Before Class, Illuminated Presentation

1) History of the Romanesque and Gothic period:
• Romanesque period happened A.D. 1000-1150
• Saw renewed religious feelings
• Monasticism reached its peak
• During the middle of the 12th Century, the Romanesque period evolved into the Gothic period which lasted until A.D. 1150
• The Gothic period became very advanced because towns turned into cities and the upbringing of agriculture aided in international trade
• Money became the main source of wealth and stable governments emerged

2) Describe the history, influence of the style:
• Liturgical books such as bibles, Gospels, and psalters emerged during the Romanesque period
• The Middle Ages produced a new emphasis on linear drawing and distorting figures for the overall design of the page. This was because during the Carolingian era, illusionism really took off
• The rise of universities also increased making the book market boom during the Gothic era and the illuminators emerged to help meet the high demand for the books

3) Summarizing the look of the style:
• Gothic art became a Medieval art movement led by the development of Gothic architecture.
• One of the famous Gothic illumination is called the Douce Apocalypse (Page 54)
• As you can see in this specific scene, a beautiful illustration is above two columns of text
• Another example of Gothic illumination is a page from the Ormesby Psalter (Page 55), a famous liturgical book of the late medieval era
• You can see more illustrations surrounding the text and a lot of red and blue were used in many late Gothic manuscripts, especially this one

4) Describe key designers within the style:
• Unfortunately, the scribe and illuminator are unknown in the previous figures on pages 54 and 55 but there were artists that have been known during this time era


• Jean Pucelle grew up in the Gothic era and became an illuminator active between 1320 and 1350
• He liked color and a delicate touch

5) Describe the typography of the style:


• Black lettering became the calligraphic form used
• Littera moderna (latin for modern lettering) became the dominant theme for Gothic lettering
• Tall, narrow lettering and sharp, angular lines make up the calligraphy unlike the typical round lettering we have talked about
• Condensed space was key in Romanesque/Gothic typography