1. The Medieval Period
450 – 1450 A.D.

2. Also Known As: “The Middle Ages” “The Dark Ages”
This was because of a lack of central government, poverty and ignorance

3. Characteristics
Society was made up of 3 orders: clergy, nobility & serfs
Once in an order, a person was pretty much locked into it
This included their ancestors to follow them

4. The Clergy Subject to their own laws
Observed their own levels of social class
Administered “divine justice”
Were looked to for blessings
Were the guardians of society

5. The Nobility
Upper nobility were the kings followed by large land owners with titles like “Duke” or “Count”
Lower nobility were smaller land owners – the “Knight” class

6. The Serfs These people worked land owned by others
They paid a share to the land owner and kept the rest
Serfs were free but still beholden to the land owners they served

7. What This Means: Power & Money were held by the few
The majority of people were uneducated and concerned with survival
The church held great power over all

8. The Rise of the Christian Church
This setting promoted the rise of a religion that promised happiness in the afterlife: Christianity
Serfs saw their lives as a penance to be paid in order to gain eternal salvation

9. More About the Rise:
This attitude helped the nobility to maintain control
It also gave great power to the church as it was viewed as the over riding power in Europe during this time

10. Impact on the Arts:
The majority of art was produced and controlled by the church and wealthy
Enjoyment of the arts was limited to the few with the exception of social fads

11. Characteristics of Medieval Fine Art
The arts appeal to the emotions and stress the importance of religion in all aspects of life
The purpose is to instruct the populace in the Christian faith

12. Types of Medieval Fine Art
Illuminated Manuscripts
Celtic Art
Byzantine, Romanesque & Gothic Architecture
Dance Macabre
Gregorian Chant
Morality Plays
The Tarantella
Minstrels

13. Illuminated Manuscript
This is artwork that is used to decorate text
Drawings are 2-dimentional and use primary colors mostly
Ornamentation is used freely
No other form captures the Medieval spirit as well

14. Examples:

15. The Book of Kells The most famous collection of illuminated manuscript
An Irish manuscript that contained the four gospels
The detail in the knot designs shows great care

16. Examples:

17. Byzantine Architecture
Heavy Roman influence: vaults, arches, domes, columns
Mixture of brick, stone & mortar
Monumental in size
Decorated with gold & mosaics
Middle Eastern
Basilica of Hagia Sophia

18. Mosaics
Works created by gluing little, colorful pieces of stone together
Used by the Byzantines as a major source of artistic expression
Most works are religious

19. Examples

20. Romanesque Architecture
The style of the traditional Medieval castle
Geometric shapes
Round arches
Decorated with Relief Sculptures to teach the Christian faith
Shelter & protection

21. Relief Sculpture

22. Gothic Architecture
“Gothic” was a term used for designs against the classical form
It was against the Greek & Roman styles
Tried to create a new Christian style of design

23. More Gothic:
Since the design was religious in nature, the most impressive examples are Cathedrals
The most famous of which is the Notre Dame in the center of Paris, France

24. Innovations in Design
Pointed Arches
Gargoyles

25. Innovations in Design
Rose Window
Flying Buttress

26. Dance Macabre Art that depicts skeletons dancing
Influenced by the Black Death
Shows societies infatuation with death
Still used in modern art (Halloween)

27. Examples

28. Gregorian Chant
When Pope Gregory I decided to reorganize the church, he wanted uniform service music
This required that a form of notation be created so that everyone would be playing the same songs

29. Gregorian Chant
This was the first music ever written in a universal style
Made up of a single melody and nothing else
Words are biblical text
Was the official music of the church for 1000 years

30. Polyphony Developed after Gregorian Chant
Combines two chant melodies to produce harmony
Comes from Greek “poly” (many) & “phones” (voice)

31. Secular Music
Unlike chant & polyphony that was for the church (sacred)
Topics of words were “wine, women & song”
Not written
Learned by rote
Sung with lute accompaniment

32. Morality Plays Drama of the Medieval Period
Taught moral lessons from the church
1st dealt with the lives of saints & was performed in church
Classic tales of good vs. evil

33. “Everyman” Best example of a morality play
Protagonist is a symbol for all human kind
It tells the story of his life & acts
Characters are “love”, “greed”, “death”, etc
Only “good deeds” is with him at the end

34. Tarantella Popular dance of the late Medieval
Native dance of south Italy
1st move is a jump as if bitten by a spider
Dancers play tambourines & castanets while dancing
Named for the tarantula spider

35. Dance Mania Known as “St. Vitus’s Dance
Frantic dance to exhaustion that sometimes ended in death
Believed to combat the plague
A combination of dance marathons & mosh pits

36. Thus Endth:
The Medieval Period