The Art of the Middle Ages

The Middle Ages is a significant period in world history that lasted about a thousand years. The term "Middle Ages" first appeared in the 15th century in the texts of Italian humanists, who used this term to denote the period from the fall of the Roman Empire to the beginning of the era in which they lived. However, a century earlier, the famous poet Francesco Petrarch gave this period another definition — "the dark ages." The biographer of the great masters of the Renaissance, Giorgio Vasari, called it "ugly and wild," while the Enlightenment thinker Voltaire believed that the history of the Middle Ages "is worth knowing only to despise it." In our time, the Middle Ages are no longer regarded so harshly and categorically, and the artistic heritage of this era is deservedly given a worthy place in the history of European art. This book will give you the opportunity not only to get to know the amazing legacy of the Middle Ages more closely but also to clarify some questions for yourself: Who could be depicted with a square halo? What is the secret of the Black Madonna of Montserrat? Who was depicted as an orant? What is interesting about the composition "source of life"? Why are all Gothic cathedrals in France dedicated to the Blessed Virgin? What is "flaming Gothic"? Was the Middle Ages really the "dark ages" of European civilization?