Abstract
Boulton addresses the perceived difference between medieval and modern approaches to viewing and understanding works of art. Focusing primarily upon conceptions of space, Boulton argues that the apparent separation of medieval and modern approaches to this issue has arisen not only from anachronic approaches to viewing unfamiliar objects, but is also a consequence of scholarship which perpetuates the idea that the perception of space has differed across the centuries. As contemporary art historians rely upon modern concepts of depth, perspective, etc., in their approaches to interpreting art objects and artefacts, medieval images are studied using fundamentally inappropriate criteria. Making a case study of the Anglo-Saxon “Last Judgement” ivory, Boulton shows how a nuanced understanding of this object reveals the spatial complexities of early medieval art.
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Boulton, M. (2017). Art History in the Dark Ages: (Re)considering Space, Stasis, and Modern Viewing Practices in Relation to Anglo-Saxon Imagery. In: Bintley, M., Locker, M., Symons, V., Wellesley, M. (eds) Stasis in the Medieval West?. The New Middle Ages. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56199-2_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56199-2_4
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