ionascribe - Profile (original) (raw)

on 18 September 2006 (#11172223)

This community exists to serve up art history lessons to anyone who is interested in learning more about medieval art.

I find that there's a misconception that the Middle Ages were the "bad old days" of art... this black hole somewhere between realistic Greco-Roman sculpture, and the great masterpieces of the Renaissance, where for some reason people forgot how to draw the right way. On the contrary, Medieval art is every bit as rich and meaningful as in other periods, as it sets aside naturalism for a more abstracted respresentation of religious ideas and complex symbolism. Art doesn't exist in a vacuum. It is always seeking a way to visually represent the philosophical and religious ideas of the time, and it is constantly shaped by social, economic, and political currents. I'm hoping to provide a window into the important ideas shaping art at that time, and perhaps de-code the symbolism to promote a greater understanding and appreciation for medieval art, and art in general. I will try to cite sources. Comments and corrections are welcome.

About the moderator...my name is Amanda, aka tanechigai and I'm not an art history expert. I have a BFA in film/animation, and I took some art history, church history, and theology classes as electives to fill in some credits. I also worked for 2100 Productions and was involved with The Haven, where I spent a lot time wrestling with art and faith and how they go together.

Iona is a tiny island off the coast of Scotland, and historic home to the monks who created the The Book of Kells, a beautiful medieval illuminated manuscript.

architecture, art, art history, artists, bubonic plague, byzantine art, cathedrals, catholicism, celtic art, christianity, dark ages, engraving, gothic art, heraldry, illuminated manuscripts, medieval art, middle ages, monks, mosaic, orthodox christianity, orthodox icons, painting, renaissance, renaissance art, sculpture, stained glass, tapestries, the bible, the cloisters, theology, unicorns