Aristocracy dominated world culture well into the Medieval Era. However, during this era a new class began a slow rise to power which still exists in today’s capitalist societies.
At the start of the Medieval Era, the majority of a nation’s economic power lied with the elite aristocracy and/or royalty (especially evident in European countries such as England). There was virtually no middle class during this era, and the lower class was in large part ignorant to how much power they held. As the Medieval Era slowly faded, there began a shift in power from military to economic. As there became an increasing demand for tradesmen, lower class citizens stepped forward to fill the need for these more skilled jobs (as opposed to simple farming or infantry). Along with this change in identity for many lower class people, came a beautiful realization of importance and skill (which helped usher in the renaissance).
This shift is a subtle but important one in the world of art. Paintings slowly shifted from portraits of God or royalty to portraits of humble yet noble people. For instance, instead of seeing awe-inspiring pictures of Jesus shining from heaven, one might see a picture of humble Mary and Joseph with their donkey. There was less of a separation between God and man (and also the royalty and commoners) by the end of this era. What began as a simple economic shift led to a cultural revolution which still affects society and art today.
Your response is concise and answers the question appropriately. Most outstanding, in our opinion, is your connection in your last paragraph between the closing of the gap between God and man and royalty and commoner. Your connection between the class shift and the beginning of the renaissance is also appreciated.
ReplyDeleteHowever, your thesis states that the working-/middle-class that rose to power during the Medieval era persists today. In your conclusive statements, your acknowledgement of this group is slightly lacking- in what way does the middle-class effect society and art today? It would be interesting to expand on this topic in your conclusion and make the connection between beginning and end of answer complete. Also, adding a specific example of art depicting religious figures like Mary and Joseph would add validity to your assertion in your last paragraph about shifts in art. You could consider using artwork or different interpretations or illustrations of the bible as this example, as many such pieces were produced during the Medieval era. Also, stylistically speaking, you may want to find a way to eliminate parenthetical statements in your answer and instead integrate them with the response by using commas, as this makes reading more clear.
Despite this nitpick-y advice offered we believe that your synthesis answer is well-composed, and reflects a thorough level of research into the topic. Your answer to the synthesis question is well-organized and easy to read, and shows consideration for the common and defining aspects of the era such as the lifestyles and occupations of people and needs of society.
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