The Early Middle Ages

The Fight between David and Goliath 1123 - Mural, 82 x 75 cm - Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona After the fall of the Roman Empire--all knowledge of anatomical structure and examples of sophisticated paintings and sculpture appeared to have been lost. Medieval culture was essentially starting over--in terms of art. Murals such as this--without any sense of composition or anatomical structure--were being created, and they represented a far cry from the astounding works of precision and beauty that characterized antiquity. And yet...despite a complete lack of sophistication in a formal sense, these works possess a charm of their own. More importantly, they served their purpose--which was to tell the stories of the Bible to uneducated masses. Always remember that public works of art to pre-industrial cultures were the equivalent of TV and movies today!