Medieval art

Long ago, people made beautiful art.

They used gold to make things shine. They used bright blue paint from far away.

Some art was made for churches. Other art was made for homes. Monks made many books by hand.

They used animal skins to make pages. This art shows us how people lived. It is a grand gift from the past.

Medieval art lasted for over 1,000 years. It spread across Europe and parts of Africa.

People made art in many ways. They made stone statues and bright stained glass. They also made mosaics, which are pictures made of small tiles.

Artists used very expensive materials. They used real gold to make things shine. They used a blue paint called ultramarine. This blue came from a stone found far away in Afghanistan.

Many early works were made by monks in churches. They made beautiful books by hand. To make pages, they used vellum, which is skin from animals. Making just three Bibles needed 1,600 calves.

As time went on, more people owned art. Wealthy people bought items like carved ivory mirror cases. This art shows the skill of many different cultures. It is a big part of our history.

Medieval art covers over 1,000 years of history.

It spread across Europe, Western Asia, and Northern Africa. This art includes many different styles and movements. Art historians group these into periods like Byzantine or Gothic art. Each region also had its own special way of making things. For example, Viking art looked very different from Anglo-Saxon art. These styles show how different cultures lived and worked together.

Artists used many different ways to create their work.

They made stone sculptures and bright stained glass windows. Some made mosaics using tiny tiles to form pictures. They also created beautiful books called illuminated manuscripts. Many early artists focused on the "minor arts." These were decorative items like metalwork or ivory carvings. In the early years, these small items were often more valuable than big paintings.

This art grew from several different sources. It mixed the old traditions of the Roman Empire with early Christian ideas. These were joined with the energetic styles of Northern European "barbarian" cultures.

This mixture created a very unique legacy for the world. While some art stayed realistic, other parts became very decorative. The period eventually ended when people began the Renaissance. This was a time when artists tried to recover old classical skills.

Making these objects was often a very big job.

Artists used incredibly expensive materials to make things look grand. They used real gold for backgrounds and personal jewelry. They also used a blue pigment called ultramarine. This blue was made from lapis lazuli stones from Afghanistan. Even making paper was hard work. To make vellum pages, monks used animal skins. Making three Bibles could require 1,600 calves.

Art changed as society changed over the centuries.

At first, most art was made by monks for churches. These works were very rare and expensive. Later, more people in towns could own art. Wealthy people bought items like carved ivory mirror cases. Even small villages began to see more art production. This shift shows how art moved from just churches to many homes. Today, we see this period as a huge achievement in history.

Medieval art encompasses a vast historical scope spanning over 1,000 years.

This creative era took place across Europe, Western Asia, and Northern Africa. It includes many different art movements, regional styles, and specific genres. Art historians attempt to classify these works into distinct periods. A common scheme includes Early Christian art, Byzantine art, and Romanesque art. It also includes Gothic art and the art of the Migration Period.

Each region developed unique styles during its own cultural formation. For example, Viking art and Anglo-Saxon art represent distinct local traditions.

This art emerged from a complex interplay of several cultural sources. It grew out of the artistic heritage of the Roman Empire. It also drew from the iconographic traditions of the early Christian church. These elements mixed with the vigorous artistic cultures of Northern European "barbarian" groups.

This mixture created a remarkable and lasting artistic legacy. In Byzantine art, a tradition of realistic depiction remained continuous. In Western Europe, realism appeared intermittently alongside new expressionist possibilities. These possibilities often competed with the energetic decorative elements of the Northern legacy.

Artists worked in a wide variety of media to express their ideas. Many surviving works include stone sculpture and stained glass. We also find many examples of metalwork and intricate mosaics.

Illuminated manuscripts, which are books decorated with bright colors and gold, are also common. During the early part of this period, "minor arts" were highly valued. These decorative arts included ivory carving, vitreous enamel, and embroidery. Some works in precious metals were actually more prized than large paintings.

Many of these smaller, decorative items have a higher survival rate than large wall paintings.

The production of art changed significantly as society evolved. In the early Middle Ages, significant art was very rare and costly. Most works were associated with monasteries, major churches, or secular elites. Much of this early work was produced by monks.

However, the Rule of St Benedict allowed monasteries to sell their artistic works. This meant monks could produce art for a lay market. By the end of the Middle Ages, art was found in bourgeois homes in towns. Production became an important local industry, and artists from the clergy became the exception.

Creating these masterpieces required immense resources and expensive materials. Artists often spent more money on materials than on the artists themselves. Gold was used for church objects, jewelry, and clothing fittings. It was also used as gold leaf in paintings or as a background in mosaics.

Another precious material was ultramarine, a deep blue pigment. This pigment was made from ground lapis lazuli from Afghanistan. It was used lavishly, often for the blue mantle of the Virgin Mary. Even the surfaces for writing were costly to produce. To create vellum, which is animal skin, a monastery might need 1,600 calves for three Bibles.

Social and environmental factors also shaped the history of art. The first millennium saw many invasions and incursions into Europe. The Islamic conquests of the 7th and 8th centuries removed North Africa from the Western world.

Population levels in Europe fluctuated greatly during this time. The population reached a low of about 18 million in 650. It doubled by the year 1000 and reached over 70 million by 1340. However, the Black Death around 1350 killed at least one third of the population. This massive setback caused population numbers to drop to 50 million by 1450.

The Middle Ages ended with the arrival of the Renaissance. This period focused on recovering the skills of classical art. For several centuries, the Renaissance actually disparaged medieval art.

People did not always value older works for their artistic merit. Instead, they valued them for their connection to a saint or founder. Since the 19th century, however, interest in this period has been revived. Scholars now recognize medieval art as an enormous achievement. It serves as the foundation for the development of later Western art.