Transcript Lat Middle Ages Art and Lit

Lat Middle Ages Art and Lit
• When the plague struck, Europe was emerging from the
"dark ages" trying to put unpleasant memories behind it
and move on to a more enlightened era. Barbarians no
longer ran rough shod, putting entire villages to the torch
and slaughtering the local peasants. Without the
constant fear of invasion, art and architecture found
fertile ground to grow. Medieval painters were not simply
anonymous lowly craftsmen, but well respected
professionals. They were held in high esteem and often
interacted with clergy and wealthy patrons. The arrival
of Black death harkened in a new darker era of painting.
Paintings were overflowing with tortured souls, death,
dying, fire and brimstone
• People's attitudes towards
music and art changed as
they began to see the
depression surrounding
them. The horrific nature
of the Black Death was
reflected in the realistic
depictions of human
suffering and carnage as
well as the symbolic use
of the skeleton.
• "The Dance of Death"
by Hans Holbein the Younger
•
Before the Black Death,
music was happy and
frequently heard. During the
Black Death music was played
very grimly or never played at
all. The only exceptions were
people who decided that since
they were going to die anyway,
they might as well spend the
rest of their life in happiness.
The somber change in art and
music demonstrated the grim
reality of the world around
them.
• Help God, I feel so bad
the water I have in this
glass
is both green, red and
pale
it signifies that my life will
be short.
All the herbs that are in
the pharmacy
do not help me in this
expedition.
With herbs did I help
many a man;
Now it cannot lend me
assistance.
• All the physicians that
are in our kingdom
they should be send
for - all of them
those who are skilled
in the art of medicine,
because Death is
beginning to torment
me much
•
•
•
The church had a bit of explaining to
do: The priests who gave absolution to
the dying, would themselves die
shortly after. Thus the church couldn't
claim that the plague, like AIDS, was
God's punishment over people who led
sinful lives.
Plague doctor. The strange "beak" is
full of fragrant herbs to protect the
physician from infection and the stick
is for poking the patient. With doctors
like that you didn't need diseases.
It didn't take the Vatican spin doctors
long to arrive at a solution: It wasn't
the first time God had inflicted
"plagues" on sinners - think of the 10
plagues of Egypt - the 6th plague
being boils.
• http://www.medievalists.net/2009/05/18/ho
w-the-black-death-affected-painters-andart-history/
A Medieval Song about the
Plague
•
"A sickly season," the merchant said,
"The town I left was filled with dead,
and everywhere these queer red flies
crawled upon the corpses' eyes,
eating them away."
"Fair make you sick," the merchant
said,
"They crawled upon the wine and
bread.
Pale priests with oil and books,
bulging eyes and crazy looks,
dropping like the flies."
"I had to laugh," the merchant said,
"The doctors purged, and dosed, and
bled;
"And proved through solemn
disputation
"The cause lay in some constellation.
"Then they began to die."
•
"First they sneezed," the merchant
said,
"And then they turned the
brightest red,
Begged for water, then fell back.
With bulging eyes and face turned
black,
they waited for the flies."
•
"I came away," the merchant said,
"You can't do business with the
dead.
"So I've come here to ply my
trade.
"You'll find this to be a fine
brocade..."
And then he sneezed.