5.05 Romanesque Painting

Romanesque painting, like sculpture, was highly stylized and owed much to the classical, Byzantine and Early Medieval styles.

Manuscript Illumination

As you might expect, a great number of well-preserved illuminated manuscripts were produced during the Romanesque period. Here, too, we have the expected traits of linear partitioning of the drapery, elongated figures and extremely bright coloring.

Our sample illuminated page depicts Saint John the Evangelist from the Gospel Book of Abbot Wedricus (ca. 12C). Here, we see the gold background of the Byzantine style combined with a border of the Early Medieval animal style. Yet, this is definitely a Romanesque work as seen from the linear and compartmentalized drapery, elongated figure and the angular movement.

The last selection of Romanesque art in our study, the Bayeux Tapestry, is arguably the most famous. This work of embroidered woolen fabric on linen (note: not actually a tapestry) is 20 inches tall and 230 feet long, and features a continuous, pictorial narrative of the Norman defeat of the Anglo-Saxons at Hastings in 1066. Interestingly, the entire work was bordered with real and fanciful animals and other decoration much in the manner of the illuminated manuscript.

This detail shows the Norman horsemen cutting down the Anglo-Saxon warriors, whose bodies comprise the lower border. To see the entire work, including translations of the Latin text, follow this link.

• Battle of Hastings, Bayeux Tapestry (ca. late 11C)

Assignment 5.05 - Short Answer Practice

After you have reviewed the cumulative notes, complete the online assessment 5.05. Remember that your first submission should be done with a time constraint and without notes. This is a ten-minute, short-answer question.