Art Historian Dr Matthew Whyte offers a new lecture series, which takes the audience on an art-filled journey through the often beautiful, sometimes scandalous, and always fascinating moments in the development of Western civilisation. See series info »

3. Medieval Europe: A ‘Dark’ Age?

This week we deconstruct the idea that the Middle Ages were a ‘Dark Age’, and instead showcase a period of unparalleled economic, religious, and artistic growth. Defined by the vast inequality inherent in feudal systems, the Middle Ages produced myriad categories of artefact. We explore how the Royal Court in France cultivated the illuminated manuscript as a tool which reflected wealth and status, while also discussing the genuine piety reflected in private devotional art. In a period marred by plague, war, and famine, mortality and the need for prayer and repentance was never far from the minds of the masses. However, in spite of such societal challenges, we will also see how scholars and artists excelled in the study of humanism, a cultural movement visualised by the immortal painting and sculpture of Giotto and Nicola and Giovanni Pisano.

1. Tues 17 Sept
The Ideal Body in Ancient Greece & Rome

2. Tues 24 Sept
Christian Triumph in Late Antiquity

3. Tues 1 Oct
Medieval Europe: A ‘Dark’ Age?

4. Tues 8 Oct
The Early Renaissance: A New Art

5. Tues 15 Oct
Real or Vision? The Northern Renaissance

6. Tues 22 Oct
The High Renaissance & the ‘Genius Artist’