In recent years, experts have begun challenging the “dark and gloomy” reputation that has long been associated with medieval art. In an article for The Conversation, academics José Alberto Moráis Morán and María Dolores Teijer Pablos began to dispel this notion by mentioning the colorful interiors of the Old Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City.
According to Pablos and Morán, the original basilica, built around 326 to 333 AD on the orders of the Roman emperor Constantine, had large windows that made the entire space feel bright and airy.
The building also had marble mosaics and textiles, which ultimately proves that medieval architecture’s reputation for being “dark and sinister” was purely a myth.
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“Many buildings of the early Middle Ages were painted in bright colours, though the passage of time has erased these fragile murals,” Pablos and Morán wrote.
As for artwork, both academics referred to the color restoration of the Amiens Cathedral in France. Pablos and Morán pointed out the “striking” shades of red and blue on the sculptures to prove that Medieval art was “colorful and lively.”
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Some view Medieval art as odd, including author Olivia Swarthout. She even started a social media account aptly named “Weird Medieval Guys,” showing the peculiarities of the genre. As of this posting, the account has more than 600,000 followers (and counting).
“What makes them funny is often a juxtaposition of expression and situation, plus the medieval setting,” Swarthout told the Guardian in a 2012 interview, noting that her pieces are about giving something where people can say, “That reminds me of myself.”
For Swarthout, it’s all about capturing the essence of the time period through its many imperfections, which she believes makes such images a hit with many people.
“There’s so much contained in this art – and particularly in the fact that a lot of it isn’t all that well-executed or approached with the artistic precision that we’re familiar with – that actually tells us so much about medieval life,” she explained.
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