There were major changes in the Style of Medieval Art during the Black Death ALONE... The Subject matter changed, The Color Schemes changed, and the Mood portrayed in the art changed as well... I am doing a paper about it for Junior High Freshman English, and I thought I could answer part of this that I know about to help you. But the mood became a morbid, pessimistic, obsession with Death and survival. The Subject changed the most I would say though because There was a leap from the display of Royalty in their best dressed clothes and holding swords in victory and doing great things but after they were portrayed in just tattered cloths and being part skeleton. They showed their fear of death and obsession of carnage in their art. And the Color I know changed in many ways to but I am still working on that part of research...
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First of all, in order to understand the changes brought forth by the plague, one must understand what life was like before the plague, and what it caused immediately after its arrival. Eventually the plague did disappear, but it left Europe with great cultural changes. In art, the changes were extreme. During the pre-plague times noble lords were shown in full health, in their best clothes and armor, holding their swords. Afterwards, half-decomposed bodies with parts of skeleton clearly visible were shown. The clothes draping the body were old dirty rags, and some sculptures showed worms and snails burrowing in the rotten flesh. Suffering became a favorite theme. Northern art had always shown harmony between man, reason and nature. Tuscan art, as well, had been warm and sympathetic, stressing personal relationships. Yet, after the plague it was obsessive with cruel aspects of pain and suffering. Paintings focused on skeletons mixed in with living men in everyday life. It was a very cruel sort of art. What is more disturbing is that this type of art was specifically ordered and paid for by churches, monarchs and lords; they were to display them! Not to be forgotten, literature had evolved as well. It became much more dark and somber
Many peasants started to become better paid, as over time the population had risen and pays were becoming smaller. In general, peasants began living fairer lives.
Black Death Plague can be seen in paintings and artifacts. It was so that it does not spread again.