Manuscript Painting Manuscript painting is a complex and expensive process. It was developed in the medieval period. Most medieval manuscripts were written on animal skin or parchment paper. Illuminated manuscripts are classified into periods and types. Some of these types include Late Antique, Carolingian, Ottonian, Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance. The development of manuscript painting began from the period 400 to 600 AD. The main purpose of the illuminated manuscripts was to inform the illiterate of the beauty of God’s words. Hiberno-Saxon Art is a style different from the rest of Europe. It is used to indicate the monastic art of the Irish-English islands. The Book of Kells was created to represent this style. The Book of Kells can …show more content…
Used as the primary source in effort to convert Britain, Scotland and Ireland into Christianity, the Book of Kells brought the word of God to the illiterate population. Among the many manuscripts created is the Lindisfarne Gospels. This gospel book was also used to reach out to others. Lindisfarne Gospels incorporates both Christian imagery and animals in its pages. This type of manuscript painting contains the interlacements of animals and shapes that are all inscribed in a cross. The author’s portrait of Saint Matthew in the Lindisfarne Gospels was an “illustrated Gospel book a Christian missionary brought from Italy to England.” The Saint Matthews side portrays four portraits of the evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. In the Carolingian style, manuscript painters brought a different style than Hiberno-Saxon. Under this style, the painters use color and modulation of light and shade to create shapes. The Carolingian artists use classical painting as in figure 11-13, Coronation Gospels, and gold in their manuscripts such as in figure 11-16, Lindau Gospels. By the 10th century, Carolingian art had disintegrated as a result of attacks from enemies. Ottonian illuminated manuscripts began with a revival of