Τέχνη και κάλλος στην αισθητική του Μεσαίωνα

by Umberto Eco, Έφη Καλλιφατίδη (Translator)

Το κάλλος, η τέχνη, η αισθητική είχαν πάντα τη θέση τους στην ιστορία και την εξέλιξη των πολιτισμών σ' όλα τα μήκη και τα πλάτη της γης. Αυτή η παράλληλη πορεία σπάνια αντιμετωπίστηκε με μια σαφώς επιστημονική προσέγγιση μια και η κρατούσα άποψη ήταν πως τα δύο αυτά μείζονα θέματα δε συνδέονται, απαραίτητα, μεταξύ τους· εξάλλου η έννοια της αισθητικής γεννήθηκε στην Ευρώπη μόλις το 18ο αιώνα. Έτσι πολύ συχνά οι ιστορικοί δεν έπαιρναν υπόψη τους τις προγενέστερες θεωρίες περί του ωραίου και της τέχνης, πράγμα που για ένα μακρύ χρονικό διάστημα δημιούργησε μεγάλη ασάφεια γύρω από τις σχετικές εξελίξεις στη μεσαιωνική τέχνη.

Εδώ και πενήντα χρόνια όμως η στάση των ιστορικών έχει αλλάξει και ο Μεσαίωνας αποδείχτηκε μια εποχή πλούσια σε συναρπαστικούς προβληματισμούς γύρω από το κάλλος, την αισθητική απόλαυση, τις προτιμήσεις, το φυσικό ή καλλιτεχνικό ωραίο, τις σχέσεις ανάμεσα στην τέχνη και τις άλλες ανθρώπινες δραστηριότητες. Το βιβλίο αυτό αφηγείται με τρόπο κατανοητό ακόμα και στον μη ειδικευμένο αναγνώστη, την εξέλιξη μιας διαμάχης που από τα πατερικά κείμενα, διασχίζει όλον το Μεσαίωνα για να καταλήξει στην Αναγέννηση παρουσιάζοντας δραματικές και συναρπαστικές πλευρές που μας βοηθούν να κατανοήσουμε καλύτερα τον τρόπο σκέψης, τις προτιμήσεις και τον ψυχισμό του μεσαιωνικού ανθρώπου.

Genres: Art, History, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Medieval, Art History, Medieval History

259 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Umberto Eco was an Italian medievalist, philosopher, semiotician, novelist, cultural critic, and political and social commentator. In English, he is best known for his popular 1980 novel The Name of the Rose, a historical mystery combining semiotics in fiction with biblical analysis, medieval studies and literary theory, as well as Foucault's Pendulum, his 1988 novel which touches on similar themes.

Eco wrote prolifically throughout his life, with his output including children's books, translations from French and English, in addition to a twice-monthly newspaper column "La Bustina di Minerva" (Minerva's Matchbook) in the magazine L'Espresso beginning in 1985, with his last column (a critical appraisal of the Romantic paintings of Francesco Hayez) appearing 27 January 2016. At the time of his death, he was an Emeritus professor at the University of Bologna, where he taught for much of his life. In the 21st century, he has continued to gain recognition for his 1995 essay "Ur-Fascism", where Eco lists fourteen general properties he believes comprise fascist ideologies.

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Umberto Eco wrote this short treatise 50-some years ago. It was re-released in the 80s (after the success of Name of the Rose, I hazard the guess?) in a new translation with a new, humble introduction by the author. It is still an engaging read for anyone interested in medieval art or the development, in general, of western aesthetics.

Like most medievalists, Eco writes of medieval thought as though he were defending its intelligence, complexity and dignity from virulent detractors. It has been a rarely-taught and poorly (or prejudicially) understood historical whipping boy for centuries. I'm not convinced this de rigueur combative stance is any less necessary these days. Every other period after the fall of Rome and before the industrial revolution seems to have joined the lonely Middle Ages in terms of representing (to the ill-informed modern imagination) all things backward, superstitious and hopelessly ignorant. In any event, the Middle Ages still gets wildly inaccurate and fanciful treatment in film and literature, and academics who do not explicitly study the Middle Ages tend to look at it as niche, useless to broader inquiries, or otherwise irrelevant to anything but the study of itself.

