How the art and architecture of Europe(Baltics included) was actually created

There is no general answer to this.

But information on individual pieces is certainly out there. Google is your friend here...

Ken Follett's "The Pillars of the |Earth" is a novel surrounding the building of (supposedly) Salisbury Cathedral, with lots of information.

Follett is good but if you don’t want to read a 1000 page novel to learn about cathedral construction David Macaulay’s beautifully illustrated book “Cathedral” will tell you all about it. It’s one of a series including “Castle”, “City,” “Pyramid”, etc. They’re children’s books but equally fun and informative for adults.

They were normally built by teams of skilled workers, often in guilds, led by a master builder in charge of the overall project, like a general contractor. These workers often moved from project to project (hence the term “Freemason”). They were well paid for the time. Also many unskilled laborers, also paid, although much less. The church financed all this through a variety of means (donations, bequests, rents, relic tours, etc). They were very long term projects as it could take decades or even centuries to complete a large cathedral (a present day example being Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia still a work in progress a hundred years on).

And it was one method of funding a cathedral— selling indulgences (supposed forgiveness of sin) to build St. Peter’s in Rome — that was a cause of the Reformation in Germany. The church got its cathedral but at the ultimate cost of losing Northern Europe.

I think most of these great things we appreciate in Europe were created because money and power were concentrated in the hands of a few people who could afford to pay for those things. Usually, the Catholic church. But sometimes, people like the Medici. It took money, lots of money. It was all subsidized by rich people or rich institutions.

People and institutions got rich by means some of us might not approve of, but they left us some of the most beautiful things imaginable. I remember visiting the Galleria Borghese in Rome, and wondering how a Catholic Cardinal could afford art like that. Where did he get all that money? From Wikipedia: "On his own and the Pope's behalf he amassed an enormous fortune through papal fees and taxes, and acquired vast land holdings for the Borghese family." And, "Borghese used the immense wealth that he acquired as Cardinal Nephew to assemble one of the largest and most impressive art collections in Europe. The Borghese Collection began around a collection of paintings by Caravaggio, Raphael, and Titian, and of ancient Roman art. Scipione also bought widely from leading painters and sculptors of his day. "

So, bottom line, rich people who got their money via "various means" paid for most of the great stuff we enjoy looking at over in Europe.

Here's one of the many lectures on youtube from the British Institute in Florence --- it's details about all that was involved in making a fresco. I feel like there was another one about painting on wood panels, but I don't see it.

Sorry the sound quality is not great, but they are recording it while there is also an audience in person in Florence. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSLFZJazJPw&list=PLaM84FAHVhDrWLlowSpz9AXne6cSEKQcg&index=71

Here's the egg tempera painting one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxFAWLcfLu0&list=PLaM84FAHVhDrWLlowSpz9AXne6cSEKQcg&index=83&t=2489s

What Marty says is true on this side of the Atlantic as well. I just visited New York and saw the reopened Frick Collection (mansion and amazing art collection of Gilded Age robber baron), and the redone Rockefeller wing at the Met (from the Rockefeller family in memory of Nelson’s son). In DC we have the National Gallery (Mellon family in the 1930s) and more recently, the Crystal Bridges American art museum in Bentonville, Arkansas, well worth a visit if you’re anywhere near that part of the family (from the Walton family Walmart fortune).

I remember visiting the Galleria Borghese in Rome, and wondering how a
Catholic Cardinal could afford art like that

Along with the methods of acquisition you mentioned, Marty, the Cardinal was not above just confiscating pieces he wanted to get hands on! Tsk-tsk.

Art: the lion's share of decoration in many cathedrals isn't in paint but in carved stone or wood (example: Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp has crazy wonderful carved-wood quire stalls), stand-alone sculpture in bronze or stone, mosaics, glass (windows) and ornate floors, such as in the Florence duomo. In fact, that particular cathedral has very little painted adornment. Anyway, 'art' is often married to the architecture, such as carved capitals on supporting columns, the arches of side chapels, and coffered, fan-vaulted or other ceilings. Here's an interesting look at just some of those ceilings from the Association of English Cathedrals.
https://www.englishcathedrals.co.uk/cathedrals/cathedral-ceilings-always-look-up/

Thank you all for your information and references. sally g.

Europe has a huge variety of sacred buildings, Their history is in most cases well documented.

Some influencing factors:

• Source of money, e. g. ruler vs. aristocracy vs. wealthy bourgeoisie (extreme rich families like Medici, Fugger, Hanseatic merchants or Tucher)
• Intention of sponsor such as Christianization (e. g. Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim)
• Epoch of architecture
• Influence of regional faith and / or cultural habits
• Reformation and division of the Christian faith
• Available materials, e. g. stone types
• Trends of building years

A few very special versions:

• the different Basilicas of Rome each with a long and complex story
• Churches from red brick epoch - regions without natural stones were baking stones which allowed huge buildings on low cost in mid and northern Europe (largest is St. Mary's Church, Gdańsk in Poland).
• Wooden stave churches, e. g. Heddal in Norway
• Rock churches, the medieval ones in France and Italy or the modern ones such as Temppeliaukio Church in Helsinki

The availability of money was a relevant factor for the art and used materials. Another good example is the organ - a lot of churches are famous only for their main instrument and their acoustics. J. S. Bach for example took a sabbatical of months to travel to the church of Lübeck just for the organ and the playing master Buxtehude (the man, not the place in Germany). Lübeck was extremely rich from the merchants of the Hanseatic League - they also imported a lot of sand-stones from Swedish Visby on Gotland island with their famous Cog trade ships (Kogge).

Be aware that a lot of churches in Europe were changing through the centuries and partly rebuilt or reconstructed due to war damages, e. g. a lot of main churches in Germany after WWII. A lot of art pieces from churches got lost in wars - or revolutions, e. g. German Peasants' Revolt and Reformation.

btw. my father was an architect and had the honor to build a small modern church in Berlin's 70s.

Mark, can you tell us what church? I'd like to see it.

It is the parish church of St. Richard in Berlin-Neukölln, a more unusual and modern church building.

He was also architect for the interior renovations of St. Marien in Berlin-Steglitz and of St. Borromäus in Berlin-Grunewald.

I really, really enjoyed the video about how to paint Frescos. Now, am looking for one about how they painted Al Secco, if anyone knows. We have a # of wall paintings in Frankfurt that I know are not frescos, but al secco. I just keep getting new ones, like how you can paint on plaster.

Here is some information about "pittura a secco": https://www.piazzadellafiera.it/arte/tecniche/affresco.html

nancys8 - Fascinating reading about the “a secco” paintings. Kate - the cathedral ceilings are gorgeous. Reminds me to “look up!” Thank you both for the interesting links.

That's a very interesting church, Mark. Thanks for sharing that.