Church interiors and book miniatures

In the 5th century, the first attempts were made by new communities (the populations of barbarian kingdoms) to decorate their new buildings and temples under the influence of Roman heritage. This was particularly evident in Byzantium. Early medieval manuscripts, which were mainly created in monastic scriptoria, show the birth of a synthesis of writing and painting, which formed a bizarre form of visual art. We are talking about book miniatures.

The chronicles, annals, and capitularies of Charlemagne featured bizarre images that give modern researchers the opportunity to learn more about the world of the past.
The Lorsch Annals, the Annals of the Kingdom of the Franks, and Einhard's Life of Charlemagne were later decorated with miniatures. We must not forget iconography, which flourished in early medieval Byzantium but suffered greatly due to the iconoclastic heresy of the 8th century.

During the reign of the Saxon dynasty in Germany, which became the Holy Roman Empire in the 10th century, not only book miniatures but also monumental paintings flourished. Proof of this can be found in the frescoes in the Church of St. George in Oberzell on the island of Reichenau. They are actually copies of images that adorned the pages of a manuscript from a local monastery.

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The birth of painting: Gothic and the beginning of the Renaissance

It can be said that at the end of the 12th century, the first attempts at painting appeared in medieval Europe. At that time, the Gothic style prevailed in France, bringing changes to the culture. Masters gradually began to move away from the generally accepted canons of the Romanesque style, which was distinguished by its austerity. Images became more realistic and voluminous. Subsequently, these aspirations would lead to the emergence of Renaissance art.

Gothic cathedrals in Europe were often decorated with images made of multicolored glass—stained glass windows. They usually depicted biblical scenes and a number of historical and even epic motifs. The stained glass windows of the Sainte-Chapelle, Chartres, Canterbury, and Cologne cathedrals are direct evidence of this.

Most of the artworks of that era complemented church decorations. Starting in the 14th century, all kinds of diptychs and triptychs adorned church altars in accordance with the interior features of each individual temple.

From church paintings and interiors of the 12th-13th centuries, the visual arts migrated to the secular sphere of public life. City authorities did not skimp on altarpieces in churches and entrusted this work to well-known masters. A gradual transition to realism began to take shape. The Italian lands were at the forefront of these aspirations.

Among the first to make this transition were Cimabue and Duccio, Italian masters of the late 13th century. Their altar images of the Madonna and Child became an example of the emergence of the tradition of visible realism.

The depth of the image was achieved through rich colors and light contrasts. The Florentine master Giotto di Bondone went even further: his works became famous during his lifetime. However, there were many creations by him and his colleagues Simone Martini and Loretto that remained unsigned. Anonymity continued to prevail.

Italian churches and chapels in Padua, Florence, and the Vatican were decorated with Giotto's works. Not all of his works were understood, but many were ahead of their time. The heroes of his works stand confidently on the ground and are capable of movement. They have feelings and emotions. Historians attribute the creations of these masters to the Proto-Renaissance era.