In this interesting brief volume, Eco traces the development of theories of aesthetics and art from the late Classical period through the high Middle Ages. In doing so, he depicts a people dwelling in an integrated world where "beautiful" and "useful" are synonymous and where man's creation is wan mimicry of God's creation which is, in turn, only a veil of seeming over God's even more perfect ideal. But he also depicts an intellectual world that, far from stagnant or over-determined by dogma, was capable of growth, of subtlety and of pure joy at contemplating physical (natural or artistic) beauty. In fact, he finds in the Middle Ages the seeds of artistic individualism, in art's move from the monastery or workshop to the autocrat's court, that would famously sprout into the effective cult status of Renaissance and later artists.

Medieval thought, on art and beauty as on everything else, was in answer to highly specific and Judeo-Christo-centric theological problems. For the most part, we are asking different kinds of ontological questions these days. But this fact does not make medieval answers to medieval questions any less reasoned or any more fallacious. In fact, their questions and answers might even prove enlightening to us if we, for a moment, imagine our own period as one that suffers from a lack of an idea taken quite for granted by medieval European culture - the integrative quality of art, life, creation and morality.

In any event, if we cultivate a modicum of knowledge about our medieval ancestors, it might be easier to realize when our own ignorance - not their illogicality or irrelevance - is the thing precluding us from a deeper understanding of them.

[Luís · Rating 3 out of 5]

To think of the Middle Ages as a time of moralizing rejection of sensible beauty does not merely reflect a superficial knowledge of the texts; it is a radical misunderstanding of the medieval mentality. If an example is needed to clarify things, we have it at hand if we examine the attitude adopted towards beauty by mystics and rigorists. Whatever the latitude, moralists and ascetics are by no means individuals rendered insensitive to the attraction of earthly pleasures; on the contrary, they experience this kind of solicitation with more intensity than others, and it is precisely from this conflict between a reactivity to earthly things, and a tension oriented towards the supernatural that the drama of ascetic discipline is formed.

[Skrivena stranica · Rating 4 out of 5]

U ovoj knjizi Eco nije bio toliko jasan kako sam navikla u njegovim djelima. U nekim slučajevima su mi tek njegovi primjer djela iz kojih izvlači zaključke pomogli da shvatim na što misli.
Vidim da je upravo on jedna od zaslužnih za ponovno pristupanje Srednjemu vijeku kao vremenu koje nije nazadno i potpuno nevrijedno spomena, ali moram primjetiti da sam neke njegove zaključke vidjela već u djelima C.S. Lewisa (unatoč tome što su neke stvari u Lewisa kasnije pokazane kao možda netočne ili manje važne) a koje neki čitatelji Eca doživljavaju kao nove ili čak revolucionarne.
Eco se ovdje ipak ne bavi književnošću samom (što Lewis čini) ili povijesno (kao Le Goff), Eca zanima nešto drugo, a to je kako su ljepotu doživljavali ljudi u srednjem vijeku, a Eco je i inače zainteresiran za lijepo, za estetsko.
Tako da je ovo više pregled filozofskih pogleda na lijepo nego na umjetnost i kako se ostvarivala. U mnogome je ovdje Eco više stavljao natuknice, smjernice kamo dalje gledati što sam primjetila da je uobičajeno kad god istražuje estetiku.

[verbava · Rating 4 out of 5]

автори, які працюють із середньовіччям, зазвичай починають із того, що цей відтинок часопростору неможливо узагальнити, – а наступні кількасот сторінок вправляються в узагальнюванні. іноді в результаті виходять дуже гарні, написані широкими штрихами картини – як оцей текст умберто еко, зроблений у найкращих традиціях середньовічної естетики: красивий і корисний.

[Hosein · Rating 4 out of 5]

این کتاب رو چند وقته تموم کردم و فرصت نشده در موردش بنویسم، شاید هم یکم نمی‌دونستم چی بگم.

اول همه اینکه این کتاب خیلی متفاوت نیست از بقیه‌ی آثار زیبایی شناسی، بیشتر جاها پیش فرض گذاشته که مخاطب با کلیات و نظریه‌ها آشناس و بر اساس همون توضیح داده. هیچ جایی خیلی تخصصی نشده ولی از ساده بودن هم دوره. شاید تنها مشکل این باشه که زمان نوشته شدنش اکو خیلی تازه کار بوده و زیاد پیش میاد که کنترل متن رو از دست می‌ده، یک جایی زیاده‌گویی می‌کنه و یک جای دیگه صرفا با پانویس رد می‌شه.

