Middle Ages Painting
Middle Ages Painting is also known as the Medieval painting . After the Roman Empire collapsed, Europe's greatest inheritance was the Roman-Christian tradition, which was heavily infused with classical ideas and Christian artistic styles. During the Middle Ages the Roman Catholic Church and The Orthodox Church supported the production of sacred art. Most of this artworks, made in monasteries, were found in the form of illustrated manuscripts. During the Romanesque time from 800-1100 A.D., painting continued as illustrated manuscripts and extended to mural painting in churches. [1] Italy became the cultural center of the Western world from the 13th to the 16th century with artists like: Giotto di Bondone, Duccio di Buoninsegna, Fra Angelico, and Piero della Francesca. At the end of Middle Ages Hans Holbein the Elder, (ca. 1465 - 1524) and his son Hans Holbein the Younger (1497 - 1543), created outstanding examples of German painting.
European artists painted in a way that emphasized religious images and symbolism rather than realism. Most paintings depicted scenes holy figures and people important in the Christian religion. Even the most talented painters paid little attention to making humans and animals look lifelike, creating natural looking landscapes, or creating a sense of depth and space in their paintings. [2]