The Pennsylvania State University Press
ISBN: 9780271097374
The eight papers in this book were guided by the question: In the eyes of their makers and viewers, how were medieval images understood to assert or to resist forces of power?
Excerpt:
Nearly all art produced in the Middle Ages engaged with power in some way. To return to the examples noted above, European Christendom’s adoption of the codex, that innovative book format that made it possible to compress the contents of dozens of unwieldy scrolls into a compact, portable textual repository, not only supported the efforts of early Christians to resist the religious restrictions imposed by the ancient Roman Empire but ultimately became indispensable to the workings of the Church as a new global power. Costly silk textiles produced by Muslim weavers in centers such as Baghdad and Fustat and then gifted or marketed throughout the medieval world routinely served to express authority, forge alliances, build capital, and assert political and cultural authority; yet when looted and/or repurposed, they also could strike a symbolic blow against a dominant community. And the production of Gothic stained glass for northern European cathedrals, as is now widely understood, was at least as often motivated by episcopal competition and the desire for local economic control as it was by pious impulse. Common to all these examples is not just the potential of the works of art in question to influence power relationships but their makers’ recognition of how they could be manipulated to do so.
Who is this book for?
Nearly all surviving art from the Middle Ages was created under the patronage of the wealthy and powerful. Many works carried political messages designed to promote their patrons’ authority and prestige. This collection of papers explores that dynamic, examining both how art functioned as a tool of influence in its own time and how modern viewers interpret these works today. Those studying medieval art will certainly want to read this book. Some of the papers are also useful for teaching students as they connect to modern-day issues.
“Like many readers, each morning as I scan the news, I wonder how I might relate the medieval world of my classroom to contemporary events and discourses, and vice versa. The essays in this volume offer compelling arguments on art and power that, both explicitly and implicitly, engage with issues of contemporary concern: from the rallying cry of #MeToo drawing attention to violent sexual imagery in late medieval ivories, as considered by Martha Easton; to Elena Boeck’s method of “testing” the credibility of one source through comparison to others, a process increasingly necessary in a world saturated with convincing disinformation; to Anne Hedeman’s reflection on the power of rubrics and images to purposefully skew perceptions of a central text, which will likely resonate in a generation where Twitter (or X) has framed an understanding of the news as much as the long-format story.” ~ review by Elizabeth Lastra in The Medieval Review
The Editor
Pamela A. Patton is Director of the Index of Medieval Art at Princeton University and a well-known scholar in the field of medieval art. See also this piece on her research connecting art and slavery.
Art, Power, and Resistance in the Middle Ages
Edited by Pamela A. Patton
The Pennsylvania State University Press
ISBN: 9780271097374
The eight papers in this book were guided by the question: In the eyes of their makers and viewers, how were medieval images understood to assert or to resist forces of power?
Excerpt:
Nearly all art produced in the Middle Ages engaged with power in some way. To return to the examples noted above, European Christendom’s adoption of the codex, that innovative book format that made it possible to compress the contents of dozens of unwieldy scrolls into a compact, portable textual repository, not only supported the efforts of early Christians to resist the religious restrictions imposed by the ancient Roman Empire but ultimately became indispensable to the workings of the Church as a new global power. Costly silk textiles produced by Muslim weavers in centers such as Baghdad and Fustat and then gifted or marketed throughout the medieval world routinely served to express authority, forge alliances, build capital, and assert political and cultural authority; yet when looted and/or repurposed, they also could strike a symbolic blow against a dominant community. And the production of Gothic stained glass for northern European cathedrals, as is now widely understood, was at least as often motivated by episcopal competition and the desire for local economic control as it was by pious impulse. Common to all these examples is not just the potential of the works of art in question to influence power relationships but their makers’ recognition of how they could be manipulated to do so.
Who is this book for?
Nearly all surviving art from the Middle Ages was created under the patronage of the wealthy and powerful. Many works carried political messages designed to promote their patrons’ authority and prestige. This collection of papers explores that dynamic, examining both how art functioned as a tool of influence in its own time and how modern viewers interpret these works today. Those studying medieval art will certainly want to read this book. Some of the papers are also useful for teaching students as they connect to modern-day issues.
“Like many readers, each morning as I scan the news, I wonder how I might relate the medieval world of my classroom to contemporary events and discourses, and vice versa. The essays in this volume offer compelling arguments on art and power that, both explicitly and implicitly, engage with issues of contemporary concern: from the rallying cry of #MeToo drawing attention to violent sexual imagery in late medieval ivories, as considered by Martha Easton; to Elena Boeck’s method of “testing” the credibility of one source through comparison to others, a process increasingly necessary in a world saturated with convincing disinformation; to Anne Hedeman’s reflection on the power of rubrics and images to purposefully skew perceptions of a central text, which will likely resonate in a generation where Twitter (or X) has framed an understanding of the news as much as the long-format story.” ~ review by Elizabeth Lastra in The Medieval Review
The Editor
Pamela A. Patton is Director of the Index of Medieval Art at Princeton University and a well-known scholar in the field of medieval art. See also this piece on her research connecting art and slavery.
You can learn more about this book from the publisher’s website. You can even read the Introduction.
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