ART IN THE MIDDLE AGES
Art in the Middle Ages was characterised by a contemplative mystique that emphasised biblical and evangelical images, portraying human inner reality in a visionary, hybrid and contrasting way.
In Italy, much medieval art was in the form of murals and especially frescoes, following an ancient and uninterrupted tradition. Beyond the differences between individual schools of art, medieval frescoes stand out for the predominance of geometry, accentuated gestures and movement which reinforce expressions, the use of symbolic codes and essential design.
Among the most striking Italian examples from the Middle Ages is certainly San Nicola Chapel in Tolentino, Marche, with the frescoes that inspire Signum reproductions.
San Nicola Chapel in Tolentino:
between mysticism and spirituality.
After the earthquakes that shook Marche in 2016, the Chapel is unfortunately no longer open to the public as it is waiting for safety and restoration. But it remains one of the most striking environments in Italy from the fourteenth century.
In the large, completely frescoed ground floor, time seems to have stopped at that distant 1325 when popular devotion wanted to celebrate the amiable figure of Nicola da Tolentino. The miracle healing friar’s tomb has been a pilgrimage destination for centuries.
The imposing decoration has remarkably similar style and composition and superbly vibrant colours. It is attributed to an illustrious teacher of the Giotto school, Pietro da Rimini from Rimini and a prominent Italian figure of the fourteenth century.
The paintings are striking for the multiple animated examples with great naturalism. On the cross vault, in gigantic proportions, are the four Evangelists and four Doctors of the Church. The lunettes have nine episodes of the life of the Madonna, while the two bands below have eight stories from the Life of Christ and thirteen episodes of the life of St. Nicholas.
In the Tolentino frescoes most striking is the accuracy of the story, the careful description of environments, customs and behaviour, movements full of pathos and the intense emotions revealed by characters’ faces.
And this great emotional charge is behind the main Signum collection: “The Divine Inspiration”.