单项选择题
| In the art of the Middle Ages, we never
encounter the personality of the artist as an individual; rather, it is diffused
through the artistic genius of centuries embodied in the rules of religious art.
Art of the Middle Ages is a sacred script, the symbols and meanings of which
were well settled. The circular halo placed vertically behind the head signifies
sainthood, while the halo impressed with a cross signifies divinity. By bare
feet, we recognize God, the angels, Jesus Christ and the apostles, but for an
artist to have depicted the Virgin Mary with bare feet would have been
tantamount to heresy. Several concentric, wavy lines represent the sky, while
parallel lines represent water or the sea. A tree, which is to say a single
stalk with two or three stylized leaves, informs us that the scene is laid on
earth. A tower with a window indicates a village; and should an angel be
watching from the battlements, that city is thereby identified as Jerusalem.
Saint Peter is always depicted with curly hair, a short beard and a tonsure,
while Saint Paul always has a bald head and a long beard. Through this system, even the most mediocre talent was elevated by the genius of the centuries. The artist of the early Renaissance broke with tradition at their own peril. When they are not outstanding, they are scarcely able to avoid insignificance and banality in their religious works; and even when they are great, they are no more than the equals of the old masters who passively followed the sacred rules. |