Brief description and history of style with examples.

Romanesque painting (1000–1200)

In the history of Christian art, the term "Romanesque" is rather vague and refers to various art disciplines, including architecture, sculpture, and painting. This term, which describes this school of painting, is considered by historians to be even less accurate and meaningful than the term “Gothic”. It is difficult to establish the exact chronology of the direction, since it developed at different times in different countries.

If Romanesque sculpture is characterized, for the most part, by realistic works, then Romanesque painting is distinguished by the formality of a style devoid of naturalism and humanism. We can say that Gothic refinement is preceded by Romanesque austerity. Romanesque painting is dominated by linear constructions, creating majestic calm or, alternatively, agitated expressiveness. The decorative nature of Romanesque stained glass, manuscripts, altarpieces, paintings and other works can be seen as a kind of bridge between Eastern Byzantine and Western Gothic art.

Style characteristic

The individual style of Romanesque painting begins to take shape after the period of the Carolingians and the Ottenian Renaissance. It is characterized by the use of frescoes, tempera and wax painting. It is worth noting that the choice of paints and color pigments of the medieval master was limited.

in Italy

The period of Romanesque art in Italy lasted somewhat longer than in other countries. The rapid development of the direction can be connected with direct contacts with the East. The duration is due to the fact that Romanesque art was in the hands of old and famous masters such as Duccio di Buoninsegna, Cimabue and Giotto di Bondone, who continued to create their works with the advent of the Gothic period.

Frescoes in Saint-Savin.

In Spain

Nowhere else can one find such an abundance of Romanesque painting, heralding the beginning of the Gothic period, as in Spain and one of its regions - Catalonia. The iconographic themes of churches and altars mainly focused on the representation of Christ and the Virgin.

Fresco in the Church of San Clemente

In England

It is difficult to give a general idea of ​​the Romanesque painting of England, as it is known, for the most part, from illustrated manuscripts. Many frescoes, paintings and other objects of art have not survived to this day, although they undoubtedly could help in shaping the assessment of the direction.

In Germany and Austria

The fine art of Germany and Austria between the ninth and eleventh centuries is a complex mixture of Romanesque and earlier medieval painting, and the near extinction and loss of works of art also add complexity to the analysis.

In Hungary and the Czech Republic

Historically, these countries have played an important role in the development of Romanesque art. The architecture and painting of Hungary and the Czech Republic reflect the ideas of the direction and have a pronounced oriental influence.

Romanesque painting updated: September 16, 2017 by: Gleb

Details Category: A variety of styles and trends in art and their features Posted on 10/11/2015 15:21 Views: 4878

The Romanesque style played an important role in the transition to Gothic art, a higher level of medieval artistic culture.

This style manifested itself most clearly in monumental sculpture, fresco painting, and especially in architecture.

About the term and periodicals

As far as periodicals are concerned, chronological framework the predominance of the Romanesque style in individual countries and regions does not always coincide. For example, in the north-east of France, the last third of the XII century. already attributed to the Gothic period, and in Germany and Italy, signs of Romanesque art continue to exist as the main ones for a significant part of the 13th century.
Thus, the term "Romanesque style" should be attributed to the art of Western and Central Europe in the 11th-12th centuries, from about 1000 to the emergence of the Gothic style. It reflects an objectively existing stage in the history of medieval European art. But the very term "Romanesque art" appeared only in early XIX century, and before that, all medieval art was called "Gothic".
The Romanesque style is divided into early (XI century) and mature (XII century).

Architecture

Church of St. Jacob in Regensburg (Germany)
Architecture was the leading form of Romanesque art. It is diverse in types, design features and decor. Basically, the architecture of this period is represented by temples, monasteries and castles. Urban architecture during this period was not widely developed.
The main material for Romanesque buildings is local stone. The stones were hewn, moreover, by different masters, therefore, in medieval art, two completely identical details are rarely found. The hewn stone was laid in place on the mortar.
The main monastery building was the church; next to it was a patio surrounded by open colonnades. Then there was the house of the abbot of the monastery (abbot), a bedroom for the monks, a refectory, a kitchen, a winery, a brewery, a bakery, warehouses, stables, living quarters for workers, a doctor's house, dwellings and a special kitchen for pilgrims, a school, a hospital, a cemetery.
The Romanesque style is characterized by a basilica (longitudinal) form. A Romanesque basilica is a three-nave (rarely five-nave) longitudinal building.

Cross section to Romanesque basilica (left) and Romanesque temple
Outwardly, the Romanesque temples looked massive and geometric (in the form of a parallelepiped, cylinder, half-cylinder, cone, pyramid). The main advantage of Romanesque architecture is the harsh truthfulness and clarity of architectural forms.
The building has always harmoniously blended into the surrounding nature - this also gave it solidity. Massive walls with narrow window openings and stepped-in-depth portals carried a defensive purpose.
A portal is an architecturally designed main entrance of a large structure. The portal also had a psychological function: to enhance the impression, highlight, enlarge and exaggerate the entrance to the building.

Central and two side portals of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris
Other features of the architecture of the Romanesque cathedral:
Enlargement of the choir (eastern altar part of the temple)
Increasing the height of the temple
Replacing the coffered (cassette) ceiling with stone vaults in the largest cathedrals. The vaults were of several types: box, cross, often cylindrical, flat along the beams (typical of Italian Romanesque architecture).
Heavy vaults required powerful walls and columns.
The main motive of the interior - semicircular arches

Roman bridge with semicircular arches (Alcantara, Spain)
The whole structure consisted of folded individual square cells - grasses.
Let's look at one of the buildings of Romanesque architecture.

Church of the Virgin (Denmark, city of Kalundborg)

This is a fortress church in the north-west of the island of Zealand, the main attraction of the city and the entire region. It rises on a high hill above the harbor and attracts attention from afar.
The exact date of foundation of the church is unknown. It is assumed that it was erected in 1170-1190. in honor of the area's conversion to Christianity.
It is one of the first brick structures in Denmark; Simultaneously with the church, a fortified castle was built, later rebuilt.
The majestic Church of the Virgin is built of red brick, has the shape of a Greek cross in plan, includes a central tower (44 m) and four corner ones. The central tower is supported by four granite columns for added strength. Octagonal side towers (34 m each) were erected over four apses ( apse- a lower ledge of the building adjacent to the main volume, semicircular, faceted, rectangular or complicated in plan, covered with a semi-dome or closed semi-arch).

Absida
This 5-tower design is unique to Western Europe, because it is more common in Orthodox architecture.
The church looks like a fortress, this is due not only to fortification considerations. Presumably, the 5 towers of the church symbolize the idea of ​​Heavenly Jerusalem, which in the Middle Ages was presented as a fortified city with five towers.
Initially, the interior of the Church of the Virgin was decorated with wall paintings (frescoes). Two bells: the oldest of them is 1502, the youngest was cast in 1938.

Pisa Cathedral and Tower (Italy)
Quite a few architectural monuments of the Romanesque style have survived: Malmesbury Abbey, Durham Cathedral, Oakem Castle, St. Alban Cathedral, Peterborough Cathedral, Ely Cathedral, Winchester Cathedral (UK), Laach Abbey, Kaiser Cathedrals in Speyer, Worms and Mainz, Liebmurg Cathedral, Church of St. Jacob in Regensburg (Germany), Romanesque churches in Val-de-Boie (Spain), Pisa Cathedral and, in part, the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italy), Notre-Dame-la-Grand Church in Poitiers, Serrabona Priory (France), Braga Cathedral, Porto Cathedral, Braganca Old Town Hall, Coimbra Old Cathedral, Lisbon Cathedral (Portugal), etc.

