Miniature of Beatus of Fernando I & Sancha

Shortly after the Arab conquest, on the eve of the Carolingian era, a monk from Santo Toribio Monastery by the name of Beatus wrote certain Commentaries on the Apocalypse that deeply affected all of Europe.

The copies (made over the centuries and illustrated with expressive miniatures), are known today as “Beatus”. The magnificent Facundus Beatus, completed in the year 1047, is perhaps the finest example of the millenarian sentiment of this period. Commissioned by royalty, no expense was spared in its manufacture. Its lavish images marked the start of one of the most prodigious iconographic traditions of the entire history of western art.

Lascaux Caves

In terms of design, what do we learn from the Lascaux Caves? These early paintings point to early rituals of sympathetic magic. For the purpose of our course, they represent a process of abstraction from the real world ---> realm of ideas. The execution of these abstractions as symbols whether isolated ideograms or so-called petroglyphs exhibit an remarkable simplicity and economy.