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Home , Byzantine mosaics, Roman art

Early Christian, Byzantine, and The Middle Ages Early Christian, Do you know why early Christians used art to express Byzantine, and their religion? Have you ever seen a ? Islamic Art  The began to decline