Pre-Romanesque art: Encyclopedia II - Pre-Romanesque art - France

Pre-Romanesque art - France

After the demise of the Carolingian Empire, France split into a number of feuding provinces, so that lacking any organized patronage, French art of the 10th and 11th centuries was produced by local monasteries for the purpose of spreading literacy (and piety); however the primitive styles produced did not match the techniques of the Carolingian period.

Multiple regional styles developed based on the chance availability of Carolingian manuscripts (as models to draw from), and the availability of itinerant artists. The monastery of Saint Bertin became an important center under its abbot Odbert (986-1007) who created a new style based on Anglo-Saxon and Carolingian forms. The nearby abbey of Saint Vaast created a number of works. In southwestern France at the monastery of Saint Martial in Limoges a number of manuscripts were produces around 1000, as were produced in Albi, Figeac and Saint-Sever-de-Rustan in Gascogne. In Paris there developed a style at the abbey of Saint Germain-des-Prés. In Normandy a new style developed from 975 onward.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "France", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki