The Historical Evolution Of The European Middle Ages Teaching Icon Painting And Artistic Achievements

Icon paintings resulted from collisions between religions and arts, their penetration into each other and integration with each other in the history. They are different from the painting arts in the ancient Greek period, ancient Roma period and Renaissance period that aimed at reproducing the material world. Instead, they are a unique historical and cultural phenomenon.The aesthetic feeling in icon paintings clings to a kind of strong religious feeling, and their primary functions include moralizing non-believers and pagans as well as educating and edifying believers.This paper focuses on discussing mosaic icon paintings in the Byzantine period, icon frescos in the Romanesque period and Stained Glass icon paintings in the Gothic style period.Following brief review of the early icon art, this paper highlights the major historical period of icon paintings as well as their social and cultural background, development trends, artistic features and evolution process in different periods, from which it seeks and summarizes the unique religions meanings, the symbolic forms and methods, and superior skills and techniques of icon paintings. In addition, it differentiates the three major periods using horizontal comparison, as it compares different aesthetic characteristics that prominently represented and embodied the life in the Middle Age. Also, it analyzes the materials and skills for icon paintings in the Middle Age that were snubbed, and discusses the artistic value and achievements of icon paintings.