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Romanesque Architecture, Sculpture, Painting
The Romanesque period was during the high Middle Ages, and is so called because of its use of that typical classical Roman architectural device - the arch. The text looks mainly at architecture, starting off with a section on building styles, and then each chapter takes you off round Europe and Scandinavia to see the results. Stunning photographs on almost every page, most of which have been commissioned exclusively for this volume, and the sculpture offers a remarkable insight into the lives, hopes and fears of the times.
468 pages, Hardcover
First published August 15, 1997
11 people are currently reading
216 people want to read
About the author
Rolf Toman
83 books16 followersOriginally, Rolf Toman wanted to become a teacher but he spent the years following his second state exam working as a publishing editor at a large international publishing house. From 1992 onwards, he worked as an independent publisher for various international publishing houses. Publications on art history epochs were at the center of his work.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 6, 2015
It's not so much that the artistic imagination has changed, although of course buildings are of their time and fashion, but everything has to be cost-conscious now and there is no vision of the future. Almost everything that is built is subject to the constraints of budget which means prefabrication rather than work by true craftsmen who had the skills and talent to make everything by hand.
From the Egyptians to the not-too-distant past, public buildings of note, palaces, churches, abbeys and seats of government among them, were built to last for all time. Workmen had few machines, pre-cast concrete and stick-on cornices were unknown. They weren't labourers, they were craftsmen, master masons, artists with tools and stone, sculptors and architects of vision. And these buildings were the result.
This is as beautiful a book as its companion book on Gothic architecture, and just as illuminating and entertaining to own. Its very much the sort of coffee-table book you could give to someone you want to impress, but one look at it and you would want to keep it for yourself.
From the Egyptians to the not-too-distant past, public buildings of note, palaces, churches, abbeys and seats of government among them, were built to last for all time. Workmen had few machines, pre-cast concrete and stick-on cornices were unknown. They weren't labourers, they were craftsmen, master masons, artists with tools and stone, sculptors and architects of vision. And these buildings were the result.
This is as beautiful a book as its companion book on Gothic architecture, and just as illuminating and entertaining to own. Its very much the sort of coffee-table book you could give to someone you want to impress, but one look at it and you would want to keep it for yourself.
January 24, 2018
Great coffee table book filled with big, glossy, color photos, covering everything about the Romanesque period: architecture, painting, sculpture, relics, stained glass, book binding. It renders a good overview of the history of each craft plus the development of literacy and monasteries and liturgical worship.
February 5, 2015
Wow, absolutely gorgeous! And absolutely huge. I don't think there's a better or more complete book on the market currently that encompasses all aspects of Romanesque. Packed full of wonderful colour illustrations and an insightful text, this is a book that I will visit again and again. Beautiful.
July 9, 2020
HRV: Pročitano za nastavu na faksu i korišteno u seminarima.
ENG: Read for my college classes and used for seminars.
ENG: Read for my college classes and used for seminars.
February 22, 2023
A Romanesque church in a cemetery surrounded by countryside - such peaceful places give us a feeling of historical continuity. This, or something like it, one thinks is what it looked like in the Middle Ages, when the church was built. Occasionally one is able to find a vantage point where there is nothing to remind one of the present. The attraction of these Romanesque country churches has something to do with their human proportions; they do not compel admiration by means of their imposing size, as city cathedrals do. And in addition, they are well away from the hurly-burly of everyday existence, and this sense of seclusion is reassuring.
Many Romanesque churches used to be monastery churches, and some still are. The reason so many Romanesque monasteries are surrounded by beautiful countryside is that monasteries in the 11th and 12th centuries devoted themselves to their rural surroundings. This coincided with the interests of the feudal lords under whose protection monasteries were often placed. Preferred sites for new monasteries were quiet valleys - still in plentiful supply at that time, as European countries were only sparsely populated.
One of the developments that mark the end of Romanesque art is the rise of stained glass. The diaphanous structure of Gothic architecture resulted in the virtual elimination of the continuous wall space, and thus the main vehicle of pictorial representation used in Romanesque painting. The compact wall space of the Romanesque period was transformed into a lucid system of pillars and windows. The principle of the ornamental design of the figure space, and the emphasis of the figure within the decorative structure, becomes the central theme of the Gothic stained glass window and the Gothic miniature.
1. Sant' Ambrogio, Milan
2. Modena Cathedral, Moderna
3. Palazzo della Ragione, Milan
4. Saint Martin du Canigou, Pyrenees
5. Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, Galicia
Many Romanesque churches used to be monastery churches, and some still are. The reason so many Romanesque monasteries are surrounded by beautiful countryside is that monasteries in the 11th and 12th centuries devoted themselves to their rural surroundings. This coincided with the interests of the feudal lords under whose protection monasteries were often placed. Preferred sites for new monasteries were quiet valleys - still in plentiful supply at that time, as European countries were only sparsely populated.
One of the developments that mark the end of Romanesque art is the rise of stained glass. The diaphanous structure of Gothic architecture resulted in the virtual elimination of the continuous wall space, and thus the main vehicle of pictorial representation used in Romanesque painting. The compact wall space of the Romanesque period was transformed into a lucid system of pillars and windows. The principle of the ornamental design of the figure space, and the emphasis of the figure within the decorative structure, becomes the central theme of the Gothic stained glass window and the Gothic miniature.
1. Sant' Ambrogio, Milan
2. Modena Cathedral, Moderna
3. Palazzo della Ragione, Milan
4. Saint Martin du Canigou, Pyrenees
5. Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, Galicia
September 4, 2010
Interesting book on the Romanesque style.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews