Wilson Tarbox at Art in America:Medieval art continues to resurface as a foil for the art of subsequent generations. In the quattrocento, Vasari coined the term “gothic” to decry the “barbarousness” of such pre-Renaissance styles. The latter had torn up the old social fabric, killed hundreds of thousands during the Napoleonic wars, and displaced millions from the countryside to the cities. William Morris, the socialist founder of the Arts and Crafts movement, believed medieval art embodied artisanal brilliance and collaboration. Help keep us going by donating now.