|
This is a wonderful thread. While I don't have a claim on a degree, I am a medieval history buff. I sing Gregorian Chant and know way too much about manuscript art. Crusader castles in the Holy Land are a real turn on. So if anyone has any questions about medieval art and cultural history, particularly in France, I might be able to answer them, although I don't mean to steal any of Railtus' thunder. I guess one thing you have to keep in mind with the Middle Ages is where the origins of many of the common misconceptions. Many of these were formed during the Renaissance and later the Enlightenment, as they attempted to distance themselves from a past they deemed barbaric and chaotic. The myth of Primae noctis has already been mentioned, but there are others: -"Gothic" architecture was only labelled as such during the Renaissance, being synonymous with "barbaric" -"Medieval" torture devices, commonly associated with items like the Iron Maiden, were often products of the Renaissance, as people began to reanalyze Roman law and re-implement torture as an interrogative tool. Torture did exist in the Middle Ages, of course, but its use wasn't systematic by the courts, and they didn't develop too many elaborate devices to dole it out. -Due to a rediscovered idolization of classical realism, the abstract figures and skewed perspectives often favored in medieval art were relabeled as inferior works, as if art had taken a significant step backward rather than simply following a different trend for ideological reasons or cultural tastes. -The still predominate view that the Byzantine empire was in a perpetual state of decay after Justinian, which glosses over 1000 years of history with a wave of a hand (EDWARD GIBBON  ).Aiding in the warping of the medieval image was the 19th century trend of romanticism, which took an almost idyllic look at the Middle Ages. That's where you get the perception of knights as chivalrous warrior, women as demure maidens in willing subservience, and ill-starred, chaste romances. This actually influenced 19th century attempts to restore Gothic cathedrals, too. Rather than restoring a structure like Notre-Dame de Paris to a previous incarnation, attempts were made to create its "ideal" form. They did this by putting a poo poo ton of gargoyles there, because The Hunchback of Notre Dame had just been published, and that was the image in people's minds. Despite the fact that the original structure had very few to begin with. Both of these trends worked to create a barrier of separation between the Middle Ages and the modern day where one didn't necessarily exist at all. In fact, there's more continuity than one would really think, but I have the feeling the thread will delve into that later. Unrelated: Labyrinths were a thing. A wonderful thing.  Labyrinth of Notre-Dame de Chartres  Labyrinth of Notre-Dame d'Amiens
|
#
¿
Jan 26, 2013 00:03
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 05:34 |
|