Romanesque features

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Romanesque period - the time of European monumental style of medieval architecture, sculpture and painting. In contrast to the Byzantine Empire, where the art was strictly regulated capital's schools, the unity of the Romanesque style did not exclude the abundance of local schools. Not only every country, every region of Europe noi give his version of the Romanesque architecture, the chamber, the monumental, the abundant decor, the strict ascetic. Different systems have been painting the walls and how they decorated with sculpture.

When you save the local features of Romanesque art share common features: the leading role of architecture, with harsh nature of the fortress, the subordination of her paintings, and sculpture, conventional in style, instructive and expressive. Significant development book miniature, plastic jewelry, carvings.

Romanesque architecture

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Leading type of medieval art, as mentioned above, was the architecture. Its formation is associated with a monumental construction, which began in Western Europe at the time of formation of states and revive economic activity. In conditions of constant feudal strife architecture, naturally, took fortified fortress character. They built massive castles, monasteries, churches from the local gray stone. The focus of the early life of the Middle Ages were the feudal castles, churches and monasteries. In urban architecture spontaneously appear just born, houses were made of clay or wood.

 

Basic principles of Romanesque architecture are expressed in the cathedral, in the abbey church, which were almost the only types of public buildings era. The temple was designed to integrate the "human herd" submission to God in prayer, as "a symbol of the universe", representing the triumph and the universality of the Christian religion.

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In accordance with the ideology of Christianity Romanesque church was divided into three parts: the narthex (in Western Europe it is called "narthex"), ships or aisles and the altar. In this case, the parts symbolically likened to the human, angelic and divine worlds, or the body, soul and spirit. East (altar) of the temple symbolized paradise and was dedicated to Christ the west - hell and focused scenes of the Last Judgment, the northern - represents death, darkness, evil, and the south - was dedicated to the New Testament. At the same time, Jesus himself said that he is "the way, the truth and the life." So pass the believer from the west portal (of the temple) to the altar symbolized the path of the soul out of the darkness and into the light of hell and paradise. Interestingly, in the Romanesque cathedral entrance often staged in the western wall of the temple, and in the north. And then ran out of the path of the believer's death and evil to good and eternal life.

Romanesque, Romanesque architecture

 

Interior of Romanesque church. (Maria Laach)

Composition in the Middle Ages understood literally as folding, drafting of new drug products. And today, the Romanesque cathedral seems as composed of several independent volumes (both dice). One of the most important features of Romanesque architecture is the use of codes for ceiling coverings. No wonder many of the modern architectural historians called Romanesque "style semicircular arches." Massive tower with a tent tops, thick walls narrow windows, almost devoid of ornaments simplicity and strict lines that emphasize the striving upward, inspired the idea of ​​human powerlessness and help the believer to focus on what's happening worship Clarity silhouette, contour dominance, calm, stern force of Romanesque architecture was striking incarnation of the religious ideal of time talking about the terrible god almighty.

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Romanesque interior of the church was dark, it was dominated by strong rhythms simple: smooth wall surface, monotonous rows of columns and semicircular arches, supported the vault. The interior of the church and its appearance precisely matched. Both outside and inside - clear articulation of massive forms, severe tightness of the thick walls, the same strict ratio of verticals and horizontals, the same rise up rock masses with its protrusions and semicircular arches. Looking outside of the Romanesque church or join under its arches, feeling grim power in every architectural detail, often revealing and its necessity, and its independence. Materiality and sustainability - both in the architecture of ancient Rome. Romanesque church always gives rise to a sense of solemn and stern calm. Originating in the era of unlimited domination of the church and the stability of feudal relations, he was supposed to assert the stability, permanence of the human and the divine world order.

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Castle in Virtumburge.

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In this era of final shape and type of the feudal castle - the home of the feudal lord, while the fortress, defending his tenure, which in case of attack and fleeing villagers, the fortress of the feudal lord. At the heart of this plan fortified castle lay in practical calculations. Usually it is located on an elevated site, convenient for observation and defense. He was a symbol of the power of the feudal lord over the surrounding lands. Castle with a drawbridge and a fortified portal was surrounded by a moat and massive stone walls topped with battlements, towers and battlements. The core of the fortress was round or square tower - dungeon - principal residence of the feudal lord: it was a ground floor storage rooms, the second - the owner of housing, and the third - a room for servants and guards, the dungeon - a prison, a roof - to watch. In the XII century dungeon populated only during the siege, and next to it and built the house lord. The complex was part of the castle chapel, the mass of business premises located in the inner courtyard.

