ROMANESQUE ART

1. ROMANESQUEART The Middle of the Middle Ages

2. ROMANESQUE PERIOD • Romanesque means “in the Roman manner” • This is the period between the 11th and 12th centuries • The word was coined in the 19th century to describe European church architecture which displayed the solid masonry walls, rounded arches and masonry vaults characteristic of imperial Rome • Soon the term was applied to all the arts of the period, even though the influences extended beyond Rome to include Byzantine, Islamic and early Medieval art

3. ROMANESQUE PERIOD • The Norman ruler in England, after the conquest of the Anglo Saxons, became the King of England • The Normans also took control over Sicily and southern Italy from the Byzantine and Islamic rulers • France was beginning to emerge as a national state • The Holy Roman Empire (Germany & northern Italy) broke down and local leaders arose • Although towns and cities gained in importance, Europe remained an agricultural society

4. FEUDAL SYSTEM • The economic foundation for this political structure was the Manor, an agricultural estate in which peasants worked in exchange for a place to live, food, military protection and other services from the lord • These estates became hereditary over time, and thus wealth and power came to be distributed through a network of largely inherited but constantly shifting allegiances and obligations

5. FEUDAL SYSTEM • Women, in general, had a subordinate position • When necessary, though, aristocratic women took over managing estates in their male relatives’ frequent absences on military missions or pilgrimages • They could also achieve positions of authority and influence as heads of religious communities • Among peasants, men and women often worked side by side

6. THE CRUSADES • In the 11th and 12th centuries, Christian Europe, previously on the defense against expanding Islam, became the aggressor • In Spain, the armies of the Christian north were increasingly successful against the Islam south • In 1095, Pope Urban II, responding to a request from the Byzantine emperor, called for a Crusade to retake Jerusalem and the Holy Land • This first Crusade was successful in establishing a short-lived Christian state in Palestine

7. THE CRUSADES • Although subsequent Crusades were, for the most part, military failures, the crusading movement has far-reaching cultural and economic consequences • The West’s direct encounter with the more sophisticated material culture of the Islamic world and the Byzantine Empire created a demand for goods from the East. This, in turn, increased trade and gave rise to an increasingly urban society

8. WEST MEETS EAST • Western scholars rediscovered many classical Greek and Roman texts that had been preserved in Islamic Spain and eastern the Mediterranean • The combination of intellectual freedom and the increase financial resources enabled the arts to flourish • The first universities in Paris, Bologna, Oxford and Cambridge were established • This renewed intellectual and artistic activity has been called the 12th century renaissance

9. MONKS AT WORK • Monastic communities continued to be powerful and influential • Some monks and nuns were highly regarded for their religious devotion and the learning, as well as their lives of service • Because monasteries were major landowners, they were part of the feudal system • Also the children of aristocrats who joined religious orders helped forge links between the monasteries and the ruling elite

10. Cathedral of St. James, Santiago de Compostela, 1078-1122 • “Each people in Christendom rivaled with the other, to see which should worship in the finest buildings. The world shook herself, clothed everywhere in a white garment of churches” Radulphus Glaber

11. Cathedral of St. James, Santiago de Compostela, 1078-1122 • “Each people in Christendom rivaled with the other, to see which should worship in the finest buildings. The world shook herself, clothed everywhere in a white garment of churches” Radulphus Glaber

12. Cathedral of St. James, Santiago de Compostela, 1078-1122 • Increased prosperity made the resources available to build on a large scale, and the desire to glorify the house of the Lord and his saints • In one sense, Romanesque churches were the result of master builders solving the problems associated with each individual project: its site, its purpose, the building materials and work force available, the builder’s own knowledge and experience, and the wishes of the patrons providing the funding

13. Cathedral of St. James, Santiago de Compostela, 1078-1122 • Like Carolingian churches, the basic form of the Romanesque church follows the plan of the Basilica, with the following changes: • Wide projecting transepts • Complex sanctuaries with ambulatories and chapels providing space for additional altars and relics and accommodating the crowds of worshipers • Two towered west façade became not only the entrance to the church but the gateway to Paradise • Many builders turned to stone masonry for roofs, thus enhancing the acoustical properties for Gregorian chant • Addition of RIBS

14. Cathedral of St. James, Santiago de Compostela, 1078-1122 • This church held the body of St. James, the apostle to the Iberian Peninsula • To accommodate the crowds of pilgrims, builders added an aisled transept with additional chapels on the east and an ambulatory with radiating chapels around the apse • An octagonal LANTERN TOWER )a tower with windows) on squinches over the crossing flooded the sanctuary with daylight, drawing the pilgrims forward to the shrines • Pilgrims entered the church through portals in the transept, entering a space the rivaled the nave in size

15. Cathedral of St. James, Santiago de Compostela, 1078-1122 • The immense ribbed, barrel-vaulted nave and transept had two stories--an ARCADE and a GALLERY--formed by masonry piers • The piers have attached half columns on all four sides, a type of support known as a COMPOUND PIER • This is an important Romanesque innovation that gave sculptural form the interior as it marked off individual vaulted bays

16. Cathedral of St. James, Santiago de Compostela, 1078-1122 • A notable feature of a Romanesque church was the portal sculpture, especially in the TYMPANUM, the lunette over the doorway • This sculpture communicated the core doctrines of the Church

17. Cathedral of St. James, Santiago de Compostela, 1078-1122 • This is the Palm Sunday tympanum, illustrating Christ entering Jerusalem on a donkey, a fitting image for a place of pilgrimage • These sculptures marked the passage from the secular world into the sacred world within the church

18. ABBEY CHURCH OF CLUNY, Burgundy, 1130 • A different Romanesque architecture could be found at this Benedictine monastery • What do you notice is same from the Cathedral of St. James? What is the different? • Let’s look at the two side-by-side

19. ABBEY CHURCH OF CLUNY, Burgundy, 1130

20. ABBEY CHURCH OF CLUNY, Burgundy, 1130 • Financed by King Alfonso of northern Spain, Cluny III (the 3rd church built) was the largest church in Europe • Richly carved, painted and furnished, it was described as the work of angels • The proportions were based on harmonic relationships discussed in ancient Greek musical theory and mathematics • The towering barrel vaulting--98 feet high, 40ft wide and 450 ft long--enhanced the sound of the monk’s chant

21. ABBEY CHURCH OF CLUNY, Burgundy, 1130 • Cluny had a special independent status, its abbot answerable directly to the Pope rather than the local bishop and feudal lord • This independence led to reforms that spread to other monasteries, and garnered the favor and patronage of successive rulers and popes • Cluny monks and nuns dedicated themselves to scholarly and artistic interests • Most importantly was the celebration of the 8 hours of the Divine Office

22. ABBEY CHURCH NOTRE-DAME, FONTENAY 1139-47 • The Cistercians turned from Cluny’s elaborate liturgical practices and emphasis on the arts to a simpler monastic life • By the end of the middle ages there were 1,500 abbeys, half for women, spread from Russia to Ireland • Their life was devoted to prayer and intellectual pursuits combined with shared manual labor • How can this perspective be seen in this church?

23. ABBEY CHURCH NOTRE-DAME, FONTENAY 1139-47

24. ABBEY CHURCH NOTRE-DAME, FONTENAY 1139-47 • The Cistercians relied on harmonious proportions and fine stone work, not elaborate surface decoration, to achieve beauty • Another feature is the use of pointed ribbed vaults over the nave and pointed arches in the nave arcade and side aisle bays • Furnishing included little else tan alters and candles • The large windows in the end wall, rather than the clerestory, provided light • The three windows, repeated twice on the east wall, reminded the monks of the Trinity

25. ABBEY CHURCH NOTRE-DAME, FONTENAY 1139-47 • This simple style spread from Burgundy to become an international style • The masonry vaults and harmonious proportions were to be influential in the development of the Gothic style latter in the Middle Ages

26. DOUBTING THOMAS, Abbey of Santo Domingo de Silos, Spain • Like Cluny, and unlike the Cistercian churches, most Romanesque churches have a remarkable variety of painting and sculpture • Superb reliefs embellish the corner piers in this church • The arch that forms a canopy is crowned with a crenellated wall and towers plus musicians. These images from medieval life frame the biblical story, just as preachers used elements of daily life to create a context for the biblical stories

27. DOUBTING THOMAS, Abbey of Santo Domingo de Silos, Spain • The composition is expert: • Christ is larger and off-center • His right arm forms a strong diagonal that bisects the space between his haloed head and Thomas’ • Thomas’ arm forms an opposing diagonal parallel to the slope between their heads, leading the eye back to Christ • The massed presence of the apostles gives visual weight to scene through the rhythmic repetition of form • It echoes the way the repetition of nave bays in a Romanesque church culminates in the apse, its symbolic core

