Romanesque 2D Art - AP Art History

The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most famous and well preserved Medieval tapestries, a common artistic form of the time period that served as a pictorial chronicle. The Bayeux Tapestry depicts the conquest of England by William II, Duke of Normandy, in 1066, and his defeat of the English King Harold Godwinson. The tapestry represents a certain kind of Romanesque art on a grand scale that has not survived in large numbers, while also serving as a historical record of William's conquest.

Iconoclasm refers to the destruction of religious images. A government-led iconoclasm occurred in the Byzantine era after the reign of Roman Emperor Justinian saw an increase in the creation of icons.

Illuminated manuscripts, typically but not always Bibles or books of the Bible, were some of the highest forms of art of the Middle Ages. The Lindisfarne Gospels, Durham Gospels, and the Book of Kells are among the chief examples of illustrated manuscripts from the British Isles in the early Middle Ages. Art from the British Isles during this time period is referred to as being in the "insular style," which refers to the art produced in the islands between the departure of the Romans and the Norman Conquest.

The Bayeux Tapestry is actually an embroidered fabric, not a woven tapestry. It was commissioned by the English Bishop Odo, and it is 230 feet long and 20 inches high.

The Bayeux Tapestry is like a Romanesque illuminated manuscript depicting the Battle of Hastings and its foregoing events. It is set in Normandy and England. Since Paris is not part of the setting, Notre Dame cathedral (which wasn't yet constructed) is not depicted.

The Bayeux Tapestry is actually an embroidery of wool thread on linen, not a woven tapestry. Its sequential panels tell the story of the Battle of Hastings and its preceding events. The figures' flat and out-of-proportion appearance resembles that of figures on medieval manuscripts.

St. Stephen is sometimes referred to as "the Protomartyr," as he was the first martyr recounted in the Bible, as his testimony of a vision of Christ to the Jewish leadership caused him to be stoned. This story made him immensely popular from the rise of Christianity through the Middle Ages, and St. Stephen became a common depiction in icons, paintings, and stained glass. St. Stephen is recognizable through having a stone implanted in his skull.

The Greek cross has four equal-sized arms. The Latin cross has a longer vertical section with shorter arms on the sides.

The image of Christ Pantocrater suggests that Christ is the all-powerful ruler and judge of humanity. It is a popular depiction in many Byzantine churches.

A nimbus is a halo that appears painted around the head of a holy figure to symbolize his or her divinity.

Vellum is a calfskin surface prepared for painting. It is often used for manuscripts (handwritten documents or scrolls).

Although there are an unfortunate few surviving examples of Romanesque stained glass, the first examples of stained glass are remnants from the beginning of the Romanesque era. The larger quantities of stained glass from the Romanesque period have been dated to its later years.