1. ROMANESQUE ART

2. Romanesque Art
• 1000-1150 AD
• France
• Spread to Christian Spain, England, Flanders, Germany and
Italy, and elsewhere
• The first medieval style found all over Europe.

3. Romanesque Art
Romanesque: encompasses the Western
European artistic production, especially architecture, of the
11th and 12th centuries
:a style of European architecture containing both Roman and
Byzantine elements, prevalent especially in the 11th and 12th
centuries and characterized by massive walls, round arches,
and relatively simple ornamentation.

4. Romanesque Art
Conditions:
• Rise of monasticism
• New orders founded
(Cistersian, Cluniac,
Carthusian)
• Economic prosperity
• Relative stable political
condition
• Rise of priests and monks
• Growing crowds of pilgrims

5. Romanesque Art
• Monasteries established
throughout Europe
• Great increase in church-
building
• Increase in size of
cathedrals
• Churches built larger

6. Formative influences:
• Roman art
• Insular style of Northern Europe
• Art of Byzantium
Art of Byzantium
Plaque with the Crucifixion and
the Defeat of Hades
Ivory
Mid-10th century
Byzantine

7. Insular art (Northern Europe)
Square-headed brooch
Copper alloy with gilding and niello
inlay
6th century

8. Plan
• Adapted the plan of the
Roman basilica
• Nave
• Lateral aisle

9. Schematic plan showing the major parts of a basilica

10. choir
apse

11. Romanesque Architecture
• Thick walls
• Massive structures
• Vaulted roofs
• Round-headed windows
and arches
• Impressive portals
• Alternating piers and
columns
• Corinthian column
• Figurative sculptures
• Simple ornamentation
San Millán
Segovia, Spain

12. Portal of
Lincoln Cathedral
(Gallery of Kings)Painted barrel vault of
Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-
Sur-Gartempe

13. St. Michael’s, Hildesheim
2 colums between piers
Capital of Corinthian form with
Byzantine decoration and
carved dosseret, San Martin de
Tours Church, Fromista, Palencia

14. Neo-Romanesque
Manila Cathedral, 1571

15. Other Features
• Architectural sculpture
• Painting
• Stained glass
• Towers
• Extremely vigorous
• Expressive
• Inventive iconography The octagonal crossing tower
of the Abbey Church at Cluney
influenced the building of
other polygonal crossing
towers in France, Spain and
Germany.

16. • On these mouldings around the
portal of Lincoln Cathedral are
formal chevron ornament,
tongue-poking monsters, vines
and figures, and symmetrical
motifs.

17. The tympanum of the inner portal of
la Madeleine Vezelay has the scene of
Christ in Majesty, at the Last
Judgement. The figure of Christ is
highly formalised in both posture and
treatment. (1130s)

18. Apse of the Church of St
Justus, Segovia. Christ in
Majesty was a common
theme for the apse.

19. • King David from Augsburg
Cathedral, late 11th century. One
of a series of prophets that are
the oldest stained glass windows
in situ.
• Became a significant art form.
• Illuminated manuscripts/psalter
remained important.
Romanesque art:
• Didactic
• Churches “Poor man’s Bible”

20. Key Terms
• Romanesque
• Insular style
• Byzantine art
• Basilica
• Pier
• tympanum
• Parts of romanesque
church
--narthex
--nave
--aisle
--transept
--choir
--apse, etc.