CS100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Gutenberg Bible, Middle Ages, Making Money
Visual Communication
● Linear perspective
● Sculpture and architecture
The Printing Press and Moveable Type
● Social impact
○ Protestant reformation
○ Reading public
○ Art and technics and information
○ News periodicals
VISUAL COMMUNICATION
Linear Perspective
● Means of visual communication
● Standardized systematized way to represent something
● Render 3D scenes into 2D
● Formula: once learned, can replicate images onto flat pieces of paper
Sculpture and Architecture
● In middle ages, communication still largely controlled by catholic church (in europe)
● Small number of people had access, learned through talking with people, pictures,
sculptures, and architecture
● Pilgrimages: some object deemed spiritual… saw messages in architecture (coming
from church) → Tympanum of Saint-Lazare, c.1120-1135
● Still primarily illiterate culture
● Alphabet effect starts to take shape in 1400s in development of printing press
PRINTING PRESS AND MOVEABLE TYPE
New Medium: Paper
● Invented in China in 1st century
● Pulp from mulberry bark, hemp, fishnets, rags
● Brought to Europe in 12th C.
● In wide use in Europe by 15th C.
● Printing/movable type already existed, Gutenberg put them together
● The Gutenberg Bible, 1454-55
○ Done in German rather than Latin → rise to spread of literacy and information as
you can print in different languages
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Formula: once learned, can replicate images onto flat pieces of paper. In middle ages, communication still largely controlled by catholic church (in europe) Small number of people had access, learned through talking with people, pictures, sculptures, and architecture. Pilgrimages: some object deemed spiritual saw messages in architecture (coming from church) tympanum of saint-lazare, c. 1120-1135. Alphabet effect starts to take shape in 1400s in development of printing press. Pulp from mulberry bark, hemp, fishnets, rags. In wide use in europe by 15th c. Printing/movable type already existed, gutenberg put them together. Done in german rather than latin rise to spread of literacy and information as you can print in different languages. Catholic church indulgences, making money off of it. Printing press allowed them to do it faster. Catholic church increasingly becoming a mediator between god and the people. Martin luther nails up his 95 theses preached for bible as sole document of truth (not as bible mediated/controlled by church)