The first major illustrated study of this unique medieval art form for almost half a century, surveying the images and iconography that made the medieval church a riot of colour. Highly Commended in the Best Archaeological Book category of the 2008 British Archaeological Awards. Wall paintings are a unique art form, complementing, and yet distinctly separate from, other religious imageryin churches. Unlike carvings, or stained glass windows, their support was the structure itself, with the artist's "canvas" the very stone and plaster of the church. They were also monumental, often larger than life-size images forpublic audiences. Notwithstanding their dissimilarity from other religious art, wall paintings were also an integral part of church interiors, enhancing devotional imagery and inspiring faith and commitment in their own right, and providing an artistic setting for the church's sacred rituals and public ceremonies. This book brings together, often for the first time, many of the very best surviving examples of medieval church wall paintings. Using newtechnologies and many previously untried techniques, it allows us to visualize these images as the artists originally intended. The plates are accompanied by an authoritative and scholarly text, bringing the imagery and iconography of the medieval church vividly to life. ROGER ROSEWELL was educated at St Edmund Hall, Oxford University. A former journalist, he is a Director of a private European art foundation and the news editor of the online stained glass magazine, VIDIMUS.
Reviews
Perhaps the crowning achievements of the book are the gazetteer, the subject/place guide, and the bibliography which [...] will provide students and tourists with an invaluable and accessible source. Credit too, must go to Boydell for the exemplary and extensive colour illustrations which make this publication really stand out from the crowd. * CHURCH ARCHAEOLOGY *
Put simply, if you want to know more about medieval church wall paintings than the brief descriptions contained in the average church guide then this is the book to have. [...] The whole of the book is both a joy and an inspiration. * NORFOLK MEDIEVAL GRAFFITI SURVEY *
An enticing introduction to a fascinating subject, a visual feast with an eminently readable text. [It] will be valuable to scholars and students of church architecture alike. * ECCLESIOLOGY TODAY *
A magnificent paperback edition [and] an indispensable guide not just to the works' artistic value but to its theological importance. * THE CONTEMPORARY REVIEW *
This is a thorough and richly illustrated guide to an art form many travelers know little about. [...] All in all, I highly recommend Medieval Wall Paintings in English and Welsh Churches to anyone interested in the Middle Ages, art, or travel in England in Wales. It's the perfect mixture of art, history, and guidebook, something I wish the travel industry would give us more of. * GADLING BLOG, AOL TRAVEL *
It requires enormous effort of the imagination to envisage how our churches must have looked when every surface was covered with crowded, bright, sometimes very beautiful [...] paintings. This book is the best possible guide to those pre-Reformation times. * SUFFOLK VIEW *



Book Information
ISBN 9781843834847
Author Roger Rosewell
Format Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint The Boydell Press
Publisher Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Weight(grams) 1g