Early Medieval Art

Unit 3: Early Europe and Colonial Americas

DATES / HISTORY / KEY PERIODS & BACKGROUND

MEDIEVAL DARK AGES: "Dark Ages" describes the knowledge of the times than the time itself. Information about history and techniques are lost such as technological advances and secrets to architecture. Dark Ages references the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the rise of Germanic Tribes.

6th-8th Centuries: Hiberno-Saxon Art (British Isles). Christianity introduced around the 5th century.

8th-9th Centuries: Carolingian/Merovingian (France/Germany/Austria/Switzerland) Instigated by Charlemagne, the King of the Franks, who was considered the "new" Constantine.

8th-11th Centuries: Viking Art (Scandinavia; Norway, Sweden, Denmark) Pagans believed in Norse Mythology based in nature until converted to Christianity in the 11th century.

10th-11th Centuries: Ottonian Art (Germany). Named after Otto I who forged an alliance with the Pope and was crowned the first official Holy Roman Emperor since 924.

Key Themes of Early Medieval Art

UTILITARIAN OBJECTS: Utilitarian objects (purses covers, jewelry, buckles, etc.) that most scholars refer to as "minor" arts, whereas people at the time would refer to them as "treasures" and portable signs of wealth and status. Normally the objects were found in burial sites, such as tumuli or even ships (not necessarily at sea).

DESIGN & ART MAKING: No particular style for Medieval art: classical, geometric, and natural designs. Medieval painting and sculpture mostly avoids naturalistic depictions. Interlace designs are commonplace with zoomorphic traits. Groups perfected the craft of metalworking, inlay, enameling, cloisonné, etc. Large stones carved with geometric designs and runic letters painted with bright colors and Christian iconography.

VIKING ART: Scandinavian cultures that went "viking" were aggressive groups that succeeded in oceanic navigation/seafaring, boat building, raiding, and adventuring. They invaded the British Isles and colonized parts of France. They were officially Christianized in the 11th c.

EDUCATION: Monasteries were the principal centers of learning and illuminated manuscript creation. Illustrations allowed for creativity and interpretation. Many manuscripts became valuable personal objects that were portable and contained the sacred Christian word.

collegeboard unit objectives

European medieval art is generally studied in chronological order and divided into geographical regions, governing cultures, and identifiable styles,with associated but distinctive artistic traditions.
There is significant overlap in time, geography, practice, and heritage of art created within this time frame and region
Nationalist agendas and disciplinary divisions based on the predominant language (Greek, Latin, or Arabic) and religion (Judaism, Western or Eastern Orthodox Christianity, or Islam) have caused considerable fragmentation in the study of medieval art
Medieval art (European, c 300-1400 CE; Islamic, c 300-1600 CE) derived from the requirements of worship (Jewish, Christian, or Islamic), elite or court culture, and learning
Art from the Early Modern Atlantic World is typically studied in chronological order, by geographical region, according to style, and by medium

Unit Vocabulary

Chasing - to ornament metal by indenting into a surface with a hammer

Cloisonné - enamelwork in which colored areas are separated by thin bands of metal, usually gold or bronze.

Colophon - an inscription at the end of a manuscript containing relevant information on its publication.

Fibula - a clasp used to fasten garments (plural: fibulae)

Scriptorium - a place in a monastery were monks wrote manuscripts.

Zoomorphic - having elements of animal shapes.

Resources

Google Sites

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