How Did The Middle Ages Affect The Purpose Of Art?
As time has passed, the many events that make up world history have transformed society and subsequently the purpose of art. The birth of art occurred around 25,000 years ago and between that time and now, many historical events had caused the purpose of art to change throughout different eras. These different events prove to impact the art of the eras that they occur in, and often many events will happen and art will constantly be changing. One can draw similarities and differences between artists responses to the world around them from two separate eras. Artists responses to their world can be specific yet common, and the purposes of art from these artists change as time moves forward. Around 15,000 years ago, paintings as one would recognize
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During the Middle Ages, the triumph of Christianity had caused the interest in the body and the world to vanish; salvation was the priority, so nudes became off limits. The focus of art became to teach religion and to adorn cathedrals. Donatello is considered one of the most famous artists of the Middle Ages, and his depiction of the youth of the biblical David in his sculpture David had been unlike most pieces created in that era due to its nudity (“Donatello’s David”). Donatello was still inspired by the religious attitude of the era, however. Another renowned artist of the Middle Ages is Giotto di Bondone, and one of his most famous works is The Last Supper. That painting is, as the name suggests, a depiction of the last supper, and is a very religious piece. Fra Angelico’s The Annunciation is another well-known painting of the Middle Ages, and, like Donatello, the piece was religious but had aspects that were not usual for the era, such as a vanishing point and a realistic depiction of archangel Gabriel and Mary (Glover). Although the pieces of the twentieth century were not nearly as religious as those of the Middle Ages, they did have some similarities, including how the flat, unrealistic figures of the Middle Ages being quite similar to the works of cubism in the twentieth century. Artists also had their own specific styles that caused revolutionary techniques to emerge; in the Middle Ages, the gothic style of architecture came about, and in the 20th century, dadaism, cubism, surrealism and many other styles
During the Middle Ages, the triumph of Christianity had caused the interest in the body and the world to vanish; salvation was the priority, so nudes became off limits. The focus of art became to teach religion and to adorn cathedrals. Donatello is considered one of the most famous artists of the Middle Ages, and his depiction of the youth of the biblical David in his sculpture David had been unlike most pieces created in that era due to its nudity (“Donatello’s David”). Donatello was still inspired by the religious attitude of the era, however. Another renowned artist of the Middle Ages is Giotto di Bondone, and one of his most famous works is The Last Supper. That painting is, as the name suggests, a depiction of the last supper, and is a very religious piece. Fra Angelico’s The Annunciation is another well-known painting of the Middle Ages, and, like Donatello, the piece was religious but had aspects that were not usual for the era, such as a vanishing point and a realistic depiction of archangel Gabriel and Mary (Glover). Although the pieces of the twentieth century were not nearly as religious as those of the Middle Ages, they did have some similarities, including how the flat, unrealistic figures of the Middle Ages being quite similar to the works of cubism in the twentieth century. Artists also had their own specific styles that caused revolutionary techniques to emerge; in the Middle Ages, the gothic style of architecture came about, and in the 20th century, dadaism, cubism, surrealism and many other styles