Medieval Synthesis Answer Asher2012.p2.t6

Tradesmen during this time period flourished because of the abundance of jobs of marketing they could seek. All they needed to gather was, goods that the wealthy could afford that was trending, so in order to become wealthy themselves, they had to learn what would appeal to the people that could afford the goods. During this medieval period, goods in the artistic market was dominating .

During the medieval time period, art flourished in many different ways ranging from architecture, dance, literature, music, painting, sculpturing, and theater. All these different kinds of art forms result in obvious marketing of goods to those that seek the aesthetic, or blissful sound that pleases the rich and wealthy. the people that gained from this type of sales would be the tradesmen who became extremely wealthy from the being a part of these sales. the medieval time period allowed many changes through out the years, mostly to the trend that was occurring at the time which listed in chronological order: early christian art, Byzantine art, Celtic and Anglo-Saxon art, Carolingian art, Romanesque or Norman art, Gothic art. All these forms of visual art took place one after another, but with Early Christian art taking the first in importance, because it became the archetype for the art forms that came later on. “In AD 313 Constantine the Great formally recognized Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire”. this acknowledgement displayed the potential of the growth of the art form and was soon to be discovered when churches were created and commissioned this art form. Roman burial chests also known as sarcophagi were adopted by the Christians and was seen as the art depiction of pagan myths. Given time, these myths gradually gave away to biblical themes which had overtaken much part of the art marketing and preference in the time period. The greatest influence that created this economical starting point would be the church because during the time period, the church had the greatest influence of all, and by adopting a religious form of art, it almost upholds the blessing of the church and God himself. this usage of religion them prompts all of the wealthy to purchase, starting the trend that makes up one of the few art forms in the medieval time period.

Kevin Cheung, Raymond Yonami, Bryce Cheng, Alex Park

asher.p4.t7 Medieval Synthesis Question #2

The Medieval Period marked the flourish of a new class, the tradesmen. Many factors during this era motivated this new class, such as the economics and social status. During the medieval era, lifestyles were altered in a way that called for tradesmen. People in villages needed more necessities and food than they could gather on their own. The economy was highly dependent on weekly markets, which were gathering places for both country and town people. People of all statuses would congregate at the marketplace, which evoked the significance of tradesmen. Trade was crucial to the survival of villages and towns, and tradesmen became quickly enriched with wealth traveling from village to village offering everything including art, handiwork, cloth, meals, metal, wood, and much more. Social status also played a key role in the boom of tradesmen. Merchant guilds were associations of tradesmen that set standards and rules for trade, but they were seen as a social status ladder. The higher status achieved through membership of these merchant guilds, the more prominent and well-respected the tradesman became. For this reason, the tradesmen class became more appealing and desired. With the economy in demand for tradesmen and the potential improvement of overall status, society during the Medieval Period awakened this new tradesmen class.

This class was evident in the marketplace, villages, and everyday life, but it was also captured in art form. Medieval art portrayed the tradesmen class in paintings. Anachronism was constantly practiced by medieval artists, encapsulating tools used in their daily lives. These paintings of daily life depict works of tradesmen, for example, a painting in Sanctuary Notre-Dame des Fontaines by La Brigue, a tradesman is offering water and handiwork in transporting water in a wooden bucket. Because trade has become a common aspect of everyday life in the Medieval Period, painters encompass tradesmen influence and significance in their art.

Tim Szu, Devin Mitchell, Jason Sim

wyl.p6.t4 Medieval Synthesis Question

During the Medieval Period, there was a sudden rise in the number of tradesmen with apprentices because of the transformation from a feudalistic society to a more urbanized society. During the Anglo-Saxon Period a feudalistic society was more favorable because of the constant wars and the need for protection. The peasants had no choice but to farm for the kings with little pay in return and barely enough to eat. However, once the warring tribes settled down and entered into an era of knights and chivalry, the peasants were free to leave the farmlands and create shops in newly formed towns. In order to be successful, they had to take up skill trades. They also needed apprentices to continue the trade. If a tradesman was very skilled, he could become known across towns and be paid great sums of money for his work.
This growth of the tradesman was depicted in The Effects of Good Government by Ambrogio Lorenzetti in 1338. The painting shows the results of the new urbanization described above. The city is relatively modern for the time and is not focused on one castle, but the equality of the buildings and the spreading of wealth. Each worker can be seen performing a unique job, which shows the specialization required by skilled workers in order to succeed at this time. The quality of the clothes worn by the tradesmen suggests that one could become wealthy if skilled. These tradesmen led the world into the Renaissance Era.
Cody Dunn, Carlton Lew, Tyler Wong, Stephen Hwang

Medieval Synthesis Answer Asher2012.p2.t3

Synthesis Question
Medieval Period
The major change in world economics during the medieval period was the advent of the tradesmen. Tradesmen soon became a class of their own, falling just under royalty in terms of wealth. Their quick rise to prominence was brought about by several aspects of the medieval era. First of all, technology had advanced in terms of devices such as the loom and process of making and molding metal. Secondly, Tradesmen were specialists; they trained in one field such as masonry for years, often starting as an apprentice, and working their way up to the rank of journeymen and finally becoming masters. This extensive experience in one field made them possibly very valuable if their area of specialty was in demand. Finally, the tradesmen organized themselves into guilds based on their area of work. Guilds were fairly common in medieval society and mainly served as a place to train in your craft, and receive job experience working alongside tradesmen of like interest. These guilds almost served as early unions, as they bound workers together based on their profession and they often tried to keep prices at a flat and fair rate for the workers. The Tradesmen’s quick rise to wealth and prominence sometimes caused clash with royalty because of the fear that they were bringing about economic change too quickly. One great example demonstrating the importance of the tradesmen (albeit in a rather roundabout way) is the cathedral at Amiens in France. This massive cathedral with intricate frescos and massive spires was only made possible by the use of highly specialized workers who were able to design and carry out highly intricate tasks, the classic definition of the tradesmen. Tradesmen came to help define the society and art of the medieval period by forever changing what it was to be a “worker” instead of royalty.
By: August Mawn, Tom Allen, Zachary Gershman, Daniel Pon