برای من، به عنوان کسی که به هنر قرون وسطا علاقه‌داره و قبلا هم مطالعه داشته، این کتاب مطلب جدید زیاد داشت. در مورد زیبایی جنسی و اندام توی قرون وسطی صحبت کرده بود که من حتی شک داشتم هیچ متن مکتوبی از اون دوره بهش پرداخته باشه (اشتباه از من بود). در مورد اثر موجودات جادویی و توصیفِ حیوانات ناشناخته توی زیبایی شناسی گفته بود که باز هم جزو چیزهاییه که من قبلا دنبالش گشته بودم و پیدا نمی‌کردم. به طور کلی تمام مسائلی که باید پوشش می‌داد رو داده بود.

ترجمه‌ی خوبی هم داره. مشخصا من توانایی چک کردنش با متن اصلی رو ندارم، اما تمام اصطلاح‌ها (در حد سواد من) درست ترجمه شده بودن و خوندنش آسون بود.

[Suzannah Rowntree · Rating 4 out of 5]

In his Preface, Umberto Eco self-deprecatingly tells us that this early monograph was written back in the days when he thought "that a tortured syntax was a respectable symptom of wisdom and maturity." Certainly this slim volume was on the chewy side, and Eco uses a lot of terms (kalokagathia, for example) which I was unfamiliar with.

As a result, I'm not confident I understood more than about three-quarters of what he was saying in this book, but the bits I did understand were terrific. I found that I have picked up a very similar aesthetic to the one developed by the Scholastics. (Eco kept saying, "Of course no one thinks this way about aesthetics anymore" and I kept wanting to jump up and shout, "I do!"). It was fascinating to see how medieval ideas about art and beauty developed over the course of several centuries, and was also a brilliant case study on how very thoroughly the medievals' worldview permeated their culture.

This is the first thing I've ever read by this author, but it's made me more keen to read some of his fiction.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent guide to... you guessed it... art and beauty in the Middle Ages. Eco knows an extraordinary amount about the Medieval Ages/Middle Ages/Renaissance and offers an insightful and concise introduction to the subject. Among other things, this book provides explanations for why the Medievals liked solid colours (not shading), why later cathedrals had so many windows, why some pictures only have two Magi (not three) and why ugly things could be seen as beautiful. Books like this are a mark of civilization, and reading them is a very great privilege.

Despite being wrong about many aspects of creation and being flawed humans (their system was not fool-proof and was not capable (or at least not developed enough) of encompassing the full quirkiness of Creation), the Medievals really did seem to see the world more clearly than we do now. It's time we brought more 'rock-solid' medieval perspective to this post-modern age. Why can't, for instance, medieval ideas of harmony (modified accordingly) be applied to quantum mechanics? There's a dance beyond human comprehension. One quote sums things up pretty well "[The Medievals] saw the world with the eyes of God."

This book really should be read with The Discarded Image by Lewis; the two books really complement each other. Also, I think this (short) book is probably best read before reading Eco's fiction. Having read The Name of the Rose, I would have got more out of it than I did, if I had read this first.

Highly recommended if you want to get more out of anything Medieval - cathedrals, painting, literature, science etc. Also recommended for anyone who thinks the Middle Ages was a waste of good time.

[Gideonleek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over the week leading up to the medieval plant sale at the MET Cloisters, I have decided to look into the middle-ages and, honestly, they do not seem so very beautiful or artistic. Yes, I’ll grant Mr. Eco the gilt of the churches and the glimmer of stained glass, but can anything from the era rival the modern-day artistic achievement of, to use one powerful example, Seth MacFarlane’s Ted or the beauty of its radiant star Mila Kunis? No.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this as a clear and well-written summary of more Medieval philosophies and aesthetic developments than I could ever even pretend to know. The book mostly outlines varying Medieval schools of thought on the philosophical branch of aesthetics, but I found it most valuable when it got down to the particulars of how these thoughts emerged wheels on the ground in the arts. The quality of the research is very likely five-star, but it would take a greater Medieval scholar than myself to judge it. My stars are based on enjoyment only.

My personal response: one of the endorsements on the back says, "A sober and learned study which can be recommended as a lucid exposition of alien ways of thinking." It's funny, but I kept thinking of this blurb as I read the book, because the Medieval way of thinking-- its faith in Scripture, its love of organizing the world into patterns and systems, its desire to conform personal and artistic life to ultimate reality, its "stress" on "points of convergence and unity" (118)--felt, in more ways than not, definitely amicable, not alien, to me. Eco also helpfully clarifies how these approaches, sympathetic though I find them, translate to visual art that I find mostly aesthetically unpleasant and practices which I definitely do find alien.

I'll leave a favorite quote here: Eco quotes from Eugenio Garin to describe "an entirely new conception of poetry" developing during the Medieval period as "an endeavour to assign a revelatory function to poetry, to consider it as the centre and supreme moment of human experience . . . as the point at which man sees the true nature of his condition . . . identifying himself with, and participating in, the living rhythm of things" (107). Beautiful!

[Bartek M]

Nic nie rozumiem ale buja

[David Haines · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a must read for anyone who is interested either in art, or in medieval history. This book is a classic introduction to theories of art and the beautiful in the middle ages.

[Bahman Bahman · Rating 2 out of 5]

این اثر در صدد است که درباره پیشرفت تاریخیِ برخی از مشکلات موجود در اصول زیبایی‌شناسی و نظریات زیبایی‌شناسی که همه انرژی و پویندگی تمدّن لاتین زبانِ قرون‌وسطی را به خود مشغول ساخت، به بررسی و تحقیق بپردازد. آن هم در فاصله زمانی‌ای که از قرن ششم میلای آغاز می‌شود و تا قرن پانزدهم میلادی ادامه می‌یابد. جمله «لاتین‌زبانان قرون‌وسطایی»، ما را به یاد فیلسوفان مکتب اسکلاستیک، و سپس به یاد کلّ محتوای فرهنگی این فلسفه می‌اندازد. امّا همزمان، از فرهنگ مردم عامی نیز سخن می‌گوید، و نگرانی دائمی من، پافشاری روی این نکته است که چگونه نظریات مرسوم و رایجِ آن دوران، با حساسیت فعلی و واقعی آن هنگام، و تولیدات و فرآورده‌های هنریِ واقعی آن برهه از تاریخ در ارتباط با یکدیگر بوده است. هدف من از توضیح دادن تئوری زیبایی‌شناسی، کشف این واقعیت است که این نظریه، چگونه و تا چه اندازه با آن دوران انطباق داشته، و به همان اندازه، تا چه مقدار از واقعیت‌های آن عصر، فاصله داشته است؛ و نیز دریابم چه روابط پرمعنایی میان اصول زیبایی‌شناسی قرون‌وسطایی و سایر جنبه‌های تمدّن و فرهنگ قرون ‌وسطی، وجود داشته است. به طور خلاصه، سعی دارم نتیجه بگیرم که آیا نظریه زیبایی‌شناسی موفّق شده بود پاسخ‌هایی مؤثر و مفید به سؤالاتی که از لذّت و تفریح، و تولیدات نشأت می‌گرفته است ارائه کند، و این که اساسا زیبایی دارای چه معنا و مفهومی برای انسان قرون‌وسطایی بوده است؟ و این که چگونه نظریه‌ای فلسفی، می‌توانسته است به عنوان محرّک و مسیری برای تجربه هنری و اجرای ملموسِ هر اندیشه هنری و معنوی به شمار رود؟...

[Lynn Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, clear treatise on how medieval aesthetics was (generally) based on the following of time-honored rules rather than innovation or expression.

[Gastjäle · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone interested in reading The Aesthetics of Chaosmos - the Middle Ages of James Joyce, this would be an ideal preparative for a fuller reading experience. In my review of the former, I complained that the ideas Eco posited as medieval could have come from anywhere due to their general nature, but herein such characteristics as allegorism, clarity, formalism and impersonality are elucidated in a way that traces their origins with lots of source references.

Eco is a wonderful scholar in the sense that even at such a young age, he seems to have commanded a downright venerable reading list. His writing is a wonderful mixture of academic precision and controlled artistry, that engrosses yet does not cast doubt on his authority through seemingly unnecessary simplifications. In this book, he is clearly writing about a topic that he is fascinated with, and by doing so he also showcases his patient understanding and, to a slight degree, his visionary aspects.

In Art and Beauty, Eco traces the development of medieval aesthetics (in plural). There was no unified style, but rather there were distinguishable trends of thought that would co-exist with and co-influence the everyday life. We find precious insights of, say, the definition of art and the contemporary attitudes thereof: art was generally seen as something technical and creative, even mechanical, which would include not only crafts but positively menial work. We gain insight into the medieval mindset through references to metaphysics, where beauty is equated with goodness and utility, or mathematical proportions - or where beauty is seen as an actual universal in things as opposed to the eye of the beholder. Interestingly, the subjective side of beauty was emphasised, even before nominalism tore universalism to pieces: this wasn't a case of "horses for courses", it was a case of perspective and how the artistic work would be partly defined by the expectation of angles they would be looked at at the place of exhibition.

