Renaissance vs. Medieval: What's the Difference?

In This Issue: A soundtrack for a freezing cold evening at a Medieval tavern, the definitive list of smoky dark fantasy movies, and the strangest dragon you've ever seen.

My video essay Renaissance vs. Medieval is out now!

This is bonus content related to the video.

This was by far the most challenging art history video so far because the Middle Ages and the Renaissance together encompass OVER 1,000 YEARS OF HISTORY. THAT IS A LOT OF ART AND HISTORY.

In each This vs. That video, there’s always one era I care for a bit more than the other. This time, it was Medieval. Which is the way longer period of history. I had to delete a lot of info that I found very interesting. Kill your darlings!! My darling is King Arthur.

This video was also challenging because there are certain types of Medieval art I find very, very ugly. So ugly that I had them in my video, went, “ew!” every time I saw them, and ultimately deleted them . So ugly that I don’t even want them in my Substack. This is the kind of thing I’m talking about.

I know some people find that stuff gorgeous. Good for them.

I prefer Medieval art that looks like this:

I also like the Middle Ages because the medieval times are one of cinema’s favorite eras. I adore movies like Camelot, Dragonslayer, and A Knight’s Tale. During the making of this video I also watched Excalibur, which was, like, stupidly beautiful. Every frame a painting, literally. Here’s Helen Mirren as Mommy Morgana:

I’m so enamored with the Middle Ages that a few years ago I released a Christmas album of sacred Medieval hymns called And Though The Frost Was Cruel. The concept is “Christmas carols performed by freezing cold minstrels in a Medieval tavern on a winter’s night”. I even wrote naughty lyrics to the 1420 song “Gaudete”, although you can’t tell unless you understand Latin. I made these graphics to promote the album. I still find them quite delightful.

As my video discusses, most of the Middle Ages is romanticized in movies and art. The actual Middle Ages probably really stunk (literally). But if you too want to get lost in the mist, here is a list of smoke filled dark fantasy movies by Glen Covell, co- host of One Week, One Year, a fantastic film history show.

The Renaissance is cool too, I guess. Although I meant what I said about the Renaissance Faire being more of a Medieval/ Elizabethan fair. Would you watch an Elizabethan vs. Renaissance video?

Here’s what I really wanted to include in Medieval vs. Renaissance, but couldn’t, because 15 minutes is shockingly *not a lot of time to cover ten centuries of history:

1. King Arthur

   

I tried so hard to get King Arthur in there. I freaking love the King Arthur stories - The Sword in the Stone, the musical Camelot, the BBC show Merlin, the YA book Avalon High, even that ridiculous Showtime show where Eva Green played Morgan le Fay. But alas, any way I sliced it, it just sounded like I really wanted an excuse to fangirl over King Arthur. He’s not real, or he’s at least as real as Jesus, which is to say, there are more stories about him than actual cold hard history. So I kept it professional and left him out. But I think we can all agree that Clive Owen/ Keira Knightley movie absolutely rules.

2. Monty Python and the Holy Grail

   

Maybe the best movie about the Middle Ages… ever? Seriously. It’s a caricature of the middle ages, but some of the stuff, like the mud, the cart full of dead people, the witch trial, the French guy throwing everything but the kitchen sink over the castle wall, just feels really historically accurate. And the graphics are exquisite:

Still, since Holy Grail is a comedy/ farce, it’s not really the *best place to look if you’re a student seeking facts. Ditto Cunk on Earth, which is borderline unwatchable if you’re actually trying to learn something. I did slip one wink in there: this screenshot of Castle Doune from the beginning of Holy Grail.

If you haven’t seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail in a while and you don’t think it’s too stupid, treat yourself. It, too, is on the list of Smoky Dark Fantasy Movies.

4. Raphael

Okay, this one was a *major oversight. I got to about the end of the production schedule and was like “shit! I forgot Raphael!” He and Giotto are essential links between Medieval art and Renaissance art.

I felt strongly that I wanted each era (Medieval and Renaissance) to have a building, a painting (or book) and a medium that represented the era: tapestry for Medieval, sculpture for Renaissance. Lots of details tempted me to go deep, but kept things within the scope of a 101 overview video. I did use Giotto and Raphael, just not their names.

My hope is that people will watch my videos, notice what piques their interest and learn what key words to use to learn more about what they like. That is one of the reasons I meticulously label all the slides, EVEN THOUGH IT TAKES FOR EVERRRRRR.

My other hope is that one day millions of people will want to watch my goofy deep dive passions, such as King Arthur Movies Ranked, Who Is The Hottest King Arthur, and Who Is This King Arthur Person, Really?.

Paid subscribers will get a gallery of hilarious/ deranged outtakes, including an uncensored version of this dragon:

Until then, take care, and thank you so much for joining me, a weirdo, on this quest for art history.