The High Middle Ages
Section 3
Art and Culture of the Middle Ages
Preview
• Main Idea / Reading Focus
• Visual Arts
• Literature
• Thinking and Learning
• Faces of History: Thomas Aquinas
The High Middle Ages
Section 3
Art and Culture of the Middle Ages
Main Idea
During the Middle Ages, great achievements were made in the
visual arts, literature, and thinking and learning.
Reading Focus
• What were the major achievements of the visual arts during
the Middle Ages?
• What were the great literary works of the Middle Ages?
• What new developments were made in medieval thinking and
learning?
Section 3
The High Middle Ages
Visual Arts
Many art historians consider the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris to
be one of the finest artistic achievements of the Middle Ages. Like
most art in the Middle Ages, it was created as a symbol of God.
Gothic Architecture
Engineering
Airy Feeling
• Some of greatest
examples of
religious feelings
found in churches
• Gothic designs
possible through
advances in
engineering
• Flying buttresses
allowed higher
ceilings, eliminated
columns
• Built in new Gothic
style
• New type of
support, flying
buttress
• Larger windows
possible
• Taller, brighter than
previous churches
• Supported walls
from outside
• Stained glass
showed Biblical
scenes, saints
The High Middle Ages
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Decorations
• Cathedrals lavishly decorated
• Statues of saints, kings, figures from Old Testament
• Exterior had gargoyles, spouts to drain rainwater from roof
• Many gargoyles carved into likenesses of hideous beasts
Adornments
• Walls painted with elaborate murals of religious scenes
• Candleholders, crosses, statues intricate works of art
• Many decorated with gold, precious stones
• Clothes of priests heavily embroidered, woven with gold threads
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The High Middle Ages
Visual Arts
Illumination
• Religious texts richly decorated
by illumination, decorating
manuscript with pictures,
designs
• Illuminators brought pages to
life with scenes from
manuscript; painted plants,
animals, people
• Decorated the first letter on a
page, making it large, colorful,
and flowing
Tapestry
• Most medieval art religious;
some showed daily life, history
• Tapestries, large woven wall
hangings, hung in castles to
prevent drafts
• Many tapestries show scenes
from daily life, fantastic
creatures, unicorns, dragons
• Bayeux Tapestry, story of
William the Conqueror
The High Middle Ages
Section 3
Find the Main Idea
What were three forms of medieval art?
Answer(s): architecture, illumination, and
tapestries
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The High Middle Ages
Literature
Writers from the Middle Ages produced works that covered a wide
spectrum, including religion, romance and epic adventures.
Religious Texts
Songs and Poems
• Many writings dealt with
religion
• Medieval writers created
religious songs, poems
• Few people other than monks,
priests could read or write
• Hildegard of Bingen, famous
poet, nun
• Range of works
• Wrote dozens of poems,
music to accompany them
– Sermons on how to live
– Interpretations of Bible
passages
– Lives of saints
• Widely read by nobility, clergy
• Hildegard, other writers, used
Latin, language of Roman
Catholic Church
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The High Middle Ages
Literature
Literature included epics, romances
• Long poems, stories of heroes, villains, written in
language people spoke every day
• Epic Poems
– Tell tales related to war, heroes
– The Song of Roland, Charlemagne’s fight against
Muslims in Spain
• Romances
– Tell tales of true love, chivalry
– Many tell stories of King Arthur and knights of Round
Table
• Epics, romances often performed by troubadours
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The High Middle Ages
Major Works
Canterbury Tales
• Geoffrey Chaucer’s collection of stories
• Group of pilgrims traveling to Canterbury; each tells story to entertain others
• Characters give insight into what life was like in the Middle Ages
The Divine Comedy
• Dante Alighieri’s story of his imaginary trip through the afterlife
• Composed in three parts, or cantos
• On journey, met people from own life, as well as figures from history
Contributions
• Chaucer helped increase use of written English language in England, where
many had been speaking French
• Dante’s writing shaped development of Italian language for centuries
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The High Middle Ages
Summarize
What subjects did medieval authors write
about?
Answer(s): religious subjects; heroes, villains,
love; chivalry
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The High Middle Ages
Thinking and Learning
New Ideas
• Religious writers of Middle Ages
spread new ideas throughout
Europe
• New ideas gave rise to new
ways of thinking and learning
Constrictions
Alchemy
• People in Middle Ages curious
about how world worked
• Began to conduct scientific
experiments in alchemy, early
form of chemistry
Great Secrets
• Experiments constricted by
reliance on authority of Greek
writers
• Alchemists convinced they
could find way to turn base
metals into gold, but could not
• Also by teaching of the Catholic
Church
• Work in alchemy influenced
later growth of science
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The High Middle Ages
Universities
• Growth of European universities influenced by Islamic scholarship
• Blending of European, Islamic cultures led to translation of Aristotle, other
Greek scholars, from Arabic into Latin
• European scholars exposed to new ideas
• Universities taught mainly religious courses first, but later broadened scope
to include medicine, law
Thomas Aquinas
• One of most influential medieval
scholars, Thomas Aquinas
• Keenly interested in works of
ancient philosophers, especially
Aristotle
• He tried to use Aristotle’s methods
of logic to prove existence of God
Teachings
• Aquinas’ use of intellect and logic to
bring together opposing ideas
became known as Scholasticism
• Teachings helped expand former
ways of thinking, understanding
• New methods helped Europeans
place themselves in wider world
The High Middle Ages
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The High Middle Ages
Analyze
How did thinking and learning change in the
Middle Ages?
Answer(s): experiments in alchemy; universities
appeared; Aquinas's development of
Scholasticism