What I found to be the most prominent aspects of medieval aesthetics was the use of clearly defined colours, the employment of decorum, the love for allegory (probably not too far off from the adulation of crosswords, though in an artistic form), a strong focus in the formal aspects and the whole of the work and didactic qualities. Of course none of these were watertight, but they would definitely crop up often in the book. The more particular aspects included things like whether God granted artists with divine inspiration, whether the artwork originated in Platonic ideas or as observations of individual objects, whether the Nature was infallible and thus something that should be imitated, or whether she was a wastrel that needs to be improved on, to what an extent could be enjoy the concept of proportion (e.g. was it something that was first discerned externally in an object and then extrapolated as an inner perfection etc.), and also such beauteous things like the metaphysics of light.

That's a mouthful, and so is this book, regardless of its size. It's a packed opusculum that simply radiates contrast to today's views and obviousnesses. These contrasting views provide wonderful armaments for a wholesome appreciation of the works of the medieval period, whether philosophical, theological or artistic (using any definition of the term). I have read quite a bit of medieval writers, and more than often I have been hampered by a somewhat cocky attitude towards the Scholastic neurosis of classification and simplification (which, as an attitude, is probably akin to Cartesian hubris), but reading works like Eco's really shows what futile impatience or damned arrogance that is.

The main thing is to understand and to re-live the experiences of the past - after that, we can choose whether we can assimilate their wisdom or gently decline. Cold intellectualism or abstracted predation of ideas merely impoverish the wealth of experience that the past has, thanks to many precious individuals, passed on to our times.

[Zo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of minute details about medieval theories and the theorists behind them which basically boils down to an aesthetic heavily influenced by Christianity where mathematical harmony was key, and the aesthetic and the moral were essentially merged. The stuff about "light" and holiness was interesting, and made me wonder more about where that notion came from. All the best parts were when Eco took the time to distinguish between their aesthetics and the humanist aesthetics that came afterwards. One note:
-they didn’t think poetry had the kind of intuitive wisdom contra philosophy the way we see it now, just thought it was a technical craft, and that beauty came from moral & formal harmony - similar with churches, architecture, visual arts, etc

[Nal · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5
Bardzo lubię Umberto Eco, ale ostatnie 50 stron czytałam 3 godziny. Momentami lektura niezwykle nużąca, ale poza tym autor naprawdę próbuje zmienić zdanie czytelnika o średniowieczu. Chyba najbardziej spodobał mi się sposób narracji, nie tylko Eco zwracał się w pierwszej osobie liczby pojedynczej, ale również potrafił przemycić małe żarciki, które sprawiały, że nawet w najgorszym momencie potrafiłam uśmiechnąć się pod nosem

[Alejandro Orradre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ensayo profundo y muy erudito sobre cómo se concebía el arte (y todo lo que se desprendía de ella) en el mundo medieval; una época en la que Umberto Eco se centra para tratar de explicar la concepción que se tenía del concepto de la belleza, su relación con el mundo, con la sociedad, y su evolución a lo largo de los siglos.

Aunque es denso de leer, Arte y belleza en la estética medieval resulta ser una lectura apasionante para los amantes de la historia y el arte. Su estructura permite una lectura compartimentada y en "pequeños sorbos".

[Gabriel Gioia Ávila Oliveira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este ensaio de Umberto Eco é um desfile intelectual de um autor com uma bagagem cultural impressionante. Ao mesmo tempo em que impressiona, também intimida, mas principalmente provoca vontade de chegar ao mesmo nível um dia. Ironicamente, foi exatamente para construir uma bagagem de conhecimento sobre a Idade Média que eu escolhi essa leitura.

A linguagem difícil de períodos longos faz com que o livro fique um pouco mais devagar do que eu gostaria, e os exemplos específicos e assumidos conhecidos que Umberto traz para ilustrar seus argumentos fazem sentir pequenez diante da monumental capacidade e talento do autor. Isso limitou um pouco meu aprendizado com esse livro, que apesar de não ter sido nulo, tenho certeza de que seria maior se eu o tivesse lido já com algumas décadas de leitura e arte nas costas. Não me arrependo, apesar disso. Foi inspirador ser apresentado ao gigante Umberto Eco e instigador perceber o quão alto dá pra chegar com o esforço do estudo e o interesse pelo aprendizado.

[Joseph R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite often the middle ages are the forgotten link between the Classical period and the Renaissance. Moderns assume that Renaissance thinkers and artists rediscovered the works of ancient Greece and Rome and had this amazing and original break with medieval tradition. Umberto Eco (author of The Name of the Rose among other works) dispels this myth with this overview of aesthetic and artistic theory in the years from AD 500 to 1400.

