with Art Historian Donald Dwyer
Date: Monday, December 7
Time: 2:00 P.M.
The Late Gothic manuscripts of the 12th-15th Centuries were stunningly decorated and were called “illuminated” because they appeared to be lit from within. Distinctive styles developed in various parts of Europe to illustrate Bibles and books of hours. As Europe was buffeted by the Vikings, Muslims, Mongols, Crusaders, manuscript art reflected these influences—Celtic energy, Carolingian classicism, Romanesque ornamentation. At this time, northern adornment mixed with an Italian sense of form and naturalism to produce an International Style, illustrated by Pol de Limbourg’s famous Book of Hours created for the Duke of Berry. Its glowing pages blend a northern love of realistic detail with a southern interest in perspective and plasticity that point the way to the humanism of Jean Fouquet and Giotto.