Knowledge,+Literature+and+Art

**__ Knowledge, Literature, and Art
 * Brady MacManus **

__** In the Middle Ages, there were many styles of art developing. One important style of art, which was created in Constantinople, formerly called Byzantium- was called Byzantine. This was the art of the Holy Roman Empire which existed from A.D. 330 to A.D. 1453. This art developed as a way to celebrate the Christian Religion. In the artist’s eyes, “things on Earth represented order of heaven.” The pictures of bodies were stiff and were not lifelike. For a symbol of beauty, the artists drew the body as if it were perfect. Byzantine Art was influenced by Asian Art. Asia did not have the same interest in the human body. They changed the shape of the body to fit it into flat patterns made of natural items. For the first 200 years in the history of this art, the artists copied the style of Greece and Rome. During that time, Byzantine Art grew out of both. Roman Art showed a loss of skill and craftsmanship. The artists no longer made the human body look real. The earliest example of Byzantine Art was in the First Golden Age. By the sixth century, the art had entirely broken away from old classical. This new style showed a kind of “supernatural nature.”

Another kind of art was Romanesque. It began in the 1000’s and lasted for more than 200 years. Charlemagne and Otto the Great laid the ground for Romanesque. All of the paintings and sculptures were highly decorated and ornamental. They included twisting plants and imaginary animals. The paintings followed the traditions that were set by the Byzantine Empire. They painted with naturalism. The artists who followed Romanesque concentrated on color. They did this to stimulate acts of religion. A lot of murals were painted in Romanesque style. They were usually fresco, which were paintings on wet plaster. The first “monumental work” in sculptures since the Ancient Romans was Romanesque. Statues were made to picture Bible scenes, saints, and martyrs. Sculptures were often made to go with the architecture. Most of the Romanesque sculptures decorated porches, doors, and columns of churches. It was all the same art style, but Romanesque Art varied in each country. One of the main ways to teach people about the Bible was through stained-glass. Workers, guilds, and rich merchants paid to have a stained-glass window in their home. The windows made them look lordly. The artist perfected the techniques, but they did not make the windows any better. The first windows had bubbles and an uneven surface that made the light seem to dance. Later windows had fewer imperfections, but less sparkle. The last windows had more paint used on them, so less light came through. To make these windows, though, artists had to go through many steps. First, they had to draw the design on a board that was as big as the window. Then, they numbered each piece according to color. Next, they put pieces of already colored glass over the drawing. After that, they cut out the shapes with a hot iron. They used the iron to cut out strips of lead to hold the window together. Finally, they put the window in its place. For about 200 years the use of stained-glass decreased. It was revived in the 1800’s, or the Renaissance. When war started in the 1930’s, the windows were taken apart and then put back after the war ended. One of the major works that came from monks was the illuminated manuscripts. The monks worked in rooms called scriptoria. They created new books and then gave them to illuminators. The illuminators decorated books with gold leaf, which was a thin gold layer, and paint. The first illustrations were called miniatures. They did not always picture Bible scenes or illustrate the books. The miniatures sometimes pictured scenes in everyday life. All of the other decorations were ornamental. The pages had border designs that looked like a frame for the text. Some were based on plants and animals. The others were complex patterns. Some of the borders combined all of these to make a pattern made out of plants and animals. The first letter of a new text was often ornately decorated. These letters sometimes filled up a whole page. In the 1100’s, Europe’s first universities were formed. Illuminated manuscripts were made by outer church artists. Romances, animal and plant books, and nonreligious books were made. Then, in the 1400’s, the printing press was invented, and printed books replaced hand written ones. Literature developed along with the Middle Ages. In the Middle East and Asia the stories were written down. This started in the 9th or 10th century. In the early 11th century, Lady Murasaki Shikibu of Japan wrote __Tale of Genji__. Genji was a Japanese prince. The first works of literature in England were in the Middle Ages. __Beowulf__ was a poem written in the 8th century. In the 14th century, Geoffrey Chauncer wrote __Canterbury Tales__ which was about a group of people going to Canterbury, England. Sir Thomas Malory wrote __Morte D’Arthur__. In English, that meant __The Death of Arthur__. It had stories about King Arthur, who was described as romantic and heroic. **__ Sources  __** "**literature**." __Britannica Elementary Encyclopedia__. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. 23 Apr. 2008 < http://school.eb.com/elementary/article?articleId=353390 >. "Middle Ages, Art of the." //The New Book of Knowledge®//. 2008. Grolier Online. 23 Apr. 2008 . Rowland, Jr., Benjamin. "Byzantine Art and Architecture." //The New Book of Knowledge®//. 2008. Grolier Online. 1 May 2008 . "Stained-Glass Windows." Reviewed by Jane Hayward. //The New Book of Knowledge®//. 2008. Grolier Online. 1 May 2008 . "Illuminated Manuscripts." Reviewed by George O. Simms. //The New Book of Knowledge®//. 2008. Grolier Online. 1 May 2008 . "Romanesque Art and Architecture." Reviewed by Lee Hall. //The New Book of Knowledge®//. 2008. Grolier Online. 1 May 2008 .