Medieval Art | Forum

"Death and the Maiden"

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The concept of a young woman being touched by Death is an artistic idea spanning throughout the centuries since the Renaissance. There is a strange relationship between the infinity of Death and the life of a young beautiful woman. It shows extreme thus philosophically keeping the artistic balances. The grotesque distortion of rotting flesh, as is depicted often dependent upon the rendition, touched by Death opposes the youthful beauty in a well-dressed womanly image. This rendition of the popular concept was titled in it's original German language 'Der Tod und Das Madchen' and painted by the artistic Adolf Hering (1900). This is one such artistic rendering of a collection over the medieval renaissance period.

@ I.A. I appreciate this post and the image you provided. It immediately reminded me of one of my favorite pieces that I ever played as section leader in the low brass section of an orchestra. Although a bit later than the 15th century, the idea of the dance of death started much earlier in the early 1400s and was the obvious inspiration.There are loads of imagery to go with it.

Camille Saint-Saens was a french prodigy and composer. He was not always well received because he opposed and despised religious dogma. He wrote Danse Macabre in 1874. Most people did not receive this piece well because it caused them anxiety, worry, and fear.

The story, in a nutshell is that Death comes out on Halloween night to call all the dead from their graves (solo violin). The dead dance for him all night long until the rooster crows the next morning (oboe). Then they all go back to their graves until the next Halloween. 

Danse Macabre - Camille Saint-Saens

Here is a lovely, appropriate image to go with it of death playing his violin. This image was painted for Cimetiere des Innocents (Holy Innocents Cemetary) in Paris, France in 1424.

Throughout the entirety of the Medieval period, Byzantine designs flourished as a popular form of art. It's popularity started near the fall of the Roman Empire and spread from the Greeks into the western European countries. They were marveled and stunned onlookers to such a degree that the designs became a staple of artwork within many cathedrals built at the time. Such was the time of the heavy religious influences of the times and the power felt by the Catholic Church. Using Byzantine designs in shaping iconographic portrayals of Christian and Greek mythology. These Hellenistic modes of style were slowly faded out in the early to mid 1400s. Such traditions were then hijacked by the newly discovered renaissance ideologies, technologies, and excitement for something new and improved.

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