Romanesque art

7. ROMANESQUE ART -

ROMANESQUE ART Romanesque sculpture and painting were used to decorate churches, cathedrals and monasteries.

They had a religious and educacional purpose.

Most people could not read or write, so paintings and sculptures helped them to understand the main ideas of Christianity.

Romanesque art was not realistic. The main religious figures, or kings, looked muvh bigger than everyone else.

It used symbolism to represent ideas in such a clear way that everyone could undersand them.

It used very bright colours.

7. ROMANESQUE ART -

ROMANESQUE SCULPTURE Many of Romanesque sculptures decorated the façades of churches, especially the tympanum (tímpano), which was the op part of the portal.

In this part was represented several topics like the Last Judgement in a series of horizontal scenes that could be “read” like a story.

The capitals (capiteles) at the top of columns in churches had decorative patterns , representations of religious subjects and scenes from daily life.

Wooden carvings were displayed above the altars. The two mai subjects ere the Crucifixion and the Virgin and Child.

7. ROMANESQUE ART -

ROMANESQUE PAINTING The main location for Romanesque paintings was inside cathedrals, churches and monasteries.

They were pinted in bright colours and thick lines emphasised people’s outlines.

They were shown with no perspective on a flat background.

They represented religious subjects.

There were several types of painting: - Mural paintings, religious subjects were displayed on the half-dome of the apse.

- Panels (retablos) decorated altars. Altarpieces (retablos) were frames that stood on or behind the altar.

- Stained glass windows (vidriera policromada)decorated cathedrals - Miniatures were small paintings that illustrated Bibles and manuscripts.