Description
Book SynopsisExplores Theophilus’ On Diverse Arts, a twelfth-century treatise on artistic techniques. Examines the system of values according to which medieval artists operated and created art objects.
Trade Review“A significant and meaningful scholarly contribution to our understanding of the complexity of Theophilus’s approach and the Christian meanings imbedded within his prologues and instructions. Without a doubt, readers today will understand in new and fascinating ways the more profound role On Diverse Arts likely played for twelfth-century monastic artists and patrons alike.”
—Kate Dimitrova CAA.Reviews
“Gearhart's contribution, in particular her physical examination of the manuscript witnesses, the convincingly argued textual analysis and historical contextualization, and her model of process-aware ‘Theophilan viewing,’ will challenge and orient, with authority, future approaches to both Theophilus and, more broadly, the medieval work of art.”
—Joseph Salvatore Ackley Sehepunkte
“A sophisticated reading not only of Theophilus’s text but also of an array of twelfth-century art, enhancing our understanding of what art making and viewing meant in the Middle Ages. It engages with broader issues currently under discussion in the field: the notion of the individual artist, the religious dimensions of art, and the importance of memory in art, spirituality, and social relations.”
—Adam S. Cohen,author of The Uta Codex: Art, Philosophy, and Reform in Eleventh-Century Germany
“Heidi Gearhart’s arguments about ‘free will,’ the morality of the correct manipulation of materials, the proper ornamentation of the church, the place of art, and even Theophilus’s use of words (diligenter) as found in De diversis artibus come together to create a picture of the role of the artist/artisan that is uniquely medieval and Christian. In sum, an object created by such an artist is a ‘trace’ of good behavior and witness to man’s participation in God’s creation.”
—Cynthia Hahn,author of Strange Beauty: Issues in the Making and Meaning of Reliquaries, 400–circa 1204
“Every student of medieval art has heard of Theophilus, and many have read On Diverse Arts, but few scholars have grappled with the true challenges of the text. Heidi Gearhart’s book opens this topic in new and exciting ways, bringing the complex political and spiritual landscape of Romanesque Germany into a fresh dialogue with the manuscripts and art objects associated with Theophilus and his circle. The result is a thoughtful, insightful, and deeply engaging discussion of On Diverse Arts, not merely as a manual for making art but rather as a richly rewarding document that sheds unexpected light on the social, artistic, and intellectual culture of twelfth-century Europe.”
—Shirin Fozi,University of Pittsburgh
“The key contribution of [Gearhart’s] study is to show how the treatise is much more learned than was previously thought while also deeply concerned with technical and practical matters.”
—Daniela Krupp Burlington Magazine
Table of ContentsContents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
1 Pedagogy and Exegesis
2 The Transformation of Matter
3 Monastic Labor and Craft
4 The Display of Skill
Conclusion: The Practice of Seeing
Notes
Bibliography
Index
