HyperHomeschool

During the Early Middle Ages, the majority of people were illiterate.  Reading and writing were literacy skills reserved for nobility or to people of the church.  The manuscripts availble during this time were hand-written by monks.  Most of these works utilized the art of illumination.  These illuminated manuscripts incorporated various imagery including biblical and mythological references, objects of nature, and even initials. 

If you explore the word etymology of iluminate, you will understand more about this type of artistic expression.  Illuminate comes form the Latin word, illuminare, meaning "to throw light into."  The Middle English word of similar meaning, enlumyen, means "decorated written material with gold, silver, bright colors."  In a sense, the gold used to decorate the pages of these manuscripts was thought to reflect light and give the page a glowing effect.  If you relate this to the fact that many people were illiterate and suffered a hard life during this time, you can find a deeper symbolism.  The pages of these illuminated manuscripts brought the light of knowledge into the lives of a people otherwise living in darkness.  Most of these early manuscripts were spiritual in nature as well.  Therefore, you can see the light of hope being shared with all people.

I had the fortunate experience of visiting the John Getty Museum in Los Angeles, CA this January.  While touring this magnificent museum, I came upon a section explaining the art of illumination.  I created an animoto to share these beautiful images.

Activity:

• Explore the art of illumination and the paper-making process during the Middle Ages.  Create a digital poster illustrating key ideas.
• Create an illuminated alphabet word book.
• Using the idea of a crayon resist, create a beautiful illuminated work of art.