Art 101: Romanesque Art

Welcome back to yet another instalment of Art 101 – this time focusing on Romanesque Art!

Background to the Romanesque period

The Romanesque era covers the period from around 1000 AD to the latter part of the 12th century. This period is named due to its interest in and copying of various elements of Ancient Roman art and Architecture. This style was especially prevalent across the Catholic countries of Europe such as France, Spain and Italy.

Romanesque Architecture

Romanesque architecture is characterised in its most basic terms by rounded arches. The buildings favour soft decorative edges and a plainer, simplistic, more monumental style. In Romanesque churches, the style is denoted in the rounded decorative arches, small windows and thick walls. This can be seen in examples such as the Basilica of San Zeno, Verona.

Basilica of San Zeno, Verona, constructed between 967 and 1398 AD.

Here, we can see the rounded arches and relatively simple exterior. The windows are mainly small, with one large decorative rose window in the front. This is typical of Romanesque architecture.

The interior of the Basilica of San Zeno, Verona, showing the rounded arches and vaulted ceiling.

The interior of the basilica also shows the same rounded arches, and a continuous semicircular ceiling style that was known as a barrel vault. Though similar types of architecture were used in Ancient Rome, in the Romanesque period builders had not quite managed to emulate the building techniques perfectly. As such, barrel vaulted ceilings were prone to collapse due to outward thrust. To strengthen the ceilings, a groin vault would often be used – a structure made of intersecting barrel vaults, which strengthened the structure.

Barrel vaults, and groin vaults

This, while effective, did rely heavily on very thick walls to support the roof, and that is why we see much smaller windows being used in Romanesque churches to maintain the integrity of the walls. This was later rectified in the Gothic era, as we will see in our next instalment.

Though these churches were dark, they were large and monumental and still retained a certain air of gravitas, imposing structures in which to pray and meet.

Romanesque Sculpture

These churches would make use of sculpture to decorate, and also counteract the simplicity that characterised the style. Romanesque sculpture did not favour realism or naturalism, and the figures are often elongated and stylised.

A common type of sculpture in the Romanesque period were tympanums, which were decorative rounded panels, usually above doors, which would tell the stories of the Bible. Often, in this period, art was used to explain stories and lessons to the public, who were often illiterate and not well versed in Biblical study. Through art, such as these tympanums, the Church could teach its parish, impressing obedience and faith upon them.

A typanum from Vézelay Abbey in France, dated 1130s

This tympanum from Vézelay tells the story of the Judgement, and would have been the first thing that pilgrims saw as they entered the church. This would get them in the correct mindset to pray, allowing them to think upon their mortal souls and impending judgement.

Of course, Romanesque sculpture was not always purely didactive, and there are some sculptural pieces intended to be primarily aesthetic. Carved capitals show human, animal and botanic forms in intriguing harmony.

Carved capitals at Cahors Cathedral in France

The Romanesque artisans were also prolific in metalwork, ivory carving, embroidery and tapestry making, all bearing similar motifs to these.

Romanesque Painting

Romanesque painting followed a similar format to the sculpture, with elongated, stylised figures. Painting in the Romanesque period mainly came in the form of wall painting and manuscript illumination (see here for the Art 101 article on illuminated manuscripts).

The majority of the subject matter in the Romanesque period is Biblical. Murals such as the Christ Pantocrator, originally in the church of Sant Climent de Taüll in Catalonia, show this well. Christ, with an elongated body and exaggerated facial expressions, holds up one hand.

Christ Pantocrator, c. 1123, fresco

He is surrounded by stylised saints and angels, and the work bears the hallmark colourful style of Romanesque painting, favouring bright bold primary colours. Similarly, manuscripts such as that of a Master Hugo, now in the Parker Library of Cambridge, echo these bright colours and stylised figures.

Scenes of Moses, by Master Hugo – Illuminated Bible, ink on vellum

Overall, the Romanesque period presents us with works that are on the surface simplistic and stylised, however, through colour, form and monumentality, they pack quite a punch and are ever interesting, intriguing and inspiring. And they would indeed go on to inspire and inform that which came after it! Join me soon for our next instalment of Art 101, in which we will visit Gothic Art.