About the Art in the Middle Ages
Still talking about Art, have you noticed how, as years went by, the colors in the paitings started to get more luminous, brighter?
If you look at the paintings from the 15th, 16th and 17 th centuries, they are so much darker... the Dark Eras. The Middle Ages... They lived in castles - probably the light wasn't that good inside a castle, in many times of the day. The days probably were longer, since there was not as much to do as there is today. The fast lives we live wouldn't allow low light for us. We need the light, we are always in a hurry, we are always doing something, inside or out. But they didn't need so much light. Time had another meaning. Time passed differently.
You can feel it in the paintings. When you look at those paintings, so dark, the people so closed (their eyes show this closeness, this dark, this.... something that I can't describe!)... the work with the light/shadow is so much more contrasting! Like the good and the evil. God and Devil. The world was divided that way at that time. Bipolar. Either heaven or hell. Either servant or master. Night was night - no light, just a little bit, from the candles (if you think that, night for us is not something that would prevent us from anything - you can do practically everything that you do during the day at night) - and Day was day. They couldn't mix the activities of the day at night. I think that, in a subconscious way, this is reflected in the paintings of the time. This duality. There were no "middle", no "in between". Either one or another. The end. Also, the shadows and the low light could be because many were done inside a castle and I don't see how a lot of light could get in there.
That also changes a person mood. The lack of light, living in the shadows, make one's feelings sadder , I guess. Everybody feels happier in a light place. I think it is also reflected in the use of light and shadow in the painting.
I need to read about the subject, because I don't know if I'm saying a lot of bullshit. Hopefully not. These are my impressions, only. If someone has another point of view, I would love to hear it and join this person's argument to the construction of my thinking. If it makes sense to me, of course! :-)))
If you look at the paintings from the 15th, 16th and 17 th centuries, they are so much darker... the Dark Eras. The Middle Ages... They lived in castles - probably the light wasn't that good inside a castle, in many times of the day. The days probably were longer, since there was not as much to do as there is today. The fast lives we live wouldn't allow low light for us. We need the light, we are always in a hurry, we are always doing something, inside or out. But they didn't need so much light. Time had another meaning. Time passed differently.
You can feel it in the paintings. When you look at those paintings, so dark, the people so closed (their eyes show this closeness, this dark, this.... something that I can't describe!)... the work with the light/shadow is so much more contrasting! Like the good and the evil. God and Devil. The world was divided that way at that time. Bipolar. Either heaven or hell. Either servant or master. Night was night - no light, just a little bit, from the candles (if you think that, night for us is not something that would prevent us from anything - you can do practically everything that you do during the day at night) - and Day was day. They couldn't mix the activities of the day at night. I think that, in a subconscious way, this is reflected in the paintings of the time. This duality. There were no "middle", no "in between". Either one or another. The end. Also, the shadows and the low light could be because many were done inside a castle and I don't see how a lot of light could get in there.
That also changes a person mood. The lack of light, living in the shadows, make one's feelings sadder , I guess. Everybody feels happier in a light place. I think it is also reflected in the use of light and shadow in the painting.
I need to read about the subject, because I don't know if I'm saying a lot of bullshit. Hopefully not. These are my impressions, only. If someone has another point of view, I would love to hear it and join this person's argument to the construction of my thinking. If it makes sense to me, of course! :-)))
posted by The Lady of the Lake at 9:49 AM
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