Eco shows the classical roots of medieval theory and theology. Platonic thought was dominant early on, where his ideal world of forms was the standard by which beauty and artistic craft were measured. Aristotle was rediscovered during the middle ages; his systematic approach was assimilated and imitated by the Scholastics. The centrality of symmetry and proportionality for beauty began with Pythagoras's focus on numbers. That focus was re-enforced and enhanced by the biblical notions that creation is good (cf. Genesis's account of creation) and that the world was made according to number, weight, and measure (cf. Wisdom 11). The world is both good and knowable in a mathematical way. It conforms naturally to the transcendental notion of beauty--that which is seen as good gives delight.

The medievals had much more to say about beauty than art. Beauty is a property all things have, both things in the natural world and things made by man. Often, artistic objects were judged beautiful by their symmetry to the world of ideals or of nature. Innovations in artistic theory were rare but not unprecedented. The theoretical trend followed the cultural trend--the great artistic achievements of the age were the cathedrals. They were built by many and varied artists whose anonymity was assumed. The work was done for God, not personal glory. By the late middle ages, individual artists were becoming more prevalent and theories such as nominalism (like Duns Scotus's notion of haecceity or "thisness" as the core of being, making individuality more significant than conformity to an ideal) embodied this shift of emphasis.

Eco does a fine job pulling together various sources from almost a thousand years of thought. He is able to distill a great portion of the history of philosophy and artistic consideration in a mere 120 pages. The book is very academic but is also accessible and a good introduction to aesthetics in the middle ages.

[Eric Aguirre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libro académico que habla sobre la belleza y el arte en la edad media. Umberto Eco trata de explicar o de entender que era bello para un hombre del medioevo. Para lograr esto se va los textos de los carolinos y Santo Tomas. Analiza la carga simbólica, metafórica y alegórica de las pinturas en la edad media. También crea conexiones con el movimiento romántico y el renacimiento.

La edad media es considerada un periodo de oscurantismo y superstición. Sin embargo, cuando lees un texto como el de Eco, te darás cuenta de que otros periodos de la historia fueron mucho más oscuros que la edad media. Por ejemplo: en el renacimiento hubo más muertes por caza de brujas que en la edad media. El libro "The Malleus Maleficarum" fue el responsable que se intensificara el miedo y la persecución de las brujas.

Al final todo estaba regido por el cristianismo, razón por la cual todo el arte estaba cargado de simbolismo religioso. Las imágenes funcionaban como promotores del poder reinante, pero no se cuestionaba este poder, porque todos o la mayoría realmente lo creían así. Los alquimistas existían, pero eran personajes de muy poca visibilidad para la mayoría. Curiosamente fue el alquimista el que paso a tener mayor importancia y relevancia en el renacimiento como figura pública.

Buen libro con mucha información y nombres para tener en cuenta en el estudio de la Edad Media.

[Lothrandir · Rating 3 out of 5]

No soy un gran conocedor de la escolástica medieval, y hasta hace pocos años la Edad Media era bastante desconocida para mí. Desde hace algún tiempo he descubierto la riqueza que existe bajo el manto de aparente quietud e inmovilismo del pensamiento medieval, su profundidad y validez a la hora de entender el pensamiento actual. Este libro va de eso, de escolástica y de la evolución del concepto de arte y de poesía, y todo ello con el estilo de Umberto Eco. Sin embargo, me ha resultado más difícil de lo que esperaba seguir la exposición y razonamientos del autor, probablemente más por mis propias deficiencias en la materia. De todos modos creo que he obtenido provecho de su lectura. Lo recomiendo para apasionados de la escolástica medieval y no tanto para aquellos fascinados del Eco novelista.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lovely book. Eco is such a good historian of ideas, even at the young age at which he wrote this gem. Not many people could weave together the disparate strands of philosophy, theology and art history that Eco does, covering a period ranging over a thousand years but doing so in a way that does not seem rushed or sketchy. It was utterly fascinating, mesmerizing. I'm looking forward even more now to reading some of his historical fiction! Anyone who enjoys medieval history or philosophy or aesthetics in general will, I think, find this study stimulating in the least. I borrowed this book from my university library, but halfway through I had to buy it. I just could not read it without marking it up... so many interesting connections does it make!