Sculpture

Romanesque sculpture was subject to architectural motifs. It was mainly used in the external decoration of cathedrals. Reliefs were most often located on the western facade, located around the portals or placed on the surface of the facade. Plots: religious, symbolic images of the Universe in all its grandeur.
Particular attention was paid to the sculptural decoration of the western facade and the entrance to the temple. Above the main perspective portal was usually placed tympanum(inner field of the pediment) with a relief depicting the scene of the Last Judgment.

Tympanum of Strasbourg Cathedral (France)
Reliefs on the facade were also decorated with columns, portals, which depicted the apostles, prophets and Old Testament kings.
Quite often, the figure of the hanged Judas Iscariot was used in sculptural decorations - one must understand, as an edification. The demons helped him hang.

Judas Iscariot and demons
In general, Romanesque sculpture strongly gravitated towards metaphors. For example, around the upper wall of the altar in the abbey d'Artois (Landes, France) there are small figures depicting passion, intemperance and barbarian monkeys - a symbol of human depravity.

Other types of sculpture

Products made from precious materials were highly valued. Many of them have survived: ossuaries for storing relics, facades of altars, as well as some secular objects of the nobility: mirrors, jewelry, clasps.

Bronze Gloucester candlestick, 12th century.
An example of well-preserved miniature ivory items is the Lewis chess set.

Chess from the Isle of Lewis
Most of them are made from walrus tusk, while the rest are made from whale teeth. They were discovered in 1831 on the Scottish Isle of Lewis (Outer Hebrides). Currently 11 chess pieces are in National Museum Scotland, the rest are in the British Museum.
Other artifacts are staves of hierachs, decorative plates, pectoral crosses and other objects.

Painting

Picturesque images of the Romanesque composition are located in a space devoid of depth; the distance between them is not felt. The sizes depend on the hierarchical significance of the one who is depicted: for example, the figures of Christ are much higher than the figures of angels and apostles; and those, in turn, are larger than images of mere mortals. The figures in the middle of the tympanum are larger than those in the corners. The Romanesque style is generally characterized by deviations from real proportions (heads and hands are disproportionately large, bodies are subject to abstract schemes).
Romanesque art is sometimes coarse, but always sharp expressiveness, but the manifestations of realism are private character. Basically, in the art of the Romanesque period, love for everything fantastic, often gloomy, monstrous, dominates, in particular, scenes from the Apocalypse are often depicted.
In monumental painting, fresco prevailed everywhere, with the exception of Italy, where the traditions of mosaics were more preserved.
The book miniature, which was distinguished by high decorative qualities, was widely used.

"Page Morgan" from the Winchester Bible 1160-1175 Scenes from the life of David
In the Romanesque period, ornamental art was very popular.
Picturesque compositions (mainly narrative scenes based on biblical stories and from the life of saints) were depicted on the wide surfaces of the walls. In these compositions, the figures are stylized and flat, so they are perceived as symbols rather than realistic representations.

Catalan fresco

stained glass

Stained glass windows were most common in the Gothic, but were already popular in the Romanesque style. The most ancient fragments of medieval stained-glass windows known today were made in the 10th century. The earliest fully preserved drawings are images of the five prophets in the windows of the cathedral in Augsburg, dated to the end of the 11th century. In the cathedrals of Le Mans, Canterbury, Chartres and Saint-Denis, part of the stained-glass windows of the 12th century have been preserved.

Stained glass window in Chartres Cathedral
The earliest dated English glass is the stained glass of the Jesse tree from York Minster of 1154, which was borrowed from a previous (destroyed) building.

Stained glass window of the tree of Jesse in York Minster

Romanica is an ancient style, full of pagan traditions and replicas. The symbolic language of this trend in the art of the early Middle Ages, the first style born outside of Greece and Rome, is difficult to perceive. The external intricacy and vivid expressiveness of Romanesque sculpture is quite enough for the modern viewer. Meanwhile, the masters of the early Middle Ages considered it their duty to embody in stone the complex structure of the universe, its divine essence and incomprehensible complexity.

The heyday of this style in sculpture came at the beginning of the 12th century, and already the 13th century brought with it a new powerful style that overshadowed the previous ones. We are talking about Gothic, which appeared due to the development of the Romanesque, heavy and rough style, in the depths of which the Gothic airiness and harmony ripened. In such an intricate way, barbarian Europe began its journey, rejecting antiquity ...

Sculptural romance is inextricably linked with architecture. Outside the temple there is no sculpture - early christianity Western Europe was afraid of the return of idolatry, so the temple sculpture itself appears rather late.

Speaking of Romanesque sculpture, it is necessary to clarify that it can be called a sculpture with some stretch. Most often, this refers to the reliefs that adorn the tympanums (semicircular spaces of vaults above the entrances), as well as the capitals of the columns and the decorative frames of the walls. A round sculpture, completely freed from stone, is a rare phenomenon in the Romanesque, characteristic of the latest period in the development of the style.

The Middle Ages practically did not leave us the names of artists, sculptors, architects. Therefore, almost all works of the Romanesque style are anonymous.

Plots of Romanesque sculpture are always associated with biblical subjects.

Favorite theme is the Last Judgment, the End of the World, the Apocalypse. Reliefs on these themes abound with terrible monsters, monsters, fantastic creatures. It is in these reliefs that most borrowings from the barbarian mythological ideas about the world of people and the world of shadows.

Plots connected with the triumph of Jesus Christ are full of pathos and pathos.

The very figure of Christ is interpreted as the image of the Great Judge, the Almighty, one of the incarnations of God the Father.

The masters of romance loved to push opposites in their works: hell and paradise, Heaven and Earth, good and evil. In this struggle of fundamental differences, the sculptors sought to depict the complex structure of the universe. Hence the multi-figure, vivid emotionality of the characters, the complex interweaving of figures, the tension and dynamism of the compositions.

Most of the Romanica masterpieces survive in France, Germany and Spain. The cathedral in Worms, the monastery in Cluny, the temple in Poitiers are rich in decor. The Pisa Cathedral, the church in Peterborough, the basilica in Saint-Denis are so loved by tourists.

Many large churches in Europe were rebuilt with the advent of Gothic fashion, many sculptures suffered during the French Revolution. However, the remaining masterpieces give a complete picture of the once unique, heavy and rude style that adorned all the temples of Western Europe.

The combination of a dome with a long hall in Byzantine-style Christian basilicas has already been important step to the architectural expression of the Christian idea of ​​striving for heaven. This desire of the soul is expressed even more clearly in the Romanesque style of Western European architecture: the basilica still remained in it the main form of the church plan, but the replacement of the horizontal ceiling with a semicircular cruciform vault gave the Romanesque church a new character. The cruciform vault is formed by the fact that the surfaces of two half-cylinders laid horizontally intersect one another at a right angle; the intersection creates four triangles whose lines form a cross. In the style characterized by this form of vault, there is generally a tendency to replace straight planes with semicircular surfaces, a semicircular arch.

This reduces the impression of heaviness, oppression produced by the Byzantine basilica, the contrast of ideas of strength and burden is softened.

