In a message dated 11/21/00 6:48:34 PM Eastern Standard Time,
Otfried,
Do you mean that artists read these theologians, and adjusted their practice
accordingly? Or do you mean that interpreters of art were guided by these
texts?
pat sloane
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[log in to unmask] writes:
> 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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