Mosan Art - Development of Mosan Art and Geographical Spread

Development of Mosan Art and Geographical Spread

The Meuse valley lay in the heart of the Carolingian Empire and therefore the style draws largely from the heritage of the Carolingian art tradition. Thus, Mosan art contains strong classical elements, which separates it from the international Romanesque style seen elsewhere during the period, for example in France (see ), Germany (see ), England and Italy. However, it shares with mainstream Romanesque art elements such as the treatment of space. Although the iconography of 11th and 12th century Meuse valley art largely draws on Biblical inspiration, some of the elaborately carved capitals in the two main churches in Maastricht depict scenes from many aspects of daily life, as well as images from an intriguing world of fantasy.

The Mosan region was formed largely by the boundary of the Bishopric of Liège, which had strong political links to the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire, as well as to the bishops of Cologne. The region's main artistic centres were the cities of Liège, Huy, Dinant, Namur, Tongeren, Maastricht, Roermond and Aachen, as well as a number of important monasteries: Sint-Truiden, Aldeneik, Herkenrode, Averbode, Munsterbilzen, Susteren, Sint Odiliënberg, Rolduc, Burtscheid, Kornelimünster, Stavelot, Nivelles, Aulne, Floreffe, Flône, Celles, Gembloux and Lobbes. Mosan art at its peak had a strong influence on bordering regions, notably on Rhineland art (Cologne, Bonn).

Read more about this topic:  Mosan Art

Famous quotes containing the words development of, development, art, geographical and/or spread:

    “Other nations have tried to check ... the fulfillment of our manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions.”
    —John Louis O’Sullivan (1813–1895)

    “The proper aim of education is to promote significant learning. Significant learning entails development. Development means successively asking broader and deeper questions of the relationship between oneself and the world. This is as true for first graders as graduate students, for fledging artists as graying accountants.”
    —Laurent A. Daloz (20th century)

    “... if art speaks clearly about something relevant to people’s lives it can change the way they perceive reality.”
    —Judy Chicago (b. 1939)

    “Men’s private self-worlds are rather like our geographical world’s seasons, storm, and sun, deserts, oases, mountains and abysses, the endless-seeming plateaus, darkness and light, and always the sowing and the reaping.”
    —Faith Baldwin (1893–1978)

    “Strike on your drummes, spread out your ancyents!
    Sound out your trumpetts, sound out amaine!”
    —Unknown. Sir Andrew Barton. . .

    English and Scottish Ballads (The Poetry Bookshelf)