Essay about The Medieval Synthesis in the Arts

Ziggy Marley once said, “God is like the sun. When the sun shines, it shines for everyone. God is for everyone.” In the same way, Abbot Suger built the Basilica of St. Denis so that sunlight would flood throughout the building and symbolize the power of God inviting visitors into the cathedral. The Basilica of St. Denis was an artistic response to the rise of the Catholic Church’s power for it was modeled to be a physical representation of heaven, which the church heavily preached upon. (Thesis) As the basilica represented the shift from Romanesque architecture to Gothic, Abbot Suger introduced new techniques that transformed cathedrals to look more spacious and “heavenly”. (Map Statement #1-Art History) By allowing sunlight to come

It was during the Middle Ages (300-1000 AD), that various distinctive forms of art began to emerge in western Europe. A variety of significant mosaics, buildings and other forms of art came from this time that continue to be analyzed in the present. In the book Early Medieval Art, Lawrence Nees successfully provides an intricate interpretation of these various art forms that developed in this time in history while allowing the reader to conceptualize the emerging cultures of the first millennium in Europe. Nees is able to do this by outlining key aspects of the studied works of art that symbolize how life was at this point in history. At the beginning of his book, it is apparent that Nees seeks to provide a less traditional view on art at this time when he states, “I offer a different story of early medieval art in place of the more traditional tale of the decline of Rome and triumph of Christianity”. Nees’ thesis is subsequently inexplicitly stated to analyze the role of tradition in early medieval western art and its transformation as time progressed. By following a non-conventional thesis when writing this book, Nees is able to contribute a new perspective into the overall topic of medieval art.

The difference between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance is most visible through art and architecture, demonstrated specifically through an emphasis on religion or classical antiquity, and humanity. During the Middle Ages, art was more religious because it had a very religious influence from the church having such great power in the community. When the Renaissance started, art became more focused on ancient Greece. The Greek influence was because scholars were broadly studying the revival of classical antiquity. The architecture was affected in the same way because in the Middle Ages the style of the buildings was being influenced by religion. The style in the Renaissance was being more influenced by ancient Greece.

The cathedral was already a popular pilgrimage due to holding The Veil of The Virgin, a tunic said to be worn by the Virgin Mary. In the late 12th century the cult of the virgin was immensely popular, and the importance of the Virgin Mary grew, causing relics related to her to be highly sought after, by both churches and pilgrims. The cathedral of Chartres only grew in importance after receiving the skull of St. Anne (mother of the Virgin Mary). In my opinion the window also serves as a point of devotion, a place for people to be in awe and bask in holy divinity, whether that be viewed as the light that filters in behind Mary, or the spark of divine clarity that inspired the windows creation. While the name is a reference to the actual depiction of Mary, I believe that it is also used to indicate a closer connection to the queen of Heaven. The Cathedral at Chartres and in Paris are both dedicated to Mary and share the same name " Our Lady of" and so I think that choosing to name the window that elevates it from a work of art, and past even that of a reliquary to that of a holy site, and a place to

The Notre Dame Cathedral is certainly one of the most beautiful locations in the world, as the city of Paris as a whole and the building's surroundings contribute to making visitors acknowledge the importance of this monument. Construction on the cathedral started in 1163 and was largely finished by 1250, with most of its features emphasizing Gothic influences. The building's architecture, the sculptures present in it, and the impressive stained glass all stand as reminders that the French community invested most of its cultural values into the church at the time when it was constructed.

Gothic Style is some of the most beautiful works of art that man have ever made. It originated with the Romanesque style of building which lasted for about one hundred years before it was replaced by Gothic styles. The founder of the Gothic style was a man by the name of Abbot Suger. Notre Dame de Chartres cathedral was built in France between 1145 and 1513 and is Gothic architecture. Another Gothic architecture is the Bourges and it is located in Bourges France. Both of these works of art are very similar with many different features.

The interior is decorated with mosaics and marble pillars and coverings of great artistic value. Justinian oversaw the completion of the greatest cathedral ever built of its time. It has a complex interior structure; the nave is covered by a central dome which is about 182 ft. 5in. from floor level and rests on an arcade of 40 arched windows. The dome had some repairs made to it which made its diameter vary from 101 feet to 103 feet. There are arched openings extended by half domes of same diameter to the central dome carried on smaller semi-domed exedras. Also the interior surfaces are sheathed with polychrome marbles, green and white with purple porphyry, and gold mosaics. The exterior, clad in stucco, was tinted yellow and red during restorations in the 19th century at the direction of the Fossati

Art during the Italian Renaissance differed from art during the Middle Ages. The two have contrasting characteristics and concepts. To the people in the medieval world, religion was their life. Everything in daily life focused around the church and God (Modern World 164). Medieval culture influenced the arts; this was evident in the religious themes. During the Italian Renaissance, painters and other artists focused on the portrayal of a more humanistic way of life. Renaissance artists’ work portrayed realism with “lifelike human figures in their paintings” (Modern World 164). Renaissance artists wanted to express ancient Greek and Roman cultures in their work (Modern World 162). Italian Renaissance

