Charlemagne

During the reign of Charlemagne, France brought back some of the classical Mediterranean art forms and styles. This art form and the more northern form of art blended together, making a new form of art, called Carolingian art. The same sort of thing happened with Carolingian architecture. Charlemagne really wanted to be the kind of leader who accomplished things and was remembered in the past, in the way of art. He wanted any advancements and changes in the form of art during the time he reigned to be associated with his own. Therefore, he influenced things like architecture and literature a lot.

Charlemagne wanted to change up the art a little bit, but also wanted to preserve the old art forms and culture. That is why we see influence of other culture or older times in art of that era. Charlemagne was also the first person to introduce Christian monumental religious sculpture. While ruler, Charlemagne influenced art so much that after he died there was a decline in the quality of art for about three generations.

Carolingian architecture was also consciously combined with another culture's art form. One can easily see the early byzantine and early Christian influences in the art. Charlemagne was into religion, so it is obvious why that was a big part of the art he enjoyed. The empire at the time of his rule was not as large as it once had been, at the height of its growth. But, Charlemagne tried to unite all citizens under Christianity. He was a very good emperor, and liked learning from others and absorbing old cultures and traditions that he could use in his own empire. He also copied old German leaders. They would buy luxurious jewelry to show off their wealth, and Charlemagne enjoyed this too. Overall, Charlemagne was very thoughtful; coming up with great ideas to mix culture, but was careful to preserve it.

Sources:

"Medieval Sourcebook: Einhard: Life of Charlemagne." FORDHAM.EDU. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/einhard1.html>.

"Carolingian Art - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia." Ow.ly - Shorten Urls, Share Files and Track Visits - Owly. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. http://ow.ly/1nOX3>.

"Carolingian Architecture - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia." Ow.ly - Shorten Urls, Share Files and Track Visits - Owly. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. http://ow.ly/1nOX4>.

"Carolingian Art | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art." Ow.ly - Shorten Urls, Share Files and Track Visits - Owly. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. http://ow.ly/1nOX2>.

Photographs from:

Photograph. Wikimedia Commonshttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ivory_cover_of_the_Lorsch_Gospels,_c._810,_Carolingian,_Victoria_and_Albert_Museum.jpg>.

Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia. Web. 19 Mar. 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carlo_Magno.png>.