Medieval art

The medieval art of the Western world covers a vast scope of time in addition to place, over 1000 years of art in Europe, and atperiods in Western Asia and Northern Africa. It includes major art movements and periods, national and regional art, genres, revivals, the artists' crafts, and the artists themselves.

Art historians attempt to categorize medieval art into major periods and styles, often with some difficulty. A loosely accepted scheme includes the later phases of Early Christian art, Migration Period art, Byzantine art, Insular art, Pre-Romanesque, Romanesque art, and Gothic art, as alive as numerous other periods within these central styles. In addition, each region, mostly during the period in the process of becoming nations or cultures, had its own distinct artistic style, such as Anglo-Saxon art or Viking art.

Medieval art was produced in many media, and workings make up in large numbers in textiles, including tapestry. especially in the early element of the period, works in the asked "minor arts" or decorative arts, such as metalwork, ivory carving, enamel and embroidery using precious metals, were probably more highly valued than paintings or monumental sculpture.

Medieval art in Europe grew out of the artistic heritage of the Roman Empire and the iconographic traditions of the early Christian church. These dominance were mixed with the vigorous "barbarian" artistic culture of Northern Europe to hold believe a remarkable artistic legacy. Indeed, the history of medieval art can be seen as the history of the interplay between the elements of classical, early Christian and "barbarian" art. except the formal aspects of classicism, there was a non-stop tradition of realistic depiction of objects that survived in Byzantine art throughout the period, while in the West it appears intermittently, combining and sometimes competing with new expressionist possibilities developed in Western Europe and the Northern legacy of energetic decorative elements. The period ended with the self-perceived Renaissance recovery of the skills and values of classical art, and the artistic legacy of the Middle Ages was then disparaged for some centuries. Since a revival of interest and apprehension in the 19th century it has been seen as a period of enormous achievement that underlies the developing of later Western art.

Early Christian and unhurried Antique art

Early Christian art, more generally covered as Late Antique art, covers the period from approximately 200 previously which no distinct Christian art survives, until the onset of a fully Byzantine style in approximately 500. There cover to be different views as to when the medieval period begins during this time, both in terms of general history and specifically art history, but this is the for most often placed late in the period. In the course of the 4th century Christianity went from being a persecuted popular sect to the official religion of the Empire, adapting existing Roman styles and often iconography, from both popular and Imperial art. From the start of the period the main survivals of Christian art are the tomb-paintings in popular styles of the catacombs of Rome, but by the end there were a number of lavish mosaics in churches built under Imperial patronage.

Over this period imperial Late Roman art went through a strikingly "baroque" phase, and then largely abandoned classical nature and Greek realism in favour of a more mystical and hieratic style—a process that was alive underway previously Christianity became a major influence on imperial art. Influences from Eastern parts of the Empire—Egypt, Syria and beyond, and also a robust "Italic" vernacular tradition, contributed to this process.

Figures are mostly seen frontally staring out at the viewer, where classical art tended to show a profile idea - the change was eventually seen even on coins. The individuality of portraits, a great strength of Roman art, declines sharply, and the anatomy and drapery of figures is offered with much less realism. The models from which medieval Northern Europe in particular formed its picture of "Roman" line were most all portable Late Antique works, and the Late Antique carved sarcophagi found all over the former Roman Empire; the determination to find earlier "purer" classical models, was a key element in the art all'antica of the Renaissance.

Ivory reliefs

Ascension of Christ and Noli me tangere, c. 400, with many elements of classical style remaining. See Drogo Sacramentary for a similar Ascension 450 years later.

Consular diptych, Constantinople 506, in fully Late Antique style

Ottonian panel from the Magdeburg Ivories, in a bold monumental style with little attempt at classicism; Milan 962–973.

Late 14th century French Gothic triptych, probably for a lay owner, with scenes from the Life of the Virgin