Why Was An Illuminated Manuscript Important

To us, it is obvious that Monasticism made massive contributions to society after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. As Western Europe was in lawless chaos, monasteries were beacons of peace and discipline. Monks who were drawn in by the core tenants of monasticism (Serenity, Order, and Self-Sufficiency), and those who were talented in reading/writing became monastic scribes. These scribes wrote down copies of any literature they could get their hands on (both religious and secular) as well as daily happenings. This seemingly useless task ensured the preservation of western history and culture, as the several copies the monks made a huge difference, because the Royal Library of Alexandria along with the other libraries that were torched

Medieval artists complied with stylized forms and techniques, basing their paintings on a set of predetermined acceptable themes such as the Virgin and Child and saints. Royal portraits of the period were often done with religious context. Despite the lack of room for originality in art, there was a high value placed on imitation and emulation. Young artists learned by imitating their masters and classical works, and then developing their own work by emulating established

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.

Music was a very important asset to the peoples’ society. According to historians, the medieval period was the beginning of the unbroken tradition of notated Western music. Music was the one thing that all classes could enjoy, royals, nobles, women, slaves, anyone could listen to music being played out on the streets. Music was used in cathedrals and abbeys, dances and was even part of poetry. Most of the poetry from the Medieval Period known today were sung in front of crowds during events and festivals. Vocal music was very important in churches and worshipping. Back in the medieval time, there weren’t any radios, so all of the music was played live. Festivals, celebrations and the holiday season were very popular times for music. During an important holiday, Mayday, the dancers danced to high

The Gothic period, by and large set between the twelfth and fifteenth hundreds of years in Europe, was described by religious workmanship with an attention on design. The Renaissance period, which covers the Gothic period in right on time years, is for the most part considered to have spread over from the late fourteenth century to the seventeenth century, and enormously extended the degree and topic of craftsmanship. In spite of the fact that these two periods have some normal qualities, the Gothic and Renaissance periods have altogether different purposes of core interest.

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

Before the printing press was established, persons known as “copyists” made a living of drawing or writing different types of manuscript books.

The medieval period consisted of many techniques of artwork that inspired materials we use in present day. Not only are medieval techniques used to inspire present day art but architectural design, clothing and interior decorating also. Medieval artwork inspired concepts and techniques to portray symbolism and stories in other ways than just paint. So, what mediums were most common in medieval art? Some common mediums used during the medieval period were metalwork, gold rendering and jeweled settings. The Lindau Gospels Cover exemplifies these popular techniques and represents the Middle Ages artistry greatly.

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.

A reflection on religious monuments and their implements in their connection to their faith and use of prayer. This reflection uses Christian, Islamic, and Jewish religions as examples of study in the Medieval era.

Charles the Great wanted the church to educate the clergy by establishing schools to increase the literacy of the priests and monks. The monastaries used Carolingian minuscule as manuscript much like our lower case today, and pictures to illustrate the writing.

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

In 1350 the renaissance had begun, it was the time to bring back and restore many things from the past. Many people from the renaissance time tried to make a living on their own by painting and writing books. Although it seemed very hard to spread their ideas around the world but until 1444 their worries began to shrink. A man from Germany named Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, which made possible for people to have copies of books and letters in much lesser time than they were used to. The invention of the printing press was one of most notable inventions from the last millennium because it brought very important changes and accomplishments in the whole world that we can still

The Catholic Church commissioned scribes and monks to produce literature. Literature was produced my hand, consumed excessive amounts of time and resulted in high prices. Therefore, bibles were not produced in the vernacular language. The lack of access to literature caused the literacy rate to be tremendously low, but that all change when the Printing Press began production. The Church no longer had control of the production of literature. As seen in the image created by Un Atleier Typographique during the 1500’s, “There are printers working frantically”(1B). This image illustrates the source of the change. As the production of literature rapidly increased, it allowed other languages to be printed. Copies of the Bible were then available in the vernacular languages. This lead to an increase in literacy rates. As the literacy rate increased, trouble

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.