An example of the Romanesque style is the Pisa Cathedral with the famous leaning tower. XI-XIII centuries, Italy

The setting of the bell towers in the upper corners of the Romanesque temple even more strongly expressed the desire for heaven, and the portal, widening in ledges towards the entrance side and decorated with sculpture, symbolically depicted the ideas of calling to the temple and prepared those who entered for a feeling of Christian reverence. Two rows of columns formed a middle wide longitudinal gallery leading to the altar; the longitudinal building was intersected by the transverse one; this intersection formed a cross. The pulpit of the altar, rising several steps above the floor of the temple, was separated from the rest of the space by a balustrade; a dome rose above the altar. Like a heavenly shield, it covered the sanctuary, and under the ambo there was a crypt, a crypt, an underground church, the vaults of which rested on columns or pilasters.

Great eras of European art. Roman style

The upper line of the window cut formed a semicircle; it was called a rose; outside, a frieze, composed of contiguous semicircles, ran along the walls; on the eastern wall above the windows there is a gallery formed by arcades; all this gave variety to the outer sides of the walls. Inside, along the walls were placed images of the events of sacred history; their common subjects were the fall of Adam and Eve and the redemption of the human race; they had a lot of variety; they formed an integral part of the Romanesque architecture and explained the building's religious significance.

Laach Abbey in Germany. Roman style

The general character of the Romanesque style is calmness, simplicity, nobility; at first he was strict to the point of severity, but little by little he became graceful, and in many temples of the last days of his dominion he reached a noble grace. The architects of the churches were then monks, who kept to the old forms, but improved them. In the XI century, the Romanesque style received its highest development; in the 12th century, his reign ended, replaced by gothic. Sculpture and painting, which were the servants of architecture, acquired the ability to depict deep religious ideas. Their chief subject was the great work of redemption; other religious ideas surrounded this central thought with a varied delicate fabric of images, giving scope to feeling and imagination, and the dominant thought with which they were associated imparted to them a strict unity.

Trier Cathedral, X-XII century

The most famous building of the Romanesque style was main temple Cluniac Abbey; he died during the French Revolution.

But the majestic cathedrals of Speyer, Worms, Mainz, Trier still stand; they are damaged by fires and wars, and yet they make an exalted impression. Many other Romanesque churches in Germany, Italy, northern France also testify that the monks who built them zealously sought to give architectural expression to Christian feeling; but at the same time they show that these monk-architects kept to the old models, could not free themselves from the forms bequeathed by tradition. Like monk-poets, they only imitated creatures in their works ancient world and the first centuries of Christianity.

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In a recent article, Historic British Architecture and Its Influence on Modern Housebuilding, we briefly told you about English historical styles of architecture. Now it's time to take a closer look at each of them and, most importantly, to consider the impact that these areas have on the appearance of modern country houses.

Historically, the very first style that resulted in a separate direction was Romanesque. It was densely settled on the territory of England in the 11th century and belonged mainly to castle buildings.

Features of the Romanesque style

As we have already mentioned, the Romanesque style referred mainly to castles and its external specificity was dictated by practical needs.

    Masonry. Stone was the main material for construction, simply because brick was not very good in those days.

    It is to the Romanesque style that we owe the manner of carefully fitting stones, although now such masonry is almost never used.

    Small windows. This feature is due to the need, because glass is a rare and expensive material at that time. It also does not provide decent thermal insulation, and for security reasons it was inefficient to make "translucent" locks.

    Apses. These are semi-circular ledges on the building, which are especially loved in both our traditional church styles and Romanesque.

    Massive look. Castles were built to last for centuries, so they are distinguished by their particular severity, solidity and give the impression that they have grown into the ground.

    Minimal decor. At the beginning of the eleventh century, even building a full-fledged castle was a difficult and time-consuming task. And although it cannot be said that Romanesque architecture did not have decor or bas-reliefs, they were engaged in decoration at the last moment.

Two types of Romanesque buildings

Apart from the general features, it is impossible not to mention that the Romanesque style is not so much certain building characteristics as an era. Therefore, at least two subspecies can be distinguished within it:


In modern urban housing construction

The Romanesque style is now not so much a direction as a kind of tribute to the romance of medieval times - at least directors, theatergoers and writers made a lot of efforts to, to spite historians, fan those times with a romantic halo. Sometimes rare buildings in the neo-Gothic style borrow certain architectural solutions from the Romanesque style, but in terms of large urban buildings, this style has remained in the distant past.

In modern housing construction of country houses

But on the field individual construction houses, the Romanesque direction feels, if not at ease, then quite comfortable. Again, let's blame the dramaturgy for everything, but these guys really gave the Middle Ages a very romantic image in the minds of the townsfolk, and many do not mind building a miniature castle on their site.

Of course, few people decide to accurately reproduce the Romanesque canons in architectural projects - at least no one uses masonry, since brick is more reliable, more convenient, lighter and cheaper. But the motifs remain popular to this day - and who would refuse a modern castle with all the amenities? Here are a few houses that inherit the canons of the Romanesque style:

Conclusion

The country house in the Romanesque style is a touching and somewhat romantic reference to the harsh medieval times. Such a mansion will look a little unusual, but very cozy and monumental. And if you want to build a real fortress on your site, or maybe a miniature castle, then contact our design bureau TopDom - and our architects will create an individual architectural project for you, taking into account all your wishes. And there is not far off the implementation, which we will also gladly take on.

Lecture Search

Artistic culture of the Early Middle Ages.

The early Middle Ages was a time when turbulent and very important processes took place in Europe, such as the invasion of the barbarians, which ended with the fall of the Roman Empire.

Barbarians settled on the lands former empire, assimilated with its population, creating a new community of Western Europe.

In general, the early Middle Ages was a time of deep decline in European civilization compared with the ancient era. This decline was expressed in the dominance of subsistence farming, in the fall of handicraft production and, accordingly, urban life, in the destruction of ancient culture under the onslaught of the non-literate pagan world.

On political map Europe during this period was dominated by barbarian and early feudal kingdoms, and in ideology there was a complete dominance of the Christian religion, which had a decisive impact on all aspects of public and personal life. This fully applies to works of material culture.

In the era of the early Middle Ages in Europe, wooden architecture sharply prevailed, the monuments of which could not reach our days. However, fundamental stone buildings were also erected, some of which became illustrative examples of the architecture of that time. Almost all of them have a religious, church purpose.

For the southeastern part of Europe, which was part of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) or experienced its influence, at first the most common form of buildings were basilicas (translated from Greek as “royal house”) - elongated buildings with a semicircular or faceted ledge in the eastern parts - the altar (apse).

Former in Ancient Rome predominantly public buildings, now they have turned into basilica churches. Then buildings with a centric plan began to acquire increasing importance - cross-domed churches. In such temples, the dome, supported by four pillars, was located on the ceiling of the naves.

New architectural forms corresponded to the new interior decoration of churches, including mosaics, frescoes, objects of worship, which, on the whole, constituted a certain artistic unity.

Byzantine painting gradually acquired a symbolic character, elements of stylization and asceticism intensified in it, and the depiction technique itself was subject to strict rules.
In the architecture of the central part of Europe, ancient and Byzantine canons also affected, but their own specifics also manifested themselves. To an even greater extent, this applied to the architecture of Northern Europe.

Romanesque style in art and architecture

The term "Romanesque style" is arbitrary and arose in the first half of the 19th century, when a connection between medieval architecture and Roman architecture was discovered. In the 11th-12th centuries, the church reached the pinnacle of power. Her influence on the spiritual life of that time was boundless. The church was the main customer of works of art. Both in the sermons of the church and in the minds of the people lived the idea of ​​the sinfulness of the world, full of evil, temptations, subject to the influence of terrible and mysterious forces. On this basis, an ethical ideal arose in the Romanesque art of Western Europe, opposite to ancient art. The superiority of the spiritual over the physical was expressed in the contrast of the violent spiritual expression and the outward ugliness of appearance. Scenes of the Last Judgment and the Apocalypse are the leading story in the design of churches, sculptures and reliefs. The leading form of art in the Middle Ages was architecture. Church Romanesque architecture was based on the achievements of the Carolingian period and developed under strong influence depending on local conditions from ancient or Byzantine or Arabic art. The main architectural task was to create a stone, mostly monastic church that would meet the requirements of church service.

The Romanesque style absorbed numerous elements of early Christian art, Merovingian art, the culture of the "Carolingian Renaissance" (and, in addition, the art of antiquity, the era of migration of peoples, Byzantium and the Muslim Middle East). Unlike the tendencies of medieval art that preceded it, which were of a local nature, the Romanesque style was the first artistic system of the Middle Ages, covering (despite the huge variety of local schools caused by feudal fragmentation) most European countries. The basis of the unity of the Romanov style was the system of developed feudal relations and the international essence of the Catholic Church, which in that era was the most significant ideological force in society and, due to the absence of a strong secular centralized authority, had a fundamental economic and political influence. The main patrons of the arts in most states were monastic orders, and the builders, workers, painters, copyists and decorators of manuscripts were monks; only at the end of the 11th century. wandering artels of lay stonemasons (builders and sculptors) appeared.

Separate Romanesque buildings and complexes (churches, monasteries, castles) were often created in the middle of a rural landscape and, being located on a hill or on an elevated bank of a river, dominated the district as an earthly likeness of the "city of God" or a visual expression of the overlord's power. Romanesque buildings are in perfect harmony with the natural environment, their compact forms and clear silhouettes seem to repeat and enrich the natural relief, and the local stone, which most often served as a material, organically combines with the soil and greenery. The external appearance of the buildings of the Romanov style is full of calm and solemnly severe strength; Massive walls played a significant role in creating this impression, the heaviness and thickness of which were emphasized by narrow window openings and stepped portals, as well as towers, which become one of the most important elements of architectural compositions in the Romanov style. The Romanesque building was a system of simple stereometric volumes (cubes, parallelepipeds, prisms, cylinders), the surface of which was dissected by blades, arched friezes and galleries, rhythmizing the wall mass, but not violating its monolithic integrity. Temples of the Romanov style developed the types of basilica and centric (most often round in plan) churches inherited from early Christian architecture; at the intersection of the transept with the longitudinal naves, a light lantern or tower was usually erected. Each of the main parts of the temple was a separate spatial cell, both inside and outside, clearly separated from the rest, which was largely due to the requirements of the church hierarchy: for example, the church choir was inaccessible to the flock who occupied the naves. In the interior, the measured, slow rhythms of the arcades dividing the naves and the girth arches, cutting through the stone mass of the vault at a considerable distance from each other, gave rise to a feeling of the unshakable stability of the divine world order; this impression was reinforced by the vaults themselves (mainly cylindrical, cross, cross-rib, less often domes), which replaced flat wooden ceilings in the Romanov style and originally appeared in the side aisles.

If the early Romanov style was dominated by wall painting, then at the end of the 11th and beginning of the 12th centuries, when the vaults and walls acquired a more complex configuration, the leading type of temple decor was monumental reliefs that adorned the portals, and often the entire facade wall, and concentrated in the interior on capitals.

In the mature Romanov style, the flat relief is replaced by an increasingly convex one, saturated with chiaroscuro effects, but invariably retaining an organic connection with the wall, inserted into it or, as it were, growing out of its array. The era of the Romanov style was also the heyday of book miniatures, generally distinguished by their large size and monumentality of compositions, as well as various branches of decorative and applied arts: casting, chasing, bone carving, enameling, artistic weaving, carpet weaving, jewelry art.

In Romanesque painting and sculpture, the central place was occupied by themes associated with the idea of ​​the limitless and formidable power of God (Christ in glory, the Last Judgment, etc.). In strictly symmetrical compositions, the figure of Christ dominated, significantly exceeding the rest of the figures in size. Narrative cycles of images (based on biblical and gospel, hagiographic, and occasionally historical subjects) took on a freer and more dynamic character. The Romanov style is characterized by numerous deviations from real proportions (heads are disproportionately large, clothes are treated ornamentally, bodies are subject to abstract schemes), due to which the human image becomes the bearer of an exaggeratedly expressive gesture or part of an ornament, often without losing intense spiritual expressiveness. In all types of Romanesque art, patterns often played a significant role, geometric or composed of motifs of flora and fauna (typologically ascending to the works of the animal style and directly reflecting the spirit of the pagan past of European peoples). The general system of images of the Romanov style, at a mature stage, gravitated towards the artistic universal embodiment of the medieval picture of the world, prepared the notion of the cathedral, characteristic of Gothic, as a kind of "spiritual encyclopedia".

Leading role in the cultural life of Europe for a long time belonged to France. It is here that the largest number architectural monuments of the Romanesque style. One of the most majestic Romanesque temples is located in Burgundy. There in the 11th century The Cluniy Abbey complex was built with a huge church, the largest in Europe at that time (length - 127 m, width - 40 m). The monastery in Cluny at that time was called the "second Rome". Burgundian architects developed constructive innovations to reduce the volume of walls, increase the capacity of cathedrals, achieve high altitude vaults. The architecture of central France is characterized by power, simplicity and monumentality. In massive churches with thick walls, sculptural decorations were used sparingly. The art of Provence (Southern France) was strongly influenced by Roman and Byzantine architecture. Antique ornaments, columns with antique capitals are the distinctive features of the temples of Provence. A peculiar architectural school developed in Normandy. The appearance of the churches of Normandy is distinguished by the presence big towers located on the sides of the facades and in the center of the building. In the XI-XII centuries. in Germany, the construction of large cathedrals began in cities on the Rhine - in Worms, Speyer, Mainz. Cathedrals are distinguished by grandiosity and solidity, integrity and cohesion of architectural volumes.

The cathedral at Worms (1181-1234) looked like an impenetrable fortress. The walls of the building are thick and smooth, the windows are small and narrow, like loopholes. Majestic and grandiose towers give severity to the cathedral.
Sculptural decorations were rarely used by the German architect. Separate sculptures of the heroes of biblical stories, mythological animals adorned window sills, galleries of buildings, without merging with the architecture.

During the Romanesque, many local architectural schools were created in Germany, of which the most significant were the Rhenish, Saxon and Westphalian. Several centers of Romanesque art existed on the Apennine Peninsula. The most famous architectural monuments are in Lombardy, Milan and Venice. Cultural traditions were not the same for different regions of Italy. for Rome and central regions Italy is characterized by the predominance of ancient, and for the southern regions - Byzantine features of architecture.

The outstanding monuments of Romanesque art include the complex in Pisa, which includes a cathedral, a baptistery and a bell tower. The construction of the cathedral began in the 11th century. brilliant architect Busqueto and continued in the XII century. architect Rainaldo.

The Romanesque style dominated England at the end of the 11th-12th centuries. His specific feature there was a combination in the building of types of monastic and parish churches. Although the English temples are very similar to the French ones, they have a greater length and elongation in length (170 m). Towers were a favorite element of English architecture.

Thus, the main features of the Romanesque style in architecture were: the predominance of the semicircular shape of the vaults, massive, heavy supports, smooth and thick walls with a small number of narrow openings.

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At the beginning of the II millennium, Europe ceased to shudder from endless wars, devastation and disasters. The subsequent feudal fragmentation became the reason for the formation of separate independent art schools, the styles of which had similar features in spirit. During this period, the Romanesque style in art was born, dominating throughout Europe for the next two centuries. It was most pronounced in Italy, Germany and France.

The Romanesque style is characterized by massiveness, the absence of deliberate decorations, the severity and severity of the external appearance. Famous buildings are heavy medieval castles in the form of thick-walled fortresses. The interiors are devoid of frills and grace.

Romanesque architecture

After a century of decline in church building, it began to gain momentum again against the backdrop of the emergence of monastic orders and the development the most complex forms liturgy. Improved technology helped to bring to life the early Christian ideas of the masters. Materials for construction were chosen according to the principle of saturation of the nearby territory with them. Most often, limestone was used, in some cases - volcanic rubble, marble and granite. The simplified construction process was based on fastening medium-sized hewn stones with mortar. These stones were not subjected to painstaking selection and were processed exclusively from the outside.

Monumental architecture, as often happens after protracted wars, acquired motifs from several cultures: Syrian, Arabic, Byzantine, ancient. At the same time, the unifying style-forming features are:

  • Correct cylindrical and rectangular shapes;
  • Increased height of temples and ceilings;
  • The space is organized longitudinally, the basis is an early Christian basilica;
  • Simplicity;
  • conciseness;
  • Monochrome reliefs;
  • Muted colors: green, white, black, gray, brown, red;
  • Line shapes are standard straight, semicircular;
  • Ornament repeating floral or geometric;
  • The halls have exposed ceiling beams and central piers;
  • Massive structures are based on thick-walled stone structures;
  • Decoration elements of a knightly theme - coats of arms, weapons, armor, torches.

Romanesque buildings are characterized by rational simplicity of construction, but the feeling of heaviness of the general appearance gives it a depressing character. The most powerful columns and walls under the vaults of semicircular arches are an integral part of the Romanesque fortress. Narrow loophole windows and high towers emphasize the bulkiness of the walls.

One of the priorities of the designers of Romanesque buildings is the ideal combination with the surrounding nature, which allows emphasizing the solidity and strength of the building. The laconic decoration of the facades of buildings, combined with a simple silhouette, highlighted the beauty of the landscape, in which the building fit harmoniously and naturally.

(Ensemble of columns of Monreale Cathedral)

Architectural monuments of Romanesque art are observed in most of Europe and in countries where European masters worked. The most famous of them are:

  • In Germany: Limburg Cathedral, St. Jacob's Church in Regensburg, Laach Abbey, Kaiser Cathedrals in Mainz, Worms and Speyer;
  • In France: Priory of Serrabona, church of Norte-Dame-la-Grand;
  • In Great Britain: Oakham Castle, Ely Cathedral, Peterborough Cathedral, Malmesbury Abbey, Wincher Cathedral;
  • In Portugal: Cathedral of Braga, Cathedral of Lisbon, Old City Hall of Braganca, Cathedral of Porto, Old Cathedral of Coimbra.

Sculpture of Romanesque art

sculptors early medieval sought to embody in stone the divine essence of a complex universe. The dawn of this style for sculpture is considered to be the XII century. Separate works of art as sculpture were not created at that time, since Christianity was afraid of the return of idolatry. Speaking about the sculpture of the Romanesque period, we mean the reliefs on the tympanums, the capitals of the columns and the framing of the walls. Sculpture completely freed from stone appears only in the last stages of the era.

The plots of the reliefs are inextricably linked with the Bible. Favorite topics stand out: Apocalypse, Last Judgment, End of the World. The characters of such paintings are mythical creatures and monsters borrowed from barbarian lore about the world of men and shadows. Another storyline identifies Jesus Christ, whose image is interpreted as the Great Judge, the incarnation of God, the Almighty.

(Sculptures of North Dame Cathedral, transition from Romanesque to Gothic style)

The compositions are dynamic, they are full of bright talking poses of the characters. Often there is a clash of opposites: heaven and hell, heaven and earth, good and evil. This fight reflects the diversity of the universe, its complex structure.

Most of the Romanesque works are anonymous, so the names of the masters who created these works of art have not survived to this day.

Romanesque art painting

Despite the fact that Romanesque sculpture gravitates towards realism, a formal path is chosen in painting, devoid of realism and humanism. Technically, preference is given to linear designs, rigor and majestic calmness of the images. The character of Romanesque stained glass windows, altarpieces, paintings and manuscripts combines motifs from Eastern Byzantine work and Western Gothic art.

(Romanesque painting in the Church of San Clemente)

In the depthless space of paintings, a strict hierarchical dependence of the sizes of elements can be traced. So, for example, the figure of Jesus is always larger and compositionally higher than the images of angels and apostles. Those, in turn, are more than mere mortals. Images located in the center of the canvas are larger than those that are shifted to the edges. The Romanesque style is distinguished by abstractness and non-compliance with proportions: the hands and heads are exaggerated, the bodies are elongated.

(Ornamental composition of the Romanesque period, church and medieval village, Conques, commune of France)

The Romanesque period is the era of the popularization of ornamental art. Compositions representing biblical scenes from the life of saints were depicted on large-scale walls. The figures in them are not perceived as realistic images, but have a symbolic meaning.

The Romanesque style is characterized by the use of wax painting, frescoes and tempera. But the color palette of every medieval craftsman was limited, and consisted of basic colors: blue, burgundy, green, black, brown, gray.

Conclusion

Romanesque art marked the political and economic growth of Europe. The imposition of church activity and high taxes provided the states with the opportunity to build new churches and decorate them with frescoes, paintings and statues. Elements of art, in turn, attracted the interest of the townspeople and increased the profits of religious institutions.

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Romanesque style (lat. romanus - Roman) - art style, which dominated Western Europe in the X-XII centuries.
He became one of milestones development of medieval European art.

Cathedral, 11th century, Trier

The term "Romanesque style" appeared at the beginning of the 19th century, when it was established that the architecture of the 11th-12th centuries used elements of ancient Roman architecture, such as semicircular arches and vaults. In general, the term is conditional and reflects only one, not the main, side of art. However, it has come into common use.

The Romanesque style developed in the countries of Central and Western Europe and spread everywhere. 11th century is usually considered as the time of the "early", and the XII century. - "mature" Romanesque art. However, the chronological framework of the dominance of the Romanesque style in individual countries and regions does not always coincide. So, in the north-east of France, the last third of the XII century. already belongs to the Gothic period, while in Germany and Italy characteristics Romanesque art continued to dominate throughout much of the 13th century.

"Romanesque art seems crude and wild when compared with the sophistication of the Byzantines, but it is a style of great nobility."