[Dream.M · Rating 3 out of 5]

وقتی کتاب هنر و زیبایی در قرون وسطی را باز می‌کنی، انگار اومبرتو اکو دستت را می‌گیرد و به سفری عمیق در قلب قرون وسطی می‌برد. اکو، این قصه‌گوی بزرگ فلسفه و هنر، با کلماتش دنیایی را زنده می‌کند که پر از نور، رنگ و معناست. این فقط یک کتاب نیست؛ درک احساس زیبایی‌‌شناسي عمیقی است که قرن‌ها پیش، قلب و روح انسان‌ دوران قرون وسطایی را تسخیر کرده بود. در ادامه، از تأثیر اکو و چرا این کتاب ارزش خواندن دارد می‌گویم.

اکو، جادوگر کلمات و اندیشه

اومبرتو اکو برای من بیش از یک نویسنده است؛ او معلمی است که با هر جمله‌اش، در آثارش، از رمان گرفته تا پژوهش، چشمانت را به شگفتی‌های پنهان تاریخ باز می‌کند. در هنر و زیبایی در قرون وسطی، او با عشقی بی‌پایان به فرهنگ و فلسفه، نشانت می‌دهد که قرون وسطی، برخلاف تصور رایج، نه‌فقط تاریکی، بلکه دریایی از نور و معنویت بود. اکو مثل یک نقاش، با قلمش تصاویری از کلیساهای گوتیک و ایده‌های فیلسوفانی مثل آگوستین و آکویناس می‌کشد که هنوز هم نفس‌ می‌کشند.

چرا این کتاب را باید خواند؟

این کتاب فقط درباره زیبایی نیست؛ درباره این است که چطور انسان‌ها در هر دوره‌ای، حتی در سخت‌ترین زمان‌ها، به دنبال معنا و الوهیت بوده‌اند. اکو نشان می‌دهد که برای مردم قرون وسطی، هر رنگ، هر پرتو نور و هر اثر هنری، نشانه‌ای از خدا بود. خواندن این کتاب مثل قدم زدن در کلیسایی گوتیک است؛ جایی که نور از شیشه‌های رنگی می‌گذشت و قلب انسان آن دوران را گرم می‌کرد. اکو ما را به این باور می‌رساند که زیبایی، حتی امروز، می‌تواند روحمان را نجات دهد.

تأثیر اکو فراتر از این کتاب است. او چه در رمان‌هایش با داستان‌سرایی‌ اعجاب‌انگیزش و چه در این کتاب با تحلیل‌هایش، ما را به فکر کردن دعوت می‌کند. او به ما یاد می‌دهد که تاریخ فقط گذشته نیست؛ آینه‌ای است برای فهم خودمان.

یک محدودیت کوچک، اما بی‌اهمیت

شاید این کتاب با ۱۳۰ صفحه کمی کوتاه باشد و بعضی موضوعات را عمیق‌تر بررسی نکرده باشد. شاید هم عده ای انتقاد کنند که تمرکز اکو روی اروپا و هنر دینی، بخشی از داستان را نگفته گذاشته است. اما این‌ انتقادات در برابر جادوی قلم اکو رنگ می‌بازند. زیرا او با هر کلمه، عشقش به زیبایی و انسانیت را به ما هدیه می‌دهد.

[Tech Nossomy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather than presenting an overarching theory or framework, the book lists various viewpoints regarding beauty and esthetics in medieval art. As with all Eco's works, a solid grounding in European history and literature serves the reader well.
The sources cited are by persons whose background is not further explained. It would have helped if the statements and conclusions made by the original authors were matched against their livelihoods and credentials.
Interestingly the books De Perspectiva and Summa Theologiae are mentioned as being written at the same point in development of medieval art. This is interesting as it seems to suggest a more or less linear development of art during the Middle Ages and a general agreement of what constitutes beauty in art at all stages in history. This is also concurred by the author in the concluding chapter when he states: "Medieval aesthetics [...] did have a certain overall direction."
My favorite part is where the scholastic school found beauty in things that were ugly, because in their view cosmic order was born out of contrasts and contrasts ought to be complete, consisting of things both beautiful and ugly.
There are also some misconceptions in the book. For example, the Bauhütte is described as a secret society, but secrecy was not one of their hallmarks: their statutes were based on existing guild statutes and they subsequently openly competed with them.
Also there is a mention of Albert Magnus giving an academic lecture around 1250 in Cologne, but the university there wasn't founded until some 120+ years later.
Numerous spelling mistakes in my edition. Index is incomplete, but the bibliography is impressive.

