Sculpture in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance

Sculpture in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance had different forms and different styles, but in each case sculpture as an art form changed from the previous era to a more important position in relation to other types of artwork and in relation to the purpose of sculpture itself. In the Middle Ages, sculpture achieved an importance in itself that it did not have in the late medieval period in Europe. In both the Middle Ages and the Renaissance era, sculpture involved a revival of certain earlier forms and styles as well, recalling an earlier period and Classical originals in the case of the Renaissance.

The era of the Middle Ages is divided into more than one period. Janson (1986) notes that during the Romanesque period, there was a revival of monumental stone sculpture that was remarkable because there had been no indication before that this trend was developing. Janson writes: "Free-standing statues, we will recall, all but disappeared from Western art after the fifth century; stone relief survived only in the form of architectural ornament or surface decoration, with the depth of the carving reduced to a minimum" (p. 289). The only continuous sculptural tradition in early medieval art was for sculpture-in-miniature. Between 1050 and 1100, stone sculpture developed rapidly, along with the growth of religious fervor in the lay population. There was resistance, however. St. Bernard of Clairvaux, notes Janson, wrote in 1127 and denounced the sculptured decoration of

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were painted, which was true of nearly all northern stone and wooden sculpture of the era. The painting of sculpture was itself an art held in high regard: "This much of late medieval sculptural practice, at least, was solidly traditional, although the uses and spirit of sculpture were markedly changing" (p. 66). Another change cited by Vyverberg was the revival of the forthright, individualized sort of portraiture that had seldom been seen since pagan Rome. Some see this as deriving from a funerary custom, but Vyverberg sees this as only encouraging a process that was already well under way. He cites Claus Sluter's portrait statue of Philip the Bold, which knelt by the doorway of the Chartreuse de Champmol, and he sees this as a case of individualized portraiture antedating most funerary images (pp. 65-66). During the Renaissance, sculpture in the fifteenth century seemed to be experiencing less inner pressure toward innovation than were some of the other arts. Models of the time were more literal in nature, and some see this as a classical influence. Vyverberg sees the issue differently because the trend of the most memorable monuments of the age were away from classicism (p. 113). The sculptor who would create many of th

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