Why Is Medieval Art So Weird?

The margins of medieval manuscripts (Marginalia) are strange places to be. Here, inscribed around the words of various religious texts, you can find almost anything. There are even (highly detailed) medieval battles royal scrawled across the margins, which — predictably — range from the normal to the bizarre. This stuff is INSANELY CREATIVE. And, in some sense, seriously throws our understanding of the Middle Ages into question. This period is often referred to as “The Dark Ages” — a time fraught with violence, humorlessness, plague, mysticism, and a narrow-minded view of the world — A time without any real, meaningful progress (in the modern sense). …But that view doesn’t really square with the fantastical, satirical, often downright brilliant illustrations we find in these manuscripts. The drawings are called marginalia (because they’re found in the margins) …And, when it comes to their purpose, scholars are divided. Marginalia might be used to: