Theophilus and the Theory and Practice of Medieval Art

Nonfiction, Art & Architecture, Art History, European, General Art
Cover of the book Theophilus and the Theory and Practice of Medieval Art by Heidi C. Gearhart, Penn State University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Heidi C. Gearhart ISBN: 9780271079813
Publisher: Penn State University Press Publication: May 2, 2017
Imprint: Penn State University Press Language: English
Author: Heidi C. Gearhart
ISBN: 9780271079813
Publisher: Penn State University Press
Publication: May 2, 2017
Imprint: Penn State University Press
Language: English

In this study of the rare twelfth-century treatise On Diverse Arts, Heidi C. Gearhart explores the unique system of values that guided artists of the High Middle Ages as they created their works.

Written in northern Germany by a monk known only by the pseudonym Theophilus, On Diverse Arts is the only known complete tract on art to survive from the period. It contains three books, each with a richly religious prologue, describing the arts of painting, glass, and metalwork. Gearhart places this one-of-a-kind treatise in context alongside works by other monastic and literary thinkers of the time and presents a new reading of the text itself. Examining the earliest manuscripts, she reveals a carefully ordered, sophisticated work that aligns the making of art with the virtues of a spiritual life. On Diverse Arts, Gearhart shows, articulated a distinctly medieval theory of art that accounted for the entire process of production—from thought and preparation to the acquisition of material, the execution of work, the creation of form, and the practice of seeing.

An important new perspective on one of the most significant texts in art history and the first study of its kind available in English, Theophilus and the Theory and Practice of Medieval Art provides fresh insight into the principles and values of medieval art making. Scholars of art history, medieval studies, and Christianity will find Gearhart’s book especially edifying and valuable.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In this study of the rare twelfth-century treatise On Diverse Arts, Heidi C. Gearhart explores the unique system of values that guided artists of the High Middle Ages as they created their works.

Written in northern Germany by a monk known only by the pseudonym Theophilus, On Diverse Arts is the only known complete tract on art to survive from the period. It contains three books, each with a richly religious prologue, describing the arts of painting, glass, and metalwork. Gearhart places this one-of-a-kind treatise in context alongside works by other monastic and literary thinkers of the time and presents a new reading of the text itself. Examining the earliest manuscripts, she reveals a carefully ordered, sophisticated work that aligns the making of art with the virtues of a spiritual life. On Diverse Arts, Gearhart shows, articulated a distinctly medieval theory of art that accounted for the entire process of production—from thought and preparation to the acquisition of material, the execution of work, the creation of form, and the practice of seeing.

An important new perspective on one of the most significant texts in art history and the first study of its kind available in English, Theophilus and the Theory and Practice of Medieval Art provides fresh insight into the principles and values of medieval art making. Scholars of art history, medieval studies, and Christianity will find Gearhart’s book especially edifying and valuable.

More books from Penn State University Press

Cover of the book Neoliberalism, Accountability, and Reform Failures in Emerging Markets by Heidi C. Gearhart
Cover of the book The Book of Peace by Heidi C. Gearhart
Cover of the book Among the Bone Eaters by Heidi C. Gearhart
Cover of the book Confessional Crises and Cultural Politics in Twentieth-Century America by Heidi C. Gearhart
Cover of the book Can Globalization Promote Human Rights? by Heidi C. Gearhart
Cover of the book Walt Whitman's Language Experiment by Heidi C. Gearhart
Cover of the book Friendship and Politics in Post-Revolutionary France by Heidi C. Gearhart
Cover of the book The Enlightened Joseph Priestley by Heidi C. Gearhart
Cover of the book Pound's Cantos Declassified by Heidi C. Gearhart
Cover of the book The Australian Citizens’ Parliament and the Future of Deliberative Democracy by Heidi C. Gearhart
Cover of the book The Breathless Zoo by Heidi C. Gearhart
Cover of the book Figures of Identity by Heidi C. Gearhart
Cover of the book The Violence of Victimhood by Heidi C. Gearhart
Cover of the book Total Freedom by Heidi C. Gearhart
Cover of the book Perception, Empathy, and Judgment by Heidi C. Gearhart
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy