Dear Ghazwan,
While it is probably difficult to speak of 'medieval aesthetics' in the
strict sense, there nevertheless were theological and philosophical
concepts of beauty (and of deformitas as well), order and perception which
had great impact on medieval thought and have also informed -- although
this influence may be more difficult to trace -- the development of
medieval art: as regards these concepts, your list should certainly include
the usual supects already named by others, such as Pseudo-Dionysius and
Augustine, Boethius and Eriugena, Hugh and Richard of St Victor, Aquinas
and Bonaventura. I would include theories of vision/imagination, meditation
and contemplation (and of the role of the five senses in re-presenting
topics such as the passion of Christ), especially in Bonaventura, for their
great impact on Franciscan and other devotional/spritual art of the later
middle ages.
As regards artistic genre and technique, I would say that one of the most
important 'theological' contributions was the Psychomachia of Prudentius,
as this work (and also its tradition of illustrated manuscripts) was
seminal for the entire tradition of representing personifications of
virtues and vices.
In matters of iconography and content, the whole tradition of biblical
commentaries and glosses, sided by liturgical compendia (Honorius,
Guilelmus Durandus), by historiographic (Historia scholastica) and
hagiographic writings or florilegia, by world chronicles and encyclopedias
(Isidore, Hrabanus, Bartholomaeus Anglicus, Vincent of Beauvais), by
bestiaries (Physiologus, Pseudo-Hugh of St Victor's _De bestiis_, Albertus
Magnus' writings on animals), herbaries and lapidaries (Marbod of Rennes,
Albertus), has certainly influenced most works of arts, and not only works
of the obviously 'learned' species. I would add apocryphal or
pseudepigrahic writings such as the Evangelium Nicodemi or the Visio Sancti
Pauli for their influence on representations of the other world and (in the
case of apocryphal evangelia) of certain episodes of biblical history.
Perhaps one might say that it would be easier to dress a list of
theologians (or theologically trained authors) who have *not* influenced
the history medieval art...
So if we don't want to cast the net too wide, we should maybe focus on
theologians who have effectuated significant *changes* (a word I prefer to
the more teleological term 'progress') in the development of medieval art,
as in the case of Prudentius mentioned above. If, that is, we can really
put the finger on such changes in art and can pin a writer's name on them.
Suggestions, anybody?
Otfried (trying for a moment to think of other things than selling
Harry Potter...)
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