2023-02-01
Most high school graduates associate Romanesque art with churches with "small windows and thick walls". However, this is not a complete picture of the art of this period. What is worth knowing about the painting and building of the time?
The Romanesque building consisted of simple geometric blocks (cuboids, cylinders and half-cylinders) juxtaposed with a clear distinction of each, covered by separate roofs. The plan of a Romanesque church was often based on a grid of duplicate squares, and the proportions of the masses and interiors are based on simple arithmetical relationships - for example, the nave was usually twice as wide as the side aisles. Romanism in architecture (especially French) was characterized by quite a lot of regional diversity, hence the division into different schools (regions) is often introduced. Among the interesting regions of Romanesque architecture, it is worth mentioning Provence, whose architecture followed the traditions of ancient Rome and whose interiors were austere and almost devoid of decoration. In addition, Normandy, with its elaborate style, a two-towered, massive façade with three portals.
Romanesque architecture in France developed from the 10th century until around 1140, and then a new direction, Gothic, emerged in northern France. In a nutshell, Gothic architecture has developed from a combination of Burgundian pointed arches and Norman Romanesque vaults.
The two most important media for Romanesque painting were church walls and manuscripts. Unfortunately, few examples of wall polychromy have survived to the present day. One of these is the decoration of the church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe in France (from the 11th and 12th centuries). The well-preserved cycle depicts scenes from the Old Testament, the Apocalypse and a typical representation for the period, the Maiestas Domini (Christ on majesty in mandorla).
In the case of book painting, England and northern France were strongly influenced by late Anglo-Saxon art. Southern France lay in the "sphere of influence" of Iberian culture, in Germany and the Netherlands influences from the Ottonian style lived with Byzantine styles.