Closed asymmetrical composition of the castle, the picturesque compact grouping his clear volumes often end cliffs, which were his natural protection. Towering above the miserable huts, the castle was seen as the embodiment of the unshakable strength.

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Romanesque interiors match the gloomy nature of architecture. The predominance of dark colors, vaulted ceilings, wood paneling, flooring slabs of colored clay, covered with skins, a fireplace, which served for lighting and heating torches attached to the walls with iron rings - all made an impression darkness and heaviness. Furniture Romanesque style was heavy and primitive, it was manufactured from turned wooden balusters. It was very small. The situation room were benches, chairs, wide beds with a canopy above the head, chests, tables, sometimes decorated with carved or painted.

 

Romanesque sculpture
 

Chapiter pilasters in Romanesque church.

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Awakening plastic feelings, awareness of aesthetic value stone and its decorative possibilities leads to the monumental, growing out of the body of the building stone sculpture that is being developed at this time under the influence of a thumbnail and it exhibits synthesis conventionally decorative and fine start. The heyday of monumental sculpture began at the turn of the XI-XII centuries.

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Relief sculpture is not only decorated temples, muffling their severity and sometimes even making them elegant, it was also a powerful influence on the minds of the faithful of the church. The main theme of Romanesque sculpture was the glorification of God's power, his menacing and unlimited power over mortals. Developed theme of struggle between good and evil, as expressed in allegorical images of fighting virtues and vices, in solid stone carpet sculptures often coexist bizarre legends of Christianity, instructive parable, creepy apocalyptic visions, scenes of Judgment with mythological images of ancient legends.

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Communication with the miniature in relief can be seen in the same proportions of the figures deformations in the same excessive increase of the body, expressing gesture or spirituality of the character - the hands and eyes in the same hierarchy of sizes, depending on their ideological significance (main - large, secondary - lower tertiary - tiny), in the same angular movements and draperies.

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However, the integrity and accuracy of the volume and concise profiles geometrism architecture demanded unconditional submission to the sculpture, and the result in the relief of the human figure has been more strain than in painting. So, in a semi-circle with timbrels imperiously dominates the upper contour shapes, making them writhe on the door jambs same figures enormously stretched.

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With the spread of heresy in sculpture penetrate secular themes of content, where the main actors are farmers, blacksmiths, jugglers, acrobats, and there are scenes from ancient and medieval history. The main object of Romanesque sculptures are images of national fantasy: poluzverinye, poluchelovecheskogo mask endowed acute expressiveness, mocking faces with fantastic grimaces. Human image Romanesque art are not accorded generally noble and beautiful. Romanesque sculpture has opened up new aspects of reality - images of horrible and ugly.

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Romanesque statues hardly created. If they arise sometimes, designed for interiors of churches and were not directly related to architecture - made from a different material, metal or wood with metal cladding had small sizes and have a purely utility functions - reliquaries, panels for books, candlesticks.

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In Romanesque art is reflected in the common people of a naive belief in evil spirits. Personification of evil become devils. Roman art has created a terrifying image feature, which has become a fantastic and repulsive appearance. Most often it is only remotely resembling human hairy creature with a grinning face of the beast and clawed feet.

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Art doromanskogo West as Byzantine, did not know images of devils. In Byzantine and Carolingian works Satan appears as a fallen angel, which differs from the heavenly powers nudity or dark color of the body, or as bound captives, and sometimes like the ancient satyr.

Romanesque style. X-XII centuries.

The first major historical styles, the basic stages of the artistic culture of Europe, was the Romanesque style, which dominated in the vast area of Western Europe and parts of Eastern Europe from England and Spain to Hungary and Poland from X to XII-XIII centuries. It was the style of medieval art, created by the new feudal civilization, art, and has been going on, and the antithesis of ancient art. The term was coined by French archaeologists in the XIX., Considered him a broken version of the Late Roman art.

Romanesque style.