Thursday, November 12, 2009

Medieval Dreams - Art


Medieval Dreams is a visually compelling piece with a strong sense of movement. This piece gives the impression of a great flurry of activity, such as one would see in a medieval town square or country fair. This stream of bustling life reveals to the painting’s viewer what life may have been like for people living during the medieval period. Though the medieval period was a time of slow technological and ideological advancement, since the Industrial Revolution, people have looked back on the medieval period with nostalgia. The medieval period has the reputation of being a simpler, calmer time during which people did not have to worry about the dangers of industrial growth, pollution, and growing levels of stress and danger.

Yet this piece gives a different view of the medieval period. Rather than a lackadaisical, slow-moving way of life, the painting depicts medieval life as an active, busy experience. This painting calls up the noise and excitement of the marketplace, as goods are exchanged between excited, talkative medieval people. Though the painting does not depict any concrete objects suggestive of the time period, the natural earthy colors of the piece suggest a medieval subject. No artificial, man-made colors appear, for medieval people built their homes, horse carts, and tools from natural materials that were available at the time. This beautiful piece captures the essential nature of life in the Middle Ages, focusing primarily on it the excitement and activity of the marketplace.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

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