Middle Ages Research Paper

The Middle Ages have always been an interesting topic in the discussion of art. Mostly within the Renaissance era and quite some time beyond it, the Middle Ages were often thought as “The Dark Ages,” a time of a lower class of civilization and lower quality of art and architecture. Of course later historians began to take the time period more seriously and found the art of the Middle Ages to be an interesting and fascinating piece of culture in both its art and architectural works. Of the many types of art that appeared throughout the Middle Ages, one that may be the most commonly associated with the times is the art known as Byzantine. The name of this art comes from the eastern portion of the divided roman empire after the fall of Rome,

The Romanesque period of art is often considered the next large step in the western art expansion of the Middle Ages. At the time of the eleventh and twelfth centuries Christianity had expanded over almost all of Europe and grown to be the most prominent and defining religion of the time and era (Chapuis, “Romanesque Art”). Because of this and the growth and stability of the time a new wave of art became popular across Europe, known now as the Romanesque period (). The period is called so because of the periods use of monumental art not seen in such earnest since the Roman Empire, of course this is not the only reason and beyond this the name is not considered by any means a perfectly accurate name (Chapuis, “Romanesque Art”). The artistry of this period takes most of its actual artistry from the previous Byzantine period and a style known as “The Animal Style” (Chapuis, “Romanesque Art”; “Janson's History of Art” 316) This can be seen in the weaving pattern seen on many works, from the Animal Style; and the general canon and decoration of the Byzantine style. Deriving from these styles comes the monolithic works and in interesting and strong architectural decoration such as the “Santiago de Compostela” (). Works not only included monumental statues but painted gospel pages, tapestries, metalwork, and a general broader range of artistic medium inclusion compared to previous times

Probably one of the largest expansions of an artistic style within the Middle Ages, Gothic style is characterized mostly by its incredible architectural design (Martindale and others, “Gothic Art”). Beyond this though there is also an often forgotten myriad of other art made in what is known as the Gothic Style, such as statue work, manuscript paintings, and stained glass (“Janson's History of Art” 411-417). This style is unique, far more in its own stylistic niche than Romanesque might be considered. Most characteristic, as said before, would be the beautiful architecture, a look that is possibly the pinnacle of Medieval architecture. Instead of the plainer outside of Byzantine works the Gothic style is striking and strong in all aspects. Originally believed to be a style derived from a tribe known as the Goths, the style quickly grew in france and soon spread beyond, eventually overcoming the Romanesque style in popularity and minimizing the Romanesque style to a few small areas of Europe (Martindale and others, “Gothic Art). These Gothic churches are characterized by their unique arches, ribbed vaults, and use of stained glass, elements that had both structural and aesthetic purpose (“Janson's History of Art” 397-404). Churches such as the Notre-Dame and the Sainte-Chapelle of Paris are particularly revered in contemporary times for their