Art
Beauty Embedded In History
Medieval
500 A.D. - 1400 A. D.
Produced By: Conner Frohn
Ideal Beauty
Unlike other periods, the ideal beauty of the Middle Ages is not external, but rather internal. With most of the art from the period revolving around the Catholic Church, it is no surprise that the idea of beauty transformed into something revolving around religion as well. During this time, piety was seen as beautiful, and being a devout person was what people strived to be. And in order to be beautiful you had to follow the tenants of the Holy Bible and help others to follow them as well. Artists at the time would paint those who are closer to god brighter than those who aren’t and make them stick out more than those around them while retaining the same common dress and features. They would go further to give the most major figures visible halos. This would assert them as being beautiful, even though without the highlight or the halo, they wouldn’t look any more attractive than those around them.
Rhetoric
Artists from the middle ages were able to completely change the way beauty was seen. Through the use of highlighting techniques, and focusing on Bible centric events, artists convinced the public that a person’s beauty is measured through actions and devotion, not through their physical attractiveness. To do this, artists would draw common people, and highlight those who are more devout than others. People would see this and were convinced of the idea that beauty and attractiveness were two entirely separate concepts from one another.
Technology
Although during the Dark Ages technological revolutions were few and far between some developments in technology helped aid the Artists in their effort to change the outlook of the masses as it pertains to beauty. The use of stained glass to depict Bible scenes is just one example of this. Artists would use the windows to amplify the glow of holy figures in their depictions. (The Art of Devotion) Because the windows primary purpose was to let light in, the artists simply designed their art around this concept. Figures that they would want to have a holy shimmer would be colored in lighter colors meanwhile the backgrounds would be painted in darker cooler colors. This in turn would make the holy characters radiate to all the people in the building and make them look like they were more than just one of us. They were dressed like a normal person, but inside they shined, because that is where their beauty is derived from.
History
When the Roman Empire collapsed, there was a huge power vacuum, and new laws of the land were developed. Kings and Dukes started snatching up land and claiming it and its inhabitants for themselves. This would later develop into the feudal system, a system in which nobility landholders swear fealty to each other, and agree to come to each other’s aid in times of need. It was a very flawed system, and hinged almost entirely on what would boil down to being empty promises from one noble to another. Whenever a large land holder would give out too much land or “fifes” to his lowers, they would typically band together dethrone the king and then the cycle would repeat.
Another major development to come out of the fall of Rome, was the rise of organized religion. Catholicism and the Catholic Church would quickly spread its influence across Europe and become the dominant force to rule the land. At the height of the Church’s power, the Pope had whole armies at his disposal to ensure that the will of the Church, and even higher, that of God, would be carried out. In many parts of Europe, towns would require that you go to church every day. (Middle Ages Religion Christianity) Priests and bishops would commonly be viewed as direct messengers to God, and were raised to almost noble status by lay people of the time.