[Mike Peleah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Отличный разбор средневековых взглядов на эстетику, где тесно сплетаются Бог, красота и искусство. Основной фокус книги это Средневековье между 500 и 1400 годами, автор заглядывает и в Ренессанс, чтобы проследить как менялись эстетические взгляды и подходы.
Для меня оказались крайне интересными два момента. Во-первых, наше представление о Средних Веках как тёмных временах и Ренессансе как полном пере-открытии классических работ не совсем верно. Средневековые схоласты знали и пользовались трудами классиков (которые, впрочем, иногда попадали к ним странными путями) – например, систематикой Аристотеля, гармонией чисел Пифагора. Впрочем, и переход от Средних Веков к Ренессансу тоже не был столь революционным, многие концепции и подходы менялись постепенно. Во-вторых, очень интересно следить как менялось в эстетике сочетание Божественного света, художественного замысла и технического исполнения. В чём роль художника? Освободить камень от лишних наслоений, чтобы придать ему форму, задуманную Богом? Или художник тоже творец, который может создавать своё видение и превращать его произведения искусства?
Книга достаточна старая, 1960-х годов, и академическая. Переиздана, видимо, на волне интереса к Эко как романисту, так что может быть не очень лёгким чтением.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obra imprescindible para aquellos interesados en el Arte o en la filosofía de la estética artística. Libro del autor Umberto Eco, catedrático en la Universidad de Boloia y escritor reconocido.
Este libro, el arte y belleza en la estética medieval, es un canal del que se sirve el autor para mostrarnos la rqiueza de la filosofía de la estética producida durante la Edad Media, rompiendo de esta manera con uno de los prejuicios sobre esta época histórica. Umberto Eco consigue plasmar una evolución de los principaes debates que surgen en torno al concepto de belleza. Todo ello de una forma sencilla y amena, con numerosas referencias bibliográficas.
Algunos aspectos positivos destacables de este libro son la sencillez con la que está escrito el texto y la síntesis de los contenidos, lo que resulta muy positivo pues consigue adaptarse a todo tipo de lector. Además, a lo largo del libro se incluyen fragmentos de obras de los filósofos que se analizan,
Como punto negativo destacaría la incorporación de frases en latín que no se encuentran traducidas, suponiendo un obstáculo para garantizar una total comprensión de las ideas.
Por todo ello, es un libro que recomiendo encarecidamente para todos aquellos interesados en el mundo del Arte.

[Michael Belcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

According to Eco, the medieval “philosophy of beauty appears cut off from its artistic practices as if by a sheet of glass.” As with all of Eco’s work, his brilliance shines forth, but perhaps owing to the early nature of “Art and Beauty in the Middle Ages” in the larger scheme of his ouvre, Eco manages to tackle the “philosophy of beauty” in a thorough, albeit workmanlike way, while for the most part neglecting the “artistic practices” part of the equation. This leaves the reader with only half the picture and consistently wanting more artistic context. That being said, much can be gleaned from Eco’s survey of Middle Age philosophical thinking, and the conclusion is a powerhouse example of the clarity concision can bring when wrangling historical breadth.

[Reading Through the Lists · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected this book to be a history of...well, art and beauty in the Middle Ages.

Instead, it proved to be series of essays on various aspects and movements in medieval aesthetic tradition, how Medievals perceived the world and beauty in the world. As Eco summarizes, "They saw the world with the eyes of God."

Once I adjusted my brain to accommodate this meaty topic, I really enjoyed it. I definitely learned a lot, and realized that I have a lot left to learn. And I also need to read more Umberto Eco.

[Sena KAĞNICI · Rating 4 out of 5]

Önsözde Eco'nun da belirttiği gibi yeni keşiflerde bulunan bir araştırma eseri olmamakla beraber, fazlasıyla dolgun bir literatür taraması ve eco'nun zengin diliyle harmanladığı kritikleri içeriyor, bu kitabı okuyarak mevzubahis konuda okanacak, araştıralacak ve öğrenilecek meseleler hususunda bir yol haritası edinmiş de oluyorsunuz, kaynakçalarda ve dipnotlarda atıf verilen eserleri de kesinlikle incelemek gerektiğine inanmaktayım eş deyişiyle.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing study of aesthetics in the Middle Ages. The book was more of a conceptual or philosophical history than a artistic one. Ecco’s facility with the primary sources is vast and his commentary insightful. He does an especially good job of explaining progressions in concepts, particularly how the aesthetic ideals came to be for Renaissance times and beyond. A short but inviting read.