Medieval Art and The Influence of Medieval Art on Gothic Art

Medieval art encompasses many years and different time periods in history and was born two hundred years after the death of Christ. This time period that spanned for one thousand years saw the birth of many different types of art. The art from this time period is a very important part of our artistic history.

Medieval art brought about the birth of Christianity in artistic expression. Many pieces from the early Medieval period did not survive the crusades and the other wars that raged throughout Europe and the Middle East. This makes it hard to accurately determine the artistic merit of pieces that were created during this time. However, the pieces that did survive can give us some useful information about the artistic culture of this time period.

Early Christian art and Byzantine art are the first forms of art that exist. These pieces were not just expressed through paintings but many other forms as well. During this time frame the use of sculptures and buildings to express art was used throughout Europe and the Middle East. Architecture became not only a necessity but of means of artistic expression in the Early Christian Era. The many pieces that were developed portray Christian ideals, Christ and God as the subjects. Due to the fact that the religion was very young the art took on a very solemn and almost fearful look. Most of the figures that are featured in the pieces are shown not smiling and the background is very dark.

As time passed Medieval art changed and evolved becoming more sophisticated. One of the forms of artistic expression that was born during this time period is mosaic art. Mosaic art is the technique that uses either ceramic tiles or a form of textiles to create a portrait. The early mosaic pieces were made of materials from the time frame and placed together to create Christian art. These pieces feature stories from Christianity as well as key figures that were featured in these stories as the subject.

As Medieval Art transformed and grew Gothic art was conceived. Gothic art got many of its characteristics through Romanesque art. Romanesque art received its name due to the fact that Roman art was prevalent throughout the time period. The Romans were the influence for many architectural creations of this time period. The Romanesque style very closely resembles Gothic art in the fact that it is very dark and frightening.