Transcript
Which architectural feature is NOT characteristic of Romanesque “pilgrimage plan” churches?
1. (a) a wide nave and side aisles
2. (b) portal sculpture
3. (c) cloisters
4. (d) multiple apsidioles
Davies, et. al., Janson’s History of Art: The Western Tradition, Eighth Edition , ©2011, Education
1. Answer: 3.(c). See pages 351-354 and 358-359. A wide nave and side aisles were essential to pilgrimage churches because they allowed large numbers of pilgrims to circulate and visit the relics housed in apsidioles in the eastern end of the church. Cloisters were adjacent to monastery churches and reserved for the use of monks.
Davies, et. al., Janson’s History of Art: The Western Tradition, Eighth Edition , ©2011, Education
2. What does the imagery on the Sarcophagus of Doña Sancha tell us about the role of women in Romanesque Spain?
(a) they held political power and special prestige
(b) they were objectified by artists
(c) they held military command
(d) battles were fought in their honor
Davies, et. al., Janson’s History of Art: The Western Tradition, Eighth Edition , ©2011, Education
2. Answer: 1.(a.) See pages 364-365. Although this battle scene probably symbolizes the fight between good and evil, it also reflects the militaristic concerns of Spain under Muslim control. Women were called upon to engage actively in the acquisition and exchange of land while men were away at war. They assumed an extraordinarily important role in the formation of political structures, and as patrons of the arts.
Davies, et. al., Janson’s History of Art: The Western Tradition, Eighth Edition , ©2011, Education
3. Among those concerned about the use of religious images, what reason was used to justify the extensive sculptural programs in Romanesque churches?
1. (a) they glorified God
2. (b) they highlighted the creative skills God gave humans
3. (c) they served to teach the illiterate
4. (d) all of the above
Davies, et. al., Janson’s History of Art: The Western Tradition, Eighth Edition , ©2011, Education
3. Answer: 3.(c.) See page 359. Some concerns developed in the Romanesque period about the increasing wealth and political power of some monasteries. For critics, the production of visual art seemed to reflect a desire for worldly pleasures, instead of the pursuit of spiritual ideals. The didactic role of images to communicate Christian ideas served as a common justification for the use of such imagery.
Davies, et. al., Janson’s History of Art: The Western Tradition, Eighth Edition , ©2011, Education
4. What area in the abbey church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe provided a continuous surface for mural paintings such as this scene of The Building of the Tower of Babel?
1. (a) the archivolt
2. (b) the apse
3. (c) the narthex
4. (d) the nave vault
Davies, et. al., Janson’s History of Art: The Western Tradition, Eighth Edition , ©2011, Education
4. Answer: 4.(d.) See pages 367-368. While paintings were common in Romanesque churches, many no longer exist due to restoration efforts over time. In contrast to the more open structures and use of stained glass in later Gothic churches, Romanesque buildings often had flat solid areas where painted decoration could be applied.
Davies, et. al., Janson’s History of Art: The Western Tradition, Eighth Edition , ©2011, Education
5. An engineering breakthrough took place in 1080 when Speyer cathedral was rebuilt using what structural device?
a. barrel vaults
b. groin vaults
c. flying buttresses
d. compound piers
Davies, et. al., Janson’s History of Art: The Western Tradition, Eighth Edition , ©2011, Education
5. Answer: 2.(b.) See pages 378-379. While Romanesque builders had previously used groin vaults for lower spaces, Speyer is the first instance where they were used to cover the nave. This created a larger sense of scale that effectively dwarfed every other church of the period.
