Romanesque: Architechture – Sculpture – Painting

Romanesque: Architechture – Sculpture – Painting

Edited by Rolf Toman

Photos by Achim Bednorz

 

FRONT COVER

Former monastery church of St. Egidius, twelth century.

Kleinkomburg – Schwabisch Hall

Photo: Achim Bednorz

 

BACK COVER

Saint-Juste-de-Valcabrère (Haute Garonne)

Photo: Achim Bednorz

 

The romanesque was the first period in medieval art to include all of Europe. It began around 1000 and did not end – with the Staufen late Romanesque in Germany and Italy – until about the middle of the thirteenth century. Some of the contributions in this volume also consider pre-Romanesque Carolingian and Ottonian art.

The borrowing of particular formal elements from Roman architecture, including the round arch which is considered the hallmark of the Romanesque, led to the coining of the term “Romanesque”. However, the Romanesque was a period in the high Middle Ages which was entirely moulded by the spirit Christianity, and it can even be said that Romanesque art essentially is Christian church art. The majority of the works of architecture, sculpture and painting discussed in this volume can be properly understood only in the context of a Christian view of the world and Christian ways of life. In addition, monastic culture, as discussed in the introduction, played its own important role.

 

When looking at the wealth of buildings, which have with only a few exceptions been specially photographed for this volume, it is possible to recognize a great variety of forms in Romanesque architecture. Together with the main chapters and the sections on forms and techniques, these photographs will show hou much more there is to the Romanesque apart from round arches and heavy, powerful walls. Some of the pictures will convey the special atmosphere which characterizes a medieval church or monastery, and enable the reader to gain an understanding of the very different quality of life enjoyed by the people who lived there. What is particularly fascinating in this context is the visual world of Romanesque sculpture, which is closely linked to architecture. It makes the fears and hopes of people living in the Middle Ages abundantly clear. In addition to focusing on the technical aspects of the works, the authors of these contributions have also aimed to take aspects of cultural and intellectual history into account.

1997 KONEMANN

Printed in Germany

ISBN 3-89508-447-6

 

Condition: Great