Art and Beauty in the Middle Ages

by Umberto Eco

Umberto Eco, one of contemporary Italy's brightest minds, has come up with another extraordinary book popularizing what one would assume to be the deadliest of subjects - Euro-Christian/Early Middle Ages
from 373 to 1453

Art and Beauty in the Middle Ages (Yale University Press, 2002, offers a crash course in art history, art in a nutshell. The Middle Ages (specifically from 600 - 1350) marked an era where the chief subject matter was the Christian religion. As a result, art was almost always created as a way to serve the church and thus, share religious experiences. To be truthful, this mentality was not that far off from what Paleolithic man was doing in 25,000 BC when he created art as a way to share feelings of magic, fertility and great hunts.

The Middle Ages saw the construction enormous cathedrals complete with decorations (sculptures, paintings, mosaics). Decorated books known as illuminated manuscripts were also a common sight.

The Middle Ages included Hiberno-Saxon & Various Styles (200 - 732); Byzantine Art (400 - 1453); Islamic Art (622 - 900); Carolingian Art (732 - 900); Ottonian Art (900 - 1050); Romanesque Style (1000 - 1140) and Gothic Style (1140 - 1500)

The Middle Ages saw the construction enormous cathedrals complete with decorations (sculptures, paintings, mosaics). Decorated books known as illuminated manuscripts were also a common sight.

Publication Date: 2002-08-04
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=1633