Monastery, XI-XII centuries. Ireland

Most "classically" this style will spread in the art of Germany and France. The leading role in the art of this period belonged to architecture. Romanesque buildings are very diverse in types, design features and decor. This medieval architecture was created for the needs of the church and chivalry, and churches, monasteries, castles become the leading types of structures.

Monasteries and churches remained the cultural centers of this era. Religious architecture embodied the Christian religious idea. The temple, which had the shape of a cross in plan, symbolized the path of the cross of Christ - the path of suffering and redemption. Each part of the building was assigned a special meaning, for example, the pillars and columns supporting the vault symbolized the apostles and prophets - the pillar of Christian teaching.

Gradually, the service became more and more magnificent and solemn. Architects over time changed the design of the temple: they began to increase the eastern part of the temple, in which the altar was located. In the apse - the altar ledge - there was usually an image of Christ or the Mother of God, images of angels, apostles, saints were placed below. On the western wall were scenes of the Last Judgment. The lower part of the wall was usually decorated with ornaments.

Romanesque art was most consistently formed in France - in Burgundy, Auvergne, Provence and Normandy.

Urban architecture, with rare exceptions, did not receive such a wide development as monastic architecture. In most states, the main customers were monastic orders, in particular, such powerful ones as the Benedictine ones, and the builders and workers were monks. Only at the end of the XI century. artels of lay stonemasons appeared - at the same time builders and sculptors, moving from place to place. However, the monasteries were able to attract various masters from outside, demanding work from them in the order of pious duty.

Norman fortress, X-XI centuries. France

The spirit of militancy and the constant need for self-defense pervades Romanesque art. Castle-fortress or temple-fortress. "The castle is the fortress of the knight, the church is the fortress of God; God was thought of as the highest feudal lord, just, but merciless, carrying not the world, but the sword. A stone building towering on a hill with watchtowers, alert and threatening with large-headed, large-armed statues, as if grown to the body of the temple and silently guarding it from enemies - this is the characteristic creation of Romanesque art. It feels a great inner strength, its artistic concept is simple and strict. "

On the territory of Europe, architectural monuments of the ancient Romans remained in abundance: roads, aqueducts, fortress walls, towers, temples. They were so durable that they continued to be used for their intended purpose for a long time. In the combination of watchtowers, military camps with Greek basilicas and Byzantine ornamentation, a new "Roman" Romanesque architectural style arose: simple and expedient.

The material for the Romanesque buildings was local stone, since its delivery from afar was almost impossible, due to lack of roads and because of the large number of internal borders that had to be crossed, each time paying high duties. Stones were hewn by different craftsmen - one of the reasons why in medieval art two identical pieces, such as capitals, are rarely found. Each of them was performed by a separate stone-cutting artist, who, within the limits of the assignment he received, had some creative freedom. The hewn stone was laid in place on the mortar.

Saint Pierre Cathedral, Angouleme, France

Cathedral, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Capital in the parish church of Anzy le Duc

Master Gilbert. Eve. Saint Lazare Cathedral in Autun

Tympanum of the Saint-Madeleine church in Vzelay. 12th century

The ornamentation of Romanesque art was borrowed mainly from the East, it was based on the ultimate generalization, "geometrization and schematization of the pictorial image. Simplicity, power, strength, clarity were felt in everything. Romanesque architecture is a typical example of rational artistic thinking."

The principles of the architecture of the Romanesque period received the most consistent and purest expression in cult complexes. The main monastery building was the church. Next to it was placed an inner courtyard, surrounded by open colonnades - the cloister. Around the house of the abbot of the monastery (abbot), a bedroom for monks (dormitory), a refectory, a kitchen, a winery, a brewery, a bakery, warehouses, stables, living quarters for workers, a doctor's house, dwellings and a special kitchen for pilgrims, a school, a hospital, a cemetery were located .

Fontevraud. View of the monastery from above. Founded in 1110 France

Kitchen at Fontevraud Abbey

Kitchen at Fontevraud Abbey. Interior view

Temples typical of the Romanesque style most often develop the old basilic form. A Romanesque basilica is a three-nave (rarely five-nave) longitudinal room, crossed by one, and sometimes two transepts. In a number of architectural schools received further complication and enrichment East End churches: the choir, completed by the ledge of the apse, surrounded by radially divergent chapels (the so-called wreath of chapels). In some countries, mainly in France, a bypass choir is being developed; the side naves seem to continue behind the transept and go around the altar apse. Such a layout made it possible to regulate the flow of pilgrims who worshiped the relics displayed in the apse.


Cross section of a pre-Romanesque basilica (left) and a Romanesque temple

St. John's Chapel, Tower, London


3rd church in Cluny (France), XI-XII centuries. Plan

In Romanesque churches, separate spatial zones are clearly separated: the narthex, i.e. vestibule, longitudinal body of the basilica with its rich and detailed development, transepts, eastern apse, chapels. Such a layout quite logically continued the idea already embodied in the layout of early Christian basilicas, starting with the Cathedral of St. Peter: if the pagan temple was considered the dwelling of the deity, then the Christian churches became the home of believers, built for a collective of people. But this group was not united. The clergy were sharply opposed to the "sinful" laity and occupied the choir, that is, the more honorable part of the temple located behind the transept closest to the altar. Yes, and in the part allotted to the laity, places were allocated for the feudal nobility. Thus, the unequal importance of various groups of the population in the face of the deity was emphasized.


Church of Saint-Etienne in Nevers (France). 1063-1097

Abbey Church of Saint Philibert in Tournus

Church in Santiago de Compostela (Spain). OK. 1080 - 1211

During the construction of churches, the most difficult problem was the lighting and overlapping of the main nave, since the latter was wider and higher than the side ones. Different schools of Romanesque architecture dealt with this problem in different ways. The easiest way was to preserve wooden ceilings on the model of early Christian basilicas. Roofing on rafters was relatively light, did not cause lateral expansion and did not require powerful walls; this made it possible to place a tier of windows under the roof. So they built in many places in Italy, in Saxony, the Czech Republic, in the early Norman school in France.



Vaults: cylindrical, cylindrical on formwork, cross, cross on ribs, closed. Scheme

Cathedral in Le Puy (France), XI-XII centuries. Vaulted ceiling of the central nave

However, the advantages of wooden floors did not stop architects from looking for other solutions. The Romanesque style is characterized by the overlapping of the main nave with a massive vault of wedge-shaped stones. This innovation created new artistic possibilities.

The first to appear was, apparently, a cylindrical vault, sometimes with girth arches in the main nave. Its thrust was removed not only by massive walls, but also by creote vaults in the side naves. Since the architects of the early period did not have experience and self-confidence, the middle nave was built narrow, relatively low; they also did not dare to weaken the walls with wide window openings. Therefore, early Romanesque churches are dark inside.

Over time, the middle naves began to be made higher, the vaults acquired slightly lancet outlines, a tier of windows appeared under the vaults. This happened for the first time, probably, in the buildings of the Cluniac school in Burgundy.

With the disappearance of the rationalistic foundations of the ancient worldview, the order system loses its significance, although the name of the new style comes from the word "romus" - Roman, since the Roman semicircular arched cell is at the heart of the architectural structure here.

However, instead of the tectonics of the order in Romanesque architecture, the tectonics of a powerful wall, the most important constructive and artistic element, becomes the main one. means of expression. This architecture is based on the principle of connecting separate closed and independent volumes, subordinate, but also clearly demarcated, each of which is a small fortress itself. These are structures with heavy vaults, heavy towers cut through by narrow loophole windows, and massive ledges of hewn stone walls. They vividly capture the idea of ​​self-defense and impregnable power, which is quite understandable in the period of feudal fragmentation of the principalities of Europe, the isolation of economic life, the absence of trade and economic and cultural ties, in times of continuous feudal strife and wars.

For the interior of many Romanesque churches, a clear division of the wall of the middle nave into three tiers is typical. The first tier is occupied by semicircular arches separating the main nave from the side ones. Above the arches stretches the surface of the wall, providing enough space for painting or a decorative arcade on columns - the so-called trifornia. Finally, the windows form the upper tier. Since the windows usually had a semi-circular completion, the side wall of the middle nave consisted of three tiers of arcades (nave arches, triforium arches, window arches), given in a clear rhythmic alternation and accurately calculated scale relationships. The squat arches of the nave gave way to a more slender triforium arcade, and that, in turn, to sparsely spaced arches of tall windows.

The division of the wall of the middle nave in the churches: St. Michaelskirche in Hildeisheim (Germany, 1010 - 1250), Notre Dame in Jumièges (France, 1018 - 1067), as well as the cathedral in Worms (Germany, 1170-1240)

Cathedral in Mainz, Germany

Often the second tier is formed not by a triforium, but by arches of the so-called empor, i.e. opening into the main nave of the gallery, located above the vaults of the side aisles. The light in the empora came either from the central nave, or, more often, from the windows in the outer walls of the side nave, to which the empora adjoined.

The visual impression of the interior space of Romanesque churches was determined by simple and clear numerical relationships between the width of the main and side aisles. In some cases, the architects sought to evoke an exaggerated idea of ​​the scale of the interior by artificially reducing the perspective: they reduced the width of the arched spans as they moved away to the eastern part of the church (for example, in the church of Saint Trophime in Arles). Sometimes the arches were also reduced in height.

For appearance Romanesque churches are characterized by massiveness and geometric architectural forms (parallelepiped, cylinder, half-cylinder, cone, pyramid). Walls strictly isolate the interior from the environment. At the same time, one can always notice the efforts of architects to express as truthfully as possible in the external appearance the internal structure of the church; outside, not only the different heights of the main and side aisles are usually clearly distinguished, but also the division of space into separate cells. So, the pillars-abutments that divide the interior of the naves correspond to buttresses attached to the outer walls. The harsh truthfulness and clarity of architectural forms, the pathos of their unshakable stability constitute the main artistic merit of Romanesque architecture.

Abbey Maria Laach, Germany

Romanesque buildings were mostly covered with tiles, known to the Romans, and convenient in areas with a rainy climate. The thickness and strength of the walls were the main criteria for the beauty of the building. Severe masonry of hewn stones created a somewhat "gloomy" image, but was decorated with interspersed bricks or small stones of a different color. The windows were not glazed, but climbed with carved stone bars, the window openings were small and rose high above the ground, so the rooms in the building were very dark. Stone carvings adorned the outer walls of the cathedrals. It consisted of floral ornaments, images of fabulous monsters, exotic animals, animals, birds - motifs also brought from the East. The walls of the cathedral inside were completely covered with murals, which, however, almost did not survive to our time. Marble inlay mosaics were also used to decorate apses and altars, the technique of which has been preserved since antiquity.

V. Vlasov writes that Romanesque art "is characterized by the absence of any specific program in the placement of decorative motifs: geometric, "animal", biblical - they are interspersed in the most bizarre way. Sphinxes, centaurs, griffins, lions and harpies coexist peacefully side by side Most experts believe that all this phantasmagoric fauna is devoid of the symbolic meaning that is often attributed to them, and is predominantly decorative.

Church of San Isidoro. Tomb of the kings. Around 1063 - 1100 Leon. Spain.

Frontales

Image of Christ from the Church of St. Clement in Taula. Around 1123

So, in the XI-XII centuries. simultaneously in architecture and in close connection with it, monumental painting developed and monumental sculpture was revived after several centuries of almost complete oblivion. The fine arts of the Romanesque period were almost completely subordinated to the religious worldview. Hence its symbolic character, conventionality of techniques and stylization of forms. In the depiction of the human figure, the proportions were often violated, the folds of the robes were interpreted arbitrarily, regardless of the actual plasticity of the body. However, both in painting and in sculpture, along with an emphatically flat decorative perception of the figure, images were widely used in which masters conveyed the material weight and volume of the human body, albeit in schematic and conditional forms. The figures of a typical Romanesque composition are in a space devoid of depth; there is no sense of distance between them. Their different scale is striking, and the sizes depend on the hierarchical significance of the one who is depicted: for example, the figures of Christ are much higher than the figures of angels and apostles; those, in turn, are larger than images of mere mortals. In addition, the interpretation of the figures is directly dependent on the divisions and forms of the architecture itself. The figures placed in the middle of the tympanum are larger than those in the corners; statues on friezes are usually squat, while statues located on pillars and columns have elongated proportions. Such an adaptation of body proportions, contributing to a greater fusion of architecture, sculpture and painting, at the same time limited the figurative possibilities of art. Therefore, in plots of a narrative nature, the story was limited to only the most essential. The ratio of the characters and the place of action is not designed to create a real image, but to schematically designate individual episodes, the convergence and comparison of which is partly symbolic. In accordance with this, episodes of different times were placed side by side, often in one composition, and the place of action was given conditionally. Romanesque art is sometimes coarse, but always sharp expressiveness. These most characteristic features of the Romanesque visual arts often led to an exaggeration of the gesture. But within the framework of the medieval conventions of art, correctly grasped living details unexpectedly appeared - a kind of turn of the figure, a characteristic type of face, sometimes a household motif. In the secondary parts of the composition, where the demands of iconography did not hamper the artist's initiative, there are quite a lot of such naive-realistic details. However, these direct manifestations of realism are of a particular nature. Basically, in the art of the Romanesque period, love for everything fantastic, often gloomy, monstrous, dominates. It also manifests itself in the choice of plots, for example, in the prevalence of scenes borrowed from the cycle of tragic visions of the Apocalypse.

Lion hugging a lamb

In the field of monumental painting, fresco prevailed everywhere, with the exception of Italy, where the traditions of mosaic art were also preserved. The book miniature, which was distinguished by high decorative qualities, was widely distributed. An important place was occupied by sculpture, especially relief. The main material of the sculpture was stone, in Central Europe mainly local sandstone, in Italy and some other southern regions- marble. Bronze casting, wood sculpture were also used, but not everywhere. Works made of wood and stone, not excluding monumental sculpture on the facades of churches, were usually painted. It is rather difficult to judge the nature of the coloring due to the scarcity of sources and the almost complete disappearance of the original coloring of the surviving monuments.

Church of Sts. Apostles of San Miniato al Monte in Florence. Altar. 1013 - 1063

In the Romanesque period, ornamental art with an extraordinary richness of motifs played an exceptional role. Its sources are very diverse: the legacy of the "barbarians", antiquity, Byzantium, Iran and even the Far East. Imported works of applied art and miniatures served as conductors of borrowed forms. Images of all kinds of fantastic creatures were especially fond of. In the anxiety of the style and the dynamism of the forms of this art, one can clearly feel the remnants of folk ideas of the era of "barbarism" with its primitive worldview. However, in the Romanesque period, these motifs seemed to dissolve into the greatest solemnity of the architectural whole.

