Romanesque

Taschen Basic Genre

by Norbert Wolf

The first universal style of the European Middle Ages Reaching its peak in the 11th and 12th centuries, the Romanesque movement was marked by a peculiar, vivid, and often monumental expressiveness in architecture and fine arts. The main centres were located in Italy, France, the German-language countries, Spain, and England, though the voices of Scandinavia and Eastern Europe expressed themselves distinctly in the genre, which patterned itself on antique and Byzantine art. Despite untold losses, countless Romanesque masterpieces remain preserved today.

Highlights include: Frescoes in Galliano near Cantu, SantAngelo in Formis, Saint Chef, Saint-Savin-sur Gartempe, Lambach, San Pietro al Monte near Civate, San Clemente in Rome, from San Maria de Tahull, Berze-la-Ville, Tavant, Panteon de los Reyes in Leon, Castel Appiano, from Sigena; the golden Altar-Piece from Lisbjerg; the Bayeux Tapestry; stained glass in the Cathedral of Augsburg and Le Mans, mosaics in San Clemete, Rome, and in San Marco, Venice; colored panels and crosses from La Seo de Urgel, Sarzana, and the painted ceiling in St. Michael, Hildesheim; sculptures in Souillac, Autun, and Santiago de Compostela; examples of metalwork, of manuscripts and enamels. About the Series:
Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Genre Series features:
a detailed illustrated introduction plus a timeline of the most important political, cultural and social events that took place during that period a selection of the most important works of the epoch, each of which is presented on a 2-page spread with a full-page image and with an interpretation of the respective work, plus a portrait and brief biography of the artist approximately 100 colour illustrations with explanatory captions

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

95 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Norbert Wolf is an art historian and author based in Munich. He has published several books with Prestel, including "Art Nouveau", "Art Deco", "Impressionism", "Spanish Painting", and "The Golden Age of Dutch and Flemish Painting", as well as monographs on Albrecht Dürer and Titian.

Reviews

[Andrew Herting · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came to this book hoping that it would unlock the qualities that make these works compelling, enjoyable and relevant. Instead of digging into the aesthetic qualities of the work, most descriptions assume too much knowledge and interest in historical details. The first few paragraphs often discuss the where, when and who, but certainly most readers will be unfamiliar with the churches, artists and patrons described. Dedicating the time to learning the difference between Masters Gislebertus and Guillielmus yields little enjoyment or insight into the work except for experts, who wouldn't care about such a brief summary anyway. Unfamiliar terms and genres are dropped without explanation - nowhere could I find a distinction between "Majestas Domini" and "Christ Pantocrator". A few aesthetic remarks close each section, often not going beyond a comment on handling of drapery or an unexplained heaping of praise on a work.

The works presented are startling, bravely experimental, widely differentiated and memorable. This type of book (a text-light summary under 100pp) should be able to approach them from the perspective of the naive beginner; instead the novice will find themselves crushed by too many unexplained terms and historical trivia and look elsewhere.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best part of this book was the pictures. I don't feel as if I know much more about Romanesque art than when I started.