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The Byzantine Empire still existed at this time, though its identity had changed. Illuminated manuscripts were common, being Christian texts commissioned for religious service, personal meditation, and expressions for wealthy leaders among the church and state. Artworks of this time focused on the imposing threat of damnation, as well as reinforcement of faith excluding idolatry. Sculptures were still restricted to reliefs.
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There is a heavy focus on Christianity and its inherent iconography, emphasizing spirituality over realism. Human depictions are slightly more abstracted, with elongated bodies and almond eyes. Another heavy emphasis is on the material of gold and other rich colors, which had a deep connection to divine influence symbolism. Three-dimensional shape in artwork and sculpture is abandoned during this time, as a movement of anti-idolatry.
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The exteriors of Byzantine buildings were plain and made with modest materials, while the insides were decorated with marble and other fanciful materials. The main mosaic depicts the patron saint gifting this church to God and Christ, with holy lilies at his feet. The left mosaic depicts Justinian surrounded by his attendants. Justinian is supported with a halo and surrounded on both sides by politicians, clergymen, and soldiers to signify his importance. -
Paintings inside a manuscript, being books of hymns or religious tales. Because of illiteracy in the common man, images were used heavily in Christian teachings to help convey messages. -
Detailed depiction of Pope Gregory writing a manuscript. The background architecture utilizes shapes reminiscent of Roman architecture. On Pope Gregory’s shoulder is a dove, a symbolic messenger of God, whispering his messages in Pope Gregory’s ear. Byzantine sculptures were made in ivory or precious metals, though mosaics were the most popular. -
Piece of Byzantine icons, sacred images repeated throughout Eastern Orthodox Christianity to represent the holy figures of Christ, Mary, and so on. Byzantine paintings were combinations of the classical and hieratic medieval styles. Multiple artists worked on a single work and used trained brushstrokes for soft shading and gradients. Poses were front facing with bodies appearing weightless and symmetrical to focus on their symbolism rather than realism. -
French church covered in reliefs; a site of pilgrimage. Pilgrimages are religious journeys to shrines of moral and spiritual importance. In Christian context, the pilgrimage increased the chances of a person being able to go to Heaven and lessening their time in Purgatory. Romanesque refers to the usage of Roman architectural techniques, being the arch and the barrel and groin vault, used with identifying wood roofs, vaulted naves, few windows, and many sculptures and decorations. -
While Romanesque art worshiped a Christ that was a savior or wise deity, Gothic artworks depicted Christ as a man of the people who suffered for his followers. The artwork was naturalistic, its subjects representational, focusing on a more emotional and dramatic effect. The architecture is recognizable with its pointed arches, flying buttresses and other vertical forms, stained glass windows, heavy illumination, and extreme amounts of embellishment to signify a structure’s otherworldly link.
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Miniature painting of an angel locking the gates to hell, where a beast – known as a hell mouth, an entrance to hell – swallows a crowd of monsters and demons. Some people within the mouth have crowns, a suggestion of rulers abusing their power for sin. Demons of this time had conventional looks, with fur, horns, and other contemporary beastly features. -
Depiction of Mary holding a homunculus form of Christ. In artworks, Christ, even as an infant, was depicted with all of his adult features, signifying his perfection and wisdom. The idea of child Christ with mature features was repeated heavily during this period. Byzantine icons were abundant on every relatively flat medium, being placed on chalices, pendants, altars, and paintings. -
French place of worship, recognizable by its clock rose window and tall interior. Gothic Architecture is recognizable with its pointed arches and vertical heights, gargoyles, and large colored windows, in comparison to Romanesque structures with thick walls and conservative illumination. Stained glass had a similar purpose to the heavy usage of mosaics in Romanesque art, telling biblical stories through wall art that require meditative observation. -
Hildegard, being a headmaster of a convent, had a profound intelligence while also claiming direct influence from God. This piece depicts Hildegard receiving messages from God in the form of smoke, writing them down, and handing them over to a monk. Hildegard’s placement under an arch and elevated feet suggest her supreme holiness. -
French cathedral decorated with gargoyles and other inherent gothic attributes. Gargoyles, sculpted figures of serpentine or avian beasts, were symbolic guardians of structures like the Egyptian sphinx. While utilitarian, protecting the faith, their grisly appearances are meant to evoke fear and reflect the sinful outside world in contrast to the peaceful church interior. Humor was inherent in Gargoyles, meant to represent human folly and the sins of people with little faith. -
French cathedral covered in sculptures and reliefs. The smooth surfaces of the inside halls are meant to reinforce the safety in the faithful, banishing sin from the outside world. Sculptures on the outside depict important biblical figures, notably Mary being informed on her gestation of Christ, in representational – albeit slightly elongated due to perspective – detail. -
Bestiaries were medieval encyclopedias of the natural world; both used for information and for moral tales. Lions were often used as representations for Christ, being a lion mimicking his divine nature, resurrection, and the protection against the devil. Bestiaries included real animals like hyenas alongside mythical creatures like unicorns and dragons. The symbolism of each animal weighed more than their biology, with many animals being seen as representations of Christian concepts. -
Depiction of Mary holding the dying body of Christ after his crucifixion. Christ’s agonized expression paired with the larger heads and smaller bodies of the sculpture were meant to evoke sympathy and pain in the viewer; to relate to the common man’s grief. -
Notable depiction of Christ resembling an actual baby being held lovingly by Mary. Their affection is clear, emphasized in profundity with the gilded texture. Enamel resin scenes on the base show Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. French gothic art focused more on naturalism, in contrast to the expressionist style of the Germans. -
Decorated manuscript containing detailed depictions of a knight’s visionary journey through hell, purgatory, and paradise. Hell is seen containing pits of fire, aggressive demons, and tortured sinners, while Heaven is a grassy field of figures dressed in white being at peace with one another. After his reawakening, the knight changes his ways for the good of God. This moral cleansing is made through fear and revelation, being an act of saving one’s soul to avoid the threat of eternal torment.