Cycle 2 - Introduction to General Art History: The European and Byzantine Middle Ages, from the 5th to the 15th century.

These changes influenced artistic production, which also followed its own logic, resulting in a regular renewal of forms, in which the most pronounced indifference to the faithful representation of reality coexisted with remarkable naturalistic explorations. The legacy of antiquity remains very much alive: in the East, the Roman Empire did not disappear definitively until the fall of Constantinople in 1453; in the West, the “barbarian invasions” brought about stylistic developments and innovations, but they did not erase the contributions of Roman antiquity. The Middle Ages continually looked back to this Antiquity, and the Renaissance of the 14th and 15th centuries was preceded by the Carolingian Renaissance and the 12th-century Renaissance.

The concept of art in the Middle Ages is not always self-evident. Some artistic production was the subject of criticism and controversy, whether from Byzantine iconoclastic thinkers or Cistercian monks. Unlike in antiquity and in modern and contemporary periods, the Middle Ages did not have a true art market—at least not before the 14th century, when the first signs of one began to appear, at the same time that artists’ social status began to take hold. Medieval works are inseparable from their function and purpose, which were very often primarily religious, even though their civic and social dimensions were also significant. Architecture, sculpture, goldsmithing, and painting were all dedicated to the greater glory of God and His saints, though this did not prevent the role of patrons—whether aristocrats, clergy, or urban communities—from being highlighted as well.

By Raphaël Bories, heritage curator and head of the Religions and Beliefs Division at Mucem

Session Details

• November 16, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.: From Rome to Byzantium: The Art of the Roman Empires in the Age of Christianity.
• November 23, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.: From the Europe of the Invasions to the Carolingian Empire.
• November 30, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.: The Roman World.
• December 7, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.: Gothic Art Conquers Europe.
• December 14, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.: From the Twilight of the Middle Ages to the Dawn of the Renaissance.