Glossary
barbarian – someone from outside one of the major ancient societies such as Greece or Rome, who was considered to be violent and not educated.
ignorance – lack of knowledge or facts about a situation or a particular subject.
cease – to stop happening or continuing.
creed – a set of religious beliefs.
stiff – if you are stiff, or if a part of your body is stiff, you feel pain in your muscles and cannot move easily.
solemn – involving serious behaviour or serious attitudes
church – a building that Christians go to in order to worship.
dome – a roof shaped like the top half of a ball.
apse – a curved area at one end of a church.
lintel – a piece of stone or wood that supports the wall above a door or window.
to render – to provide a service, or to give help to someone or something.
lavishly – something that is lavish exists, is spent, or is given in a very large amount, especially if it costs a lot of money.
outward – obvious and easy to see.
precious – worth a lot of money a precious jewel historic houses with rare and precious contents.
semiprecious gems – a semi-precious stone is one that is used in jewelry and is fairly valuable but not as valuable as a precious stone such as a diamond or emerald.
tapestries – a thick heavy cloth that has pictures or patterns woven into it.
pedestals – a base on which something such as a statue stands.
Activities
1. Answer the questions to the texts.
Why is the Middle Ages known as the Dark Period?
What did Mediaeval mosaics depict?
How many periods of art are distinguished within Middle Ages? What are they?
Did Byzantine statues represent the naked beautiful bodies?
What is the difference between Roman and Byzantine mosaic?
What are the distinctive features of Romanesque art?
Were Gothic cathedrals decorated with rose windows?
Who was Giotto? What do you know about his style?
What are the general characteristics of medieval art?
2. Read the sentences about medieval art and fill in the gaps with the appropriate words or phrases.
Pictures were __________________ and had no _______________.
Artwork had _______________________ themes.
Most pictures told stories of ___________________ or _____________.
Gothic inventions such as ____________________, __________________, and ____________________ were use in the construction of churches.
Gothic churches were well known for their ____________________________.
Sculptures on cathedrals often had ____________________ heads and __________________ bodies.
In Byzantine art, the colors are ____________ and the figures seem _________and ________________.
The eyes of Byzantine figures are ____________________.
The back grounds are generally ____________________________.
Most art was meant to be a ________________________ lesson.
3. Translate the sentences from English into Russian.
1. The Middle Ages included the millennium from the fifth to the fifteenth century, roughly from the fall of Rome until the Renaissance.
2. Byzantium was the center of a brilliant civilization combining early Christian art with the Greek Oriental taste for rich decoration and color.
3. The exterior of Romanesque churches was rather plain except for sculptural relief around the main portal.
4. Because Italy maintained contact with Byzantine civilization, the art of painting was never abandoned.
5. The Early Gothic sculptures of Chartres and the High Gothic stone figures of Reims Cathedral show the evolution of medieval art.