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history...
With the High Middle Ages term the historical period comprised between the
VII century and the half of XI the century d.C. Initially
the territory of Italy is divided between Longobardi and Bizantini, in
continuous fight between they. With the participation of Carl, king of the
Franchi, the dominion longobardo comes pulled down. It re-unites under of
himself the French territory, northern Italy and leaves of Italy centers
them. Rome and the surrounding territory is property of the Church.
Carl of France comes incoronato emperor from the Pope: of hour in then,
with the name of Carl Magno, it will govern bringing back order and peace.
The roman civilization of the late empire becomes the model to imitate: in
the art the expressive shapes of the world are recovered classic and
Christian: this period, in fact, comes commonly defined "rebirth
carolingia". After the dead women of Carl (814 d.C.) the empire is upset
from sour wars of succession and ends in order to disintegrate itself to
the end of IX the century. In this period the Arabs conquer the Sicily,
the Sardinia and the Corsica. To the beginning of X the century the German
emperor Brass tries of giving to new life to the empire already
constituted from Carl Magno. In the first half of century XI the Normanni
penetrates in Sicily and hunts the Arabs.
Art: in the high Middle Ages
In this complex truth the art, obviously, cannot manifest unitary
characters. Also in the general disorder and the deep economic crisis,
they remain alive and operating above all local the artistic traditions,
that they come enriched, in Italy of the North, from the influences of the
art longobarda, carolingia and ottoniana. "the Barbarian" word means
literally "foreign" but, by extension, it has entered in the running
language like synonym of "uncultivated, rozzo, ignoring, of inferior
civilization". Sure the barbaric culture appears, regarding that one of
the late empire and bizantina, still to primitivo level; however the works
of art to reached we, also in their semplicità and ripetitività of topics,
are sure the result of a job taken care of, had to craftsmen specialize to
you. The barbaric culture is a rural culture and for the Barbarians the
art is above all decoration and ornaments; the power is demonstrated
through the exhibition of the wealth and the manufatti joints until we,
realize to you in precious metals, have just the scope to emphasize the
power of the conquerors. When Carl Magno becomes emperor the art, instead,
he re-enters in true and just a program of cultural renewal, than sight to
riscoperta of the world the classic. The craftsmen of the courts realize
miniati codes, objects carve to you in ivory and work to you in precious
metals, with the scope to recover and to maintain the artistic testimonies
of the late empire alive, filtered through the paleocristiana art and
bizantina . At the same time the religious cultural centers acquire one
remarkable importance. The handicraft, in the convent, is regulated from
norms and organized in it makes and times of job: the operosa life becomes
a value and a shape of prayer positive. The art servants more not to
produce objects that, for how much rich and elaborate to you, are revolts
essentially to the daily life; it is finalized newly to the construction
of works destined to the collectivity and realized for the Gloria of God.
Many of these works do not bring the company of their author and that has
made to think that they were the result of a spontaneous collective
activity, not subordinate to the guide of a "director of the jobs". In
truth, but, someone that was cured to subdivide the tasks of the single
ones and controlled the inner development of the job it had necessarily to
exist. True E' instead that, in this period, it is considered fundamental
to carry out a trade well and a lot not to express itself in personal way.
To the craftsman it is above all demanded to demonstrate its technical
ability, while not important currency its expressive originality:
therefore to sign the work does not have, for the author, some meant.
High Middle Ages: architecture
The testimonies of the medioevale art essentially refer to constructions
and works of religious character. To Rome, and in all Italy Centers them,
the buildings of the late romanità (templi, terme, basilicas) comes
consecrates you to the Christian cult and comes decorates to you so as to
to assume the aspect of true and own churches; marbles roman (capitelli,
architraves, stalks of columns, etc.) they come widely employs to you in
the churches. Characteristic of the architecture of these centuries is,
exactly, the reuse of elements of perusal from the antichi buildings of
roman age. Also the monastici orders (above all Benedictines) fuse, widen
and restore works of religious character. Some of they are similar to the
ravennate constructions; others are simpler, with rectangular plant. They
have thick walls and windows many grips; to the inner ones, the columns
sometimes are replaced from pillars.
The artisan tradition of the working of manufatti suppellettili and
assimilates new models, typical of the barbaric cultures. The Barbarians
preprefer the pure decorative images, based on geometric reasons and in
which the rappresentazione of the human figure is practically absent. The
people of stirpe Germanic who invade the West and, therefore also the
Longobardi, are above all peasants who find in the elements of the nature
the inspiration for their art. Coppers, leaves and animals outline to you,
with to interlace linear inspire to you to fettucce, tapes and viticci,
composed according to precise rhythms, they characterize their works often
realized in precious metal.
The gold, the enamels, the precious stones and ivory are employ to you
also in manufatti of the art carolingia and the ottoniana. Like the works
of the period longobardo, also these are characterized from the formed
small, rendered necessary from the precarietà of the life and the
continuous movements of the residences of the courts, in a territory where
the cities are become depopulated and become of insufficient importance.
These works, than impreziosiscono the suppellettili and the objects of use
of the courts, come subsequently imitated and rielaborate from the local
craftsmen, in the decoration of altars, sacred reliquiari, suppellettili.
In the territory takeovers rise isolate to you, of its are civil ( rocche
, castles ) are religious ( abbeys ). They rise in position strategic,
such to guarantee the control of the surrounding territory.
With passing of the time, around these takeovers a village, realized at
first with constructions in wood is developed, that it becomes
subsequently an agglomerate of houses in stone and mattoni. In the abbeys
, the monaci they carry out an intense cultural activity. Between the
several duties of which they are taken care they have the task to
reproduce, in more copies, the antichi witnesses who will go to enrich the
libraries. The volumes, realize with parchment sheets (skin to you ovine
or pulled bovine and opportunely prepared) come rich adorn to you with
miniature. The witnesses are essentially of Greek and Latin authors and
regard topics of literary, religious, philosophical and scientific
character. In this way they are committees until we most precious
testimonies of the culture of the world classic. The castle has one
essentially defensive function: a feudatario resides you, that it
represents the only effective public authority on the territory. It is a
land owner and defends its possedimenti, but he is also a tax-collector
and a tutor of the order, that he collects the taxes and he trains the
troops of the army. The first castles are not other that simple
fortifications in wood, then in masonry. In the castle in stone, around
the room the fortified of getlteman, rather austera and empty, furnished
with little and simple furnitures, the rooms of the soldiers with relati
services to you are organized. A powerful wall of town-walls, with towers
of sight and communication trenches for the lookouts, encircles and
protegge the castle.
Testo a cura di:
Tribenet - La Tribù
italiana dell'Arte |
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