Chapter 9.4: Towards the End of the Middle Ages

The thousand years of the Middle Ages saw the creation of many great works of art and literature, largely focused on the teachings of the Church. It is important to remember that during the Middle Ages it was rare that anyone except members of the clergy (monks, priests, etc.) could read and write. Despite expectations that the world would end in the year 1,000, Western Europe became increasingly stable, and this period is sometimes referred to as the Late (or High) Middle Ages. This period saw the renewal of large-scale building and the re-establishment of sizable towns. The Late Middle Ages in Europe as a whole correspond to the Trecento, 1300s, and the Renaissance cultural periods in Italy. Northern Europe and Spain continued to use Gothic styles, which became increasingly elaborate in the 15th century, until almost the end of the period. International Gothic was a courtly style that reached much of Europe in the decades around 1400, producing masterpieces such as the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry.

At the end of the Middle Ages, we will see a young painter by the name of Giotto, who will open the heavens through his painting of a private chapel for the Scrovegni family. In his work, Giotto will herald works developed in a style that we will not see for another 100 years. The figures of the life of Mary, and the life and passion of Christ, are painted by Giotto with great realism and emotion. An artist well ahead of his time.