European

Medieval art covers a vast scope of time and place, over 1000 years of art history in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. It includes major art movements and periods, national and regional art, genres, revivals, the artists crafts, and the artists themselves. more...

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Art historians classify Medieval art into major periods and movements. They are Early Christian art, Migration Period art, Celtic art, Pre-Romanesque and Romanesque art, Gothic art, Byzantine art and Islamic art. In addition each \"nation\" or culture in the Middle Ages had its own distinct artistic style and these are looked at individually, such as Anglo-Saxon art or Viking art. Medieval art includes many mediums, and was especially strong in sculpture, Illuminated manuscripts and mosaics. There were many unique genres of art, such as Crusade art or animal style.

Overview

Medieval art in Europe grew out of the artistic heritage of the Roman Empire and the legacy of the early Christian church. These sources were mixed with the vigorous \"Barbarian\" artistic culture of Northern Europe to produce a remarkable artistic legacy. Indeed the history of medieval art can be seen as the history of the interplay between the elements of classical, early Christian and \"pagan\" art.

Major art movements

Art in the Middle Ages is a broad subject and art historians traditionally look at it based on about eight large-scale movements, or periods.

Early Christian art covers the period from about 200 (before which no distinct Christian form survives), until onset of a fully Byzantine style in about 500. During this period Christian artists adopted the Roman crafts of painting, mosaic, carving and metalwork.;

Byzantine art emerges from what we call Early Christian art in about 500. During the Byzantine iconoclasm period of 730-843 when the vast majority of icons (artwork with figures) was destroyed; so little remains that today any discovery sheds new understanding. After the resumption of icon production in 843 until 1453 the Byzantine art tradition continued with relatively few changes, despite, or because of, the slow decline of the Empire. It is often the finest art of the Middle Ages in terms of quality of material and workmanship, with production centered on Constantinople. Byzantine art's crowning achievement were the monumental frescos and mosaics inside domed churches, most of which have not survived due to natural disasters and the appropriation of churches to mosques.;

Celtic art in the Middle Ages describes the art of native Celtic speaking peoples of Ireland and Britain from about the 5th century, with the Roman withdrawal, to about the 12th century establishment of Romanesque art. The 5th to 7th centuries were mainly a continutation of the late Iron Age La Tène art with some Roman modifications, while the 7th and 8th centuries saw a fusion with Germanic traditions through contact with the Anglo-Saxons creating what is called the Hiberno-Saxon style or Insular art, and then finally late in the period some Viking inspirations are seen in Ireland.;

Read more at Wikipedia.org