Medieval Styles
The European Medieval period lasted roughly from 500 A.D until about 1500 A.D. was a period of economic uncertainly. In Europe, the Catholic Church had almost absolute power and the art, architecture, music and clothes styles reflected its influence. Despite being a period of economic uncertainty, many great achievements in art, literature, architecture and music occurred during the Middle Ages.
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Literature
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Most of the literature during the early Middle Ages was liturgical. Histories were also common, for example the "Historia Regum Britannie" of Geoffrey of Monmouth. Poetry flourished in the latter middle ages, especially with the work of the troubadours who worked in southern France and northern Italy from about 1100 to 1300 A.D. The troubadours were itinerant poets, who wrote on the topics of courtly love and or brave deeds.
Painting
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Despite certain stylistic differences, all European medieval painting have certain common factors. Generally, medieval painting lacks the realism of classical art. Instead, the focus was primarily on religious symbolism. The early medieval Byzantine mosaics, many of which can be found in Greece and Italy, heavily influenced medieval religious painting. Carolingian paintings, between 750 and 900 A.D., show the influence of the Byzantine style but have more elements of classical realism. The Romanesque style in western Europe, between 1000 and 1200 A.D., is characterized by intricate illumination, an example being the famous Winchester Bible. The Gothic style of medieval painting, between 1200 and 1500 A.D., is characterized by physical realism (though still far from Renaissance realism) and the portrayal of realistic scenery.
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Architecture
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Two major achievements of medieval architecture is the European castle and the gothic cathedral. Gothic architecture refers to an aesthetic and a style of church building that was prevalent after 1200 A.D. Gothic cathedrals are characterized by pointed arches, many windows and flying buttresses. Some examples of Gothic cathedrals include the Notre Dame in Paris and Westminster Abbey in London. Castle building also began to thrive during the latter Middle Ages, particularly in France and England but elsewhere as well. The early castles were called Motte and Bailey Castles, they were wooden buildings usually built on an artificial mound surrounded by a moat. During the later middle ages stone castles could rival the great cathedrals in size and grandeur.
Music
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European medieval music is characterized by religious austerity and simplicity. Most of the surviving medieval music is liturgical, primarily because the copyists were scribes employed in churches or cathedrals. Plainchant dominated the early medieval period but polyphony (multiple melodies occurring simultaneously) began to be employed around 1000 AD. Most medieval music is anonymous, but we do know the names of a few composers who worked at the Notre Dame around 1200 A.D, such as Perotin and Leonin. Other later notable medieval composers include Guillaume Machaut, Adam de la Halle and Guillaume Dufay.
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References
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