28. South Portal and Porch, Priory Church of St. Pierre, Moissac • Carved portals are significant innovation in Romanesque art • These complex works that combine biblical narrative, legends, folklore, history, and Christian symbolism, represent the first large scale architectural sculpture since the end of the Roman Empire

29. ROMANESQUE CHURCH PORTAL

30. South Portal and Porch, Priory Church of St. Pierre, Moissac • The sculpture of Christ in Majesty dominates the huge tympanum • A Pantokrator-like Christ points to the “book sealed with seven seals”, a reference to Revelations • He surrounded by mandorla and a cruciform halo rings his head • Four winged figures symbolizing the evangelists frame Him, as do Elongated angels seraphim and old testament kings and prophets, the ancestors of Jesus • The figures reflect a hierarchy of scale and location • The shifting of poses and off center composition create a scene of action and not a rigid mirror image

31. South Portal and Porch, Priory Church of St. Pierre, Moissac • This work would have been painted and gilded • The two side jambs and a central TRUMEAU support the weight of the lintel an tympanum and have scalloped profiles of Sts. Peter and Paul, and two Old Testament prophets. • The many rosettes suggest the influence of Islamic art, which makes sense since this was created after the 1st Crusade • There is also scroll work much like the animal style of the Vikings

32. The Last Judgment, Cathedral of St Lazare, Autun • A very different pictorial style can be seen here in Gislebertus’ work • Christ has returned to judge the cowering naked human souls at his feet • The damned writhe in agony on his left, while the saved enjoy bliss on the right • Let’s look at both and point out the similarities and differences

33. The Last Judgment, Cathedral of St Lazare, Autun

34. The Last Judgment, Cathedral of St Lazare, Autun • Christ dominates like at Moissac, but the surround figures are thinner and taller than at Moissac and are arranged in less regular compartmentalized tiers • The overall effect is less consciously balanced than the pattern filled composition at Moissac • The stylized figures, stretched out and bent at sharp angles, are powerfully expressive, successfully conveying the terrifying urgency of the moment

35. MAGI ASLEEP, Cathedral of St. Lazare, Autun • Gislebertus.1120-32 • An important Romanesque contribution to architectural decoration was the ingenious compression of instructive narrative scenes into geometric confines of column capitals, called HISTORATED CAPITAL • Most Romanesque capitals were flaring Corinthian and in order that their work could be seen from a distance they used UNDERCUTTING, a technique used sine ancient times to sharpen contours and convey depth

36. MAGI ASLEEP, Cathedral of St. Lazare, Autun • Medieval tradition identified the magi as kings Casper(beard), Melchoir(moustache) and Balthazar(clean-shaven, and later portrayed as a black African) • The angel has arrived and is awakening Melchoir and pointing towards the Star of Bethlehem • The sculptor’s use of two vantage points simultaneously--the Magi and the head of the bed viewed from above, the angel and foot of the bed seen from the side--communicates the key elements with wonderful economy and clarity

37. RELIQUARY STATUE OF SAINT FOY(FAITH), 9TH CENTURY • Silver gilt over wood core, 33” • Within is the skull of the saint • The head was made from a Roman parade helmet • The relics were stolen from her shrine in Saint-Agens by monks from Conques • This was called “a holy robbery” because the new owners insisted that the saint had encouraged them because she wanted to move

38. VIRGIN AND CHILD, Auvergne, late 12th century • One form of devotional image that became popular during the late Romanesque period was the seated Virgin with the child on her lap, a type known as the Throne of Wisdom • The throne-like bench symbolized the lion throne of Solomon • Though his hands are missing, we can assume that Jesus held a book, the Word of God, in one and delivered a blessing with the other • To the medieval believer. Christ represented the priesthood, humankind and God, while Mary represented the Church

39. BATLLO CRUCIFIX, Catalonia • In the 12 century, poorer churches began commissioning sacred works made from less costly materials, painted wood for instance • The crucifixion continued to be a primary devotional theme in the Romanesque period • The Batllo Crucifix derived from Byzantine sources and is quite different from the Gero Crucifix