The art of sculpture and painting was associated with art book miniature, which flourished in the Romanesque era.

Baptism of Christ. Miniature of Benedictional Æthelwold. 973-980

V. Vlasov believes that it is wrong to consider Romanesque art as a "purely Western style." Connoisseurs such as E. Viollet-le-Duc saw strong Asian, Byzantine and Persian influences in Romanesque art. The very formulation of the question "West or East" in relation to the Roman era is incorrect. In the preparation of the pan-European medieval art, the beginning of which was the early Christian, the continuation - the Romanesque and the highest take-off - Gothic art, the main role was played by the Greco-Celtic origins, Romanesque, Byzantine, Greek, Persian and Slavic elements. "The development of Romanesque art received new impulses during the reign Charlemagne (768-814) and in connection with the founding of the Holy Roman Empire in 962 by Otto I (936-973).

Architects, painters, sculptors revived the traditions of the ancient Romans, receiving education in monasteries, where the traditions of ancient culture were carefully preserved for centuries.

Artistic craftsmanship developed intensively in cities and monasteries. Vessels, lampadas, stained-glass windows were made from glass - colored and colorless, the geometric pattern of which was created by lead lintels, but stained glass art would flourish later, in the era of the Gothic style.

Stained glass "Saint George"

Ivory carving was popular; this technique was used to make caskets, caskets, salaries for handwritten books. The technique of champlevé enamel on copper and gold was developed.

Ivory. About 1180


Romanesque art is characterized by the widespread use of iron and bronze, from which lattices, fences, locks, figured hinges, etc. were made. Doors with reliefs were cast and minted from bronze. Extremely simple in design, the furniture was decorated with carvings of geometric shapes: round rosettes, semicircular arches, the furniture was painted with bright colors. The motif of the semicircular arch is typical of Romanesque art; in the Gothic era it will be replaced by a pointed, lancet shape.

Features of local national schools.

It should be emphasized that feudal fragmentation, the weak development of exchange, the relative isolation of cultural life and the stability of local building traditions determined the wide variety of Romanesque architectural schools.

The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in the monastery of Cluny (1088-1131) is a typical example of French Romanesque architecture. Small fragments of this building have been preserved. This monastery was called the "second Rome". It was the largest church in Europe. The length of the temple was one hundred twenty-seven meters, the height of the central nave was over thirty meters. Five towers crowned the temple. To maintain such a majestic shape and size of the building, special supports are introduced at the outer walls - buttresses.


Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in the monastery of Cluny (1088-1131)

Norman churches are devoid of decor, but, unlike the Burgundian ones, they have a single-nave transept. They have well-lit naves and high towers, and their general appearance resembles fortresses rather than churches.

In the architecture of Germany at that time, a special type of church developed - majestic and massive. Such is the cathedral in Speyer (1030 - between 1092 and 1106), one of the largest in Western Europe, a vivid symbol of the Ottonian Empire.

Cathedral in Speyer (1030 - between 1092 and 1106)

Plan of the Cathedral in Speyer

Feudalism took shape in Germany later than in France; its development was longer and more profound. The same can be said about the art of Germany. In the first fortress-like Romanesque cathedrals, with smooth walls and narrow windows, with squat conically completed towers at the corners of the western facade and apses on both the east and west sides, they had a severe, impregnable appearance. Only arcade belts under the cornices adorned smooth facades and towers (Worms Cathedral, 1181-1234). Worms Cathedral is a powerful dominant of the longitudinal hull, likening the temple to a ship. The side aisles are lower than the central one, the transept crosses the longitudinal building, above the middle cross there is a massive tower, from the east the temple is closed by a semicircle of the apse. There is nothing superfluous, destructive, veiling the architectonic logic.

The architectural decor is very restrained - just arcades emphasizing the main lines.

Cathedral in Worms

Romanesque churches are similar to the churches of the Ottonian period, i.e. early Romanesque, but have a constructive difference - cross vaults.

Sculpture in the Romanesque period in Germany was placed inside temples. On the facades, it is found only at the end of the 12th century. Basically, these are painted wooden crucifixes, decorations of lamps, fonts, tombstones. Images seem detached from earthly existence, they are conditional, generalized.

Romanesque art in Italy developed differently. It always feels "unbreakable" even in the Middle Ages connection with Ancient Rome.

Since cities, not churches, were the main force of historical development in Italy, secular tendencies are more pronounced in its culture than in other peoples. The connection with antiquity was expressed not only in copying ancient forms, it was in a strong inner relationship with the images of ancient art. Hence "a sense of proportion and proportion to a person in Italian architecture, naturalness and vitality, combined with the nobility and grandeur of beauty in Italian plastic and painting."

The outstanding works of architecture of Central Italy include the famous complex in Pisa: a cathedral, a tower, a baptistery. It was created over a long period of time (in the 11th century, the architect Buschetto, in the XII century. - architect Rainaldo). The most famous part of the complex is the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. Some researchers suggest that the tower tilted as a result of subsidence of the foundation at the very beginning of work, and then it was decided to leave it inclined.

In the Cathedral of Santa Maria Nuova (1174-1189) one can feel a strong influence not only of Byzantium and the East, but also of Western architecture.

Cathedral of Santa Maria Nuova, Monreale

Interior of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Nuova, Monreale

The English architecture of the Romanesque period has much in common with French architecture: large sizes, high central naves, an abundance of towers. The conquest of England by the Normans in 1066 strengthened its ties with the continent, which influenced the formation of the Romanesque style in the country. Examples of this are the cathedrals in St. Albans (1077-1090), Peterborough (late 12th century) and others.

Cathedral at St Albans

Cathedral at St Albans


Fresco in St Albans Cathedral

Sculptures of Peterborough Cathedral

From the twelfth century rib vaults appear in English churches, which, however, still have a purely decorative value. The large number of clergy involved in English worship also brings to life specific English features: an increase in the length of the interior of the temple and a shift of the transept to the middle, which led to the accentuation of the tower of the crossroads, which is always larger than the towers of the western facade. Most of the Romanesque English temples were rebuilt during the Gothic period, and therefore it is extremely difficult to judge their early appearance.

Romanesque art in Spain developed under the influence of Arabic and French culture. XI-XII centuries for Spain, it was the time of the Reconquista - a time of civil strife, fierce religious battles. The harsh fortress character of Spanish architecture was formed in the conditions of incessant wars with the Arabs, the Reconquista - the war for the liberation of the country's territory, captured in 711-718. The war left a strong imprint on all the art of Spain at that time, first of all it was reflected in architecture.

As in no other country in Western Europe, the construction of castles-fortresses began in Spain. One of the earliest castles of the Romanesque period is the Alcazar Royal Palace (9th century, Segovia). It has survived to our time. The palace stands on a high rock, surrounded by thick walls with many towers. At that time, cities were built in this way.

In the cult buildings of Spain of the Romanesque period, sculptural decorations are almost absent. Temples have the appearance of impregnable fortresses. An important role was played by monumental painting - frescoes: the paintings were made in bright colors with a clear outline pattern. The images were very expressive. Sculpture appeared in Spain in the 11th century. These were decorations of capitals, columns, doors.

The 12th century is the "golden" age of Romanesque art, which spread throughout Europe. But many artistic solutions of the new, Gothic era were already born in it. Northern France was the first to take this path.