Although the latter which was finished in 1140 bore close resemblance to the tympanum at Beaulieu, Saint Denis offered a new feature i.e., the tall statues which replaced the columns of the recessed orders of the door-jambs (Clapham 104). In France themes depicted on tympanums of churches presented Christ as a majestic figure, the rules and judge of the universe. English artists during the Romanesque period also illustrated images of the Last Judgment thanks to continental influences which penetrated England towards the middle of the 12th century. One of the most prominent examples is the window in the north transept at Lincoln Cathedral dating from 1220, still with much of its original glass presenting the Last Judgment.

One of the most striking examples of Italian usage of the theme of the Last Judgment is presented to us courtesy of the great 13th-century sculptor Giotto who worked in the Arena Chapel. While he was working in Padua, he was commissioned to decorate the walls of a family chapel known as the Arena Chapel because of its location near an ancient Roman arena. Giotto filled the western wall of the chapel with an impressive depiction of the Last Judgment, a scene which included the commissioner of the world, Enrico Scrovegni, kneeling down among the blessed. Furthermore, the theme of repentance and redemption is completed by "a series of allegorical figures of the virtues and vices painted in grisaille in the dado" (Stokstad 361).

To conclude, Romanesque art...

The theme of the Last Judgment is central to Christian faith which allowed it to become central to Romanesque art. Much of the art produced during the Romanesque period was directly linked to churches, and this can be explained by the development of monasticism which determined an increase in both religious and cultural activity. In this sense, many of the paintings executed during the 11th or 12th centuries covered and adorned the walls of churches and cathedrals. One of the most notable achievements of Romanesque artists was their ability to capture a gesture and emotions with a more acute sense of drama compared to their Byzantine influences. The Romanesque period was followed by Gothic art which emerged in the mid-12th century.
Clapham, a.W. Romanesque Architecture in Western Europe. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1936.

Gantner, Joseph, and Marcel Pobe. The Glory of Romanesque Art. Trans. Marie Heynemann. New York: Vanguard Press, 1956.

McLaughlin, Megan. Consorting with Saints: Prayer for the Dead in Early Medieval France. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1994.

Stokstad, Marilyn. Medieval Art. New York: Harper & Row, 1986.

Romanesque art." Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/rmsq/hd_rmsq.htm

Romanesque Art in France." http://www.rmn.fr/Romanesque-art