40. BATLLO CRUCIFIX, Catalonia

41. BATLLO CRUCIFIX, Catalonia • His bowed head, down-turned mouth and heavy lidded eyes convey a sense of deep sadness and contemplation • His royal robes emphasize his kingship • His gown has pseudo-kufic inscriptions--designs meant to resemble Arabic script--since silks from Arabic Spain were highly prized and used to designate great kings

42. WALL PAINTING, CHURCH OF SAINT-SAVIN, POITU • Wall painting was subject to the same influences as the other visual arts. The painters were inspired by models available to them--some had seen examples of Byzantine, some Carolingian or even Early Christian models from manuscript • During the Romanesque period painted decoration largely replaced mosaic on the wall of churches, a change largely due to the request by churches for less expensive techniques

43. WALL PAINTING, CHURCH OF SAINT-SAVIN, POITU • The tunnel-like vault of the Benedictine Abbey Church, running the length of the nave and choir, provides an ideal surface for a program of paintings • Biblical scenes inspired by manuscripts • They did not use the wet FRESCO technique favored in Italy, but did moisten the walls before painting to allow for some absorption of the pigment • Thus the paintings on the nave have a soft, powdery tone in contrast to the richer,more brilliant hues of the Byzantine-inspired work in the apse

44. WALL PAINTING, CHURCH OF SAINT-SAVIN, POITU • Tower of Babel • The painters immediately followed the masons, using their scaffolding, perhaps accounting for the vividness of this painting of builders • The tower is a medieval looking structure, reflecting the practice if depicting legendary events in contemporary settings • Workers haul heavy stones which are lifted by a hoist, while the giant Nimrod, right, simply hands over blocks • God, left, steps away while confronting the people • The dramatic action, large figures, strong outlines and bold colors make it intelligible from far below

45. WALL PAINTING, CHURCH OF SAN CLEMENTE, Catalonia • Christ in Majesty, 1123 • The intensity of color was created by building up many thin coats of paint, a technique called GLAZING • What traditional Byzantine features do you recognize here? • A Pantokrater-like Christ in power and judgment • Mandorla • Open Gospel (reads “I am the light of the world”) • Alpha Omega signs

46. CLUNY LECTIONARY • Like the other arts, the output of books increased dramatically in the 11th & 12th centuries • Monastic and convent SCRIPTORIA continued to be centers of production, where monks and nuns copied books • The illuminated LECTIONARY, a work containing excerpts from the Bible read during Mass and arranged according to the Church calendar, was made for the wealthy Cluny monastery in the early 1100’s

47. CLUNY LECTIONARY • Pentecost • The glowing red rays are the tongues of fire as the apostles speak in tongues • Below is a beautifully interlaced “A” • The subject may have been chosen as a symbolic reminder of Cluny’s direct tie to the papacy • Just as the apostles received miraculous powers from Christ, so Cluny derived its power from the Pope, the heir of St. Peter, who sits holding a gold book • The Christ is another reinterpretation of the Byzantine Pantokrater Christ • The supernatural event is deemphasized to convey the psychological bond among the figures

48. TREE OF JESSE • Despite their ascetic teachings and architecture of the Cistercians, they produced many elaborately illustrated manuscripts like this one • The Tree of Jesse is a pictorial representation of the genealogy of Jesus, illustrating the Church’s doctrine that Christ was both human and divine: Jesse was King David’s father, an ancestor of Mary’s • The growing importance of Mary, both with the public and with the Cistercians, emphasized her place in the genealogy

49. TREE OF JESSE • Jesse is asleep at bottom with a small tree growing out of his body • A monumental Mary dwarfs the sleeping patriarch • The Christ Child, following the late Byzantine and Romanesque tradition, is portrayed as a miniature adult with his arm raised in blessing • His cheek presses Mary’s in affection like with the Virgin of Vladimir icon • Mary holds a flowering sprig from the tree, a symbol of Christ • The building held by the angel is the Christian Church, the crown refers to Mary as Queen of Heaven

50. TREE OF JESSE • Beneath the dove, the Holy Spirit, Mary’s v-shaped folds and jeweled hems reflect the Byzantine influence and her elevated status • The artist has drawn with color, rather than painted. This subdued look is in keeping with the restraint of the Cistercians • Her elongated form also echoes forth to the beautiful stained glass work that will be one of the hallmarks of the upcoming Gothic period