2º A BILINGÜE: CLASE DEL 19 DE MARZO DE 2020
Good morning everybody!
Last Tuesday, we were studying Pre-Romanesque style and its characteristics. Specifically, we studied the Asturian and Mozarabic arts.
Today, we are going to learn the Romanesque architecture and art in the Iberian peninsula. You have already studied how the Romanesque was in the Middle Ages in Europe, so you will know almost everything.
You also can read about it on page 159 and in the 55th to the 61st slides of our power point.
First of all, you have to know that the Romanesque (as the Gothic) was developed in France between the 11th and 12th centuries, and arrived to the Iberian peninsula thanks to the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage route that ended at the tomb of St. James the Apostle.
Now, we are going to study its principal feautures:
For example, we are going to study in more detail the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. First, look at its plan:
You can note that it is a typical example of a pilgrimage church. The plan is in a latin-cross shape, so that we can appreciate a very wide transept, so that pilgrims could get near the altar. As you will remember, it was very usually that every medieval church had its reliquary, and it is even more important in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. In order that the pilgrims could get behind the altar, there is a huge ambulatory. There is also a gallery (a second floor) were people can attend the religious ceremonies.
We can also talk about the sculpture in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. This is an image of the Pórtico de la Gloria. You can see how the figures are adapted to the architectural frame. And also you can recognise the Pantocrator in the middle of the scene. Remember that the Romanesque sculpture had a didactic purpose: teach the people about the Christian dogmes and rituals.
Finally, you can see here the example of the paintings in San Isidoro de León. It is a mural painting done with the fresco technique. The purpose, as in the sculpture, is also didactic, so that the tematic is about religious topics especially. However, we can also see an agricultural calendar which was made with the goal of teach people how to work in the arable lands. If you are more interested, you can visit this webpage: