece by Starr Wood, both messages of history traveled through time due to the unforeseen circumstances one calls history. By examining the choices each individual made, it is clear to see how greed and circumstance play a deep role in both Andrew Pettegree’s Brand Luther and Starr Wood’s Once Upon a Timepiece.

I did my project on the art exhibit titled the “Gospel of Luke and John”, particularly the Gospel of Luke and the illustration on the first page. The Gospel of Luke on display is an illuminated manuscript that forms part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is of Byzantine origin and is dated to have been written between the twelfth and thirteenth century. The exact illustrator and scrip is unknown, but it is handwritten using the Greek language. Prior to the 15th century this was a common feature since the printing press had yet to be invented.

In this essay, I will attempt to explore the function of the traditional Book of hours from the medieval period by analysing the form, decoration and content of the books of hours as well as the functional purposes of the book itself. I shall be focusing on two specific books of hours; Hours of Jeanne d’Evreux, c.1325 - 28 (currently in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York) and the well-known Tres Riches heures, c.1412 which was owned by the French Prince John, the Duke of Berry (1340 – 1416) who had been known as a collector of illuminated manuscripts during this period.

As I turn the pages through The Book of Kells I am amazed at the effort it clearly took to produce such a collection of historic record active human creativity. The era of the Middle Ages is often displayed as a stagnant without any progressive in human history. People in the so called dark ages were not stagnate or regressing. The book of Kells is proof of having thinkers, and innovations of this time with the idea to save and document the scripture. Inside are a collection of thoughtful illustrations. Not only does the recoding of a religious text itself show the era is mislabeled, but the decorations of design and daily life so that life was actively developing.

An Augustinian Monk named Hugh wrote in 1133 CE that, “The World can be likened to books written by the hand of the Lord” (Johnson). To the modern scholar, this level of religiosity and fervor may be difficult to grasp, but faith dominated and controlled European society in the Middle Ages and the early Renaissance. The Christian dictated the content of art and literature in this era. Written works of faith, such as Gospels, Codices, Bibles, and Books of Hours, were vital in promoting Christian devotional practices and theological education. Two illuminated illustrations from this era – the Virgin and Child from Book of Kells and St. Anthony of Egypt from a Book of Hours —capture this religious influence. Both illustrations contain elaborate decoration, but differences in their scale, iconographical representation, and illumination express differences in the two books’ intended functions.

An illuminated manuscript is a text with decorations such as books that not only have text, but pictures and decorations in colors and golds. A famous illuminated manuscript is called the Book of hours, it was created in Paris in c. 1410. The Book of Hours is a Christian book and that was extremely popular in the early medieval period. On the front of the book there are many colors and decorations and a picture depicting the Annunciation. (Calkins). The development of the printing press in the year 1450 by Johannes Gutenberg, allowed for books to start becoming bound. Vellum is a fine animal skin prepared for writing and painting. Vellum can be made from skins such as calfskin.