I also thought it was interesting to learn that the abbey church of Saint Dennis was the first introduction of Gothic architecture. Another interesting thing that I wanted to point out was, that many of the churches, including the abbey church of Saint Dennis and the Chartres Cathedral, "had lengthy construction histories" (Kleiner 379). But, one church, in particular, had a fairly quick construction time frame. The Laon Cathedral, pictured below, is an example of a church that began construction around 1160 and the construction was quickly completed, by 1200. Besides, Gothic architectural features, the Laon Cathedral also demonstrates some Romanesque features, including, "nave bays with large sexpartite rib vaults" (Kleiner 379). The textbook

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Reims, northeast of Paris near Champagne was the coronation church of the kings of France and was an educational and cultural center. Also built of limestone, the architecture of the Reims Cathedral features Gothic style. It symbolizes an Early Gothic, Radiant Gothic and Flamboyant Gothic. The Reims Cathedral depicts a classic harmonic facade containing four levels. Its interior is defined by its towering heights and narrow proportions, and elaborate sculptural works. Because of the high quality of workmanship and materials used, Reims Cathedral features some of the most beautiful gothic art in existence. Five different cathedrals have been on the site on which Reims cathedral now sits since 401 CE. The current cathedral was built in 1211, after the previous cathedral had burned down. The new building was almost entirely finished by the end of the thirteenth century. 88 gargoyles were counted on the Reims Cathedral and are mainly used to drain off rainwater and are exceptional pieces of work, but do show the slight difference between Gothic and Romanesque styles. The stained glass windows are a beautiful part of Reims despite being damaged or ruined several times in the 18th century; the cathedral still has many 13th century stained glass windows, in the upper parts of the nave, choir and transept. On the opposite side of the great western portal, the Great Rose Window, dating from the end of the 13th century, represents “the Crowning

Chartres Cathedral is one of the most significant achievements of all the historical architecture. Additionally, it is entirely preserved with its original details. The unique features of the cathedral are intact, and thus when one visits the place, he or she is likely to encounter the authentic architecture work as it was done many years ago. Chartres Cathedral symbolizes an atmosphere of awe and holiness (Katzenellenbogen, 2). As such, it was built for religious purposes. However, it attracts the nonbelievers as well. As a holy building, it has many glass windows to light the building. Due to its height, a double flying buttresses is used to support the high nave. The cathedral was the first building in history that used buttresses since it was considered as necessary for the peoples’ culture and as a sign of authority. It was built to reflect a symbol of power since the religious leaders engaged in politics too. The cathedral has many statuses that represent the Biblical aspects such as Elijah, Isaiah, John the Baptist, Jeremiah, and Simeon (Katzenellenbogen, 9). The standings portray the Christian faith that was used by the architectures while building the cathedral. The interior floor stands thirty-six meters high and is one hundred and twenty-eight meters wide. The sizes show how vital it is and it can host many peoples who visit for religious functions.

Gothic architecture began in the 12th century and continued well into the 16th century as an attempt to reconcile Christian theology with Greek philosophy. Gothic architecture was deeply rooted in the previous architectural genre, the Romanesque, but architects this time around no longer desired to recapture the ‘classical’ and ‘antique’. If we focus on the Gothic cathedral, we’ll find that a Gothic cathedral had a unified and unbroken space that included the apse, rather than separating them like the Romanesque architects did. The main characteristics of Gothic style cathedrals included the groin-vault. Barrel-vaults had become too difficult to make and too heavy to install and so the Gothic architects decided to pull away from them and utilize groin-vaults instead. The ribs in the groin-vaults were conveniently aligned to form a diamond pattern on the ceilings. Atop these vaults was the second main characteristic of

Fire is viewed as destruction by many, but it helped to produce growth in Gothic architecture. Many of Christianity’s beliefs are reflected in different aspects of art. The stained glass and verticality of Gothic churches is a key change from Romanesque style churches. The Gothic church found creative ways to illustrate images of important events in history through tapestry. Even the general shape and design of the Romanesque churches versus Gothic churches show Christians values. The sculptures outside of churches have evolved over time to correspond with Christian’s beliefs of Homo faber. The change in design of Romanesque churches to the new architecture of Gothic style churches shows how Christian’s incorporated their religion into churches. Christianity’s beliefs and values are directly reflected through the changes of architecture and style from Romanesque to Gothic churches along with visual and literary art.

With these great gothic style building appearing in Europe, there had to be architects behind the projects. Some of the most famous architects of the early gothic (1140-1194), high gothic (1194-1300), and late gothic (1300-1500) are, Jean D’Orbais, Jean Le Loup, Gaucher De Reims, Bernard De Soissons, and Abbot Suger of Saint-Denis. The patron, and client, for the first Gothic style building - Abbot Suger, wrote his views on the symbolism, at St. Denis, built between (1140-1144), but did not record the architect’s name. Jean D’Orbais' designed the first tracery rose window, and was a major milestone in church construction. Considering we don't

This mountainous structure is seen from about every point of Paris and beyond. From the front, you can see two towers jutting out of an ordinary street. The Cathedral also features large stained glass windows, that are one of the most beautiful features of the structures. From the side, you can see the long body of the Cathedral and the spire sticking out of the top. It is somewhat overwhelming being within feet of the structure, because of the immense height and width of the church. Looking at the back, one can clearly see the dome-like structures attaching to the organ room. From the outside, you can clearly see the sculptures depicting the scenes from the Catholic religion. The cathedral is gigantic, but it is easy to process all the sections because of the distinct styles of architecture. From an