Medieval Synthesis Wylie Period 6 Team 2

During the medieval period, there was a strict social hierarchy that everyone followed. On top of the social pyramid were the aristocrats, which included the king, nobleman, and higher clergy. Although this elite group was only a small portion of the population, they practically controlled everything socially, politically, and economically. They ruled over the commoners—largely composed of farmers—who were at the bottom of the pyramid. The nobleman gained much of their power and wealth by renting out their lands to farmers. Although the nobleman rented their land, the farmers were practically treated as slaves and were often indebted to the nobleman because they were able to meet the quota set by the nobleman. After the Bubonic plague, a revolution threatened to take place as farmers were pushed to edge with the shortage of labor. Realizing that a revolution was threatening to take place, noblemen began to relinquish their rights to their land and sell them to the farmers. During this time a new social hierarchy began to form, when a new social class of tradesman began to gain enough wealth to have influence on society. This new class of tradesman was able to gain power and the status of “untitled” aristocrats, surpassing even the “titled” aristocrats who were born with nobility. Unlike titled nobleman who spent their money in building lavishing homes, the untitled aristocrats spent their money into works such as iron work and merchant fleets which gained helped them gain more money. As tradesman began to make more money, they gained more power in society, while the previous aristocrats began to lose theirs.

This change in social hierarchy during the medieval period is evident through the change in people depicted in medieval art. Before the rise of tradesman, medieval art often revolved around the aristocrats, but after the rise of tradesman, medieval art began to depict businessmen and their family. For instance medieval donor portraits which were usually filled with high officials such as the kings and popes were filled with tradesman. This change in subject in donor portraits in medieval art reflected the social change of the period. As the tradesman began to gain status in society, the aristocrats who were on top were no longer idolized as much as they once were and much like the donor paintings, the aristocrats were replaced by these wealthy businessmen. The rise in number of donor portraits of tradesmen during the time also signified the change in social power and status since some donor paintings were paid to be made. One of the reason why aristocrats were the only people depicted in donor pictures was because they were the only people could afford it, and so the fact that more donor painting depicted tradesman signified the new wealth and status tradesman had in society during that time. Ultimately, the change in medieval donor portraits and in medieval art in general, was heavily influenced by the emergence of tradesman and their rise in status.

Medieval Synthesis Question. Asher t5, p 2

The new middle class of people, tradesmen, grew into a wealthy class that solidified the foundation of the aristocracy. The new middle class consisted of tradesmen, which are people who specialize and are experts in a specific industry. The Medieval Era was known to have many scholars, for becoming an expert took much skill and effort. Some of the experts included, bankers, accountants, merchants and tradespeople. Many of this new class used their free time to play musical instruments, study topics unrelated to their profession, and read for pleasure. The wealth that these newly successful people made, was rather quick and very appealing to the common man. As the skilled workers became very comfortable with their level of wealth, the desire for new, expensive items came to mind. Due to their recent successes, they began to wish to show off their prosperity. Amongst their riches, they dreamt of luxurious homes, fine art, boisterous apparel to display their gain, and exotic, expensive food. These purchases drove the economy in the Medieval Era. The fine art that was associated with the Medieval Era was characterized to be of religious influence. However, the true depiction of the Medieval Era is in the manufacture of the pieces. Before the Middle Ages, art was produced without many copies and was typically very expensive. On the other hand, when the prosperous group increased and the demand for art was higher, pieces were often duplicated and found much easier. The art industry blossomed and even small villages had fine art.

by: Kaylee Anderson, Benjamin Hillman, Benjamin Lee, Kimberlin Low

Asher.p4.t9 Medieval Synthesis Question

As education just began to take root in the medieval time period the people were still fairly primitive in their recordings and we could not find the name of the painting or whether it ever had been recorded. However we provided a code of identification at the bottom and will hopefully be valid when used. It depicts a street of merchants and tradesmen with a castle and knights in the background. There is a child alongside one of the merchants, perhaps a young apprentice. This picture is in general a good representation of a scene during the medieval period. The rise of a middle class was facilitated by the demands by various people for needed services. Basically, the struggle for power during the medieval period caused fiefdoms and cities to be established, becoming centers for culture and trade. Urbanization was the main reason for the birth of a new class as the cities served as trade centers for numerous merchants and other craftsmen. Considering that the castles were somewhat distant from each other, tradesman and craftsman thrived thanks to that; their goods were more highly valued. In fact, their access to goods sometimes earned them the good graces of the aristocracy, which is one reason why some of them rose to near equivalent levels of social status as those nobles. And because the tradesman were so successful, their followers, namely apprentices who had decided (or been forced to by their parents) to follow in hopes of being as successful and inheriting their master’s good reputation.

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