 |
| Why? |
1. Beauty did not equate good art.
In the modern world good art is seen as beautiful or realistic; that wasn't the case for most of history. People did not care if art was beautiful or realistic. They weren't trying to make carbon copies of reality to hang on their walls.
Sometimes beauty was seen as a negative trait. Humans were viewed as cursed according to Medieval philosophy. To be beautiful was a mockery to our earthly state. They wanted to pious, devout, and loyal - beauty was not the ultimate goal.
Interesting, in a world that now worships beauty like it's the most important thing...
 |
| Will the real Sir Shade please rise? |
2. Realism was not a priority.
Many of the artists could paint more realistic if they wanted to, but they did not care. The art wasn't about recreating the real, but telling a story. They used symbols and stylized art to express the story, not relying on realism.
 |
| Interesting table...IKEA, perhaps? |
3. New was not better, and old was not popular.
Today and during times like the Renaissance, new and fresh was the best thing ever, so was relearning the ways people did things in ancient times. During the Renaissance, people wanted to learn from "the masters" and make romantic, realistic or ideal forms, and use new techniques. During the Medieval Era, they did not care! The old ways of the Roman and Greek empires were seen as "pagan" and "bad". The Medieval artist did want to recreate what the old school artists did as they just wanted to get the job done and focus on what they thought was important.
 |
| I'm not lost! We're not asking for directions! |
4. Making the likeness of something living was considered sinful.
Again, religion was the strongest influence. Creating a graven image was a challenge against God, so even their statues and stone art on walls were more two-dimensional than three-dimensional. Paintings and drawing were not too realistic, as the individuals did not matter - myths, displays of wealth, piety, and duty were preferred.
6. They had limited materials.
Medieval artist did not have oil paints, acrylic paints, or even watercolor. They used things like eggs to keep their pigments together. Most paintings were fresco, which is not ideal for fine details. They worked with what they had, as we all do. I'm sure that if they had some more modern resources, their work would have been the same, just on a grander scale. Or maybe I'm wrong?
7. Babies looked like old men because of how they viewed the infant Christ.
Medieval artists took concepts, such as "little man", literally.Thus, the most common theme for painting a baby and mother, was Mary and Christ with the baby Jesus depicted as a tiny old man. That's why there's ugly babies in Medieval art.
 |
| ugly man baby art |
Can you read historians and art fans discussing the subject here: AskHistorians - Reddit - Ugly Art
Further funnies: Two Medieval Monks Invent Bestiaries
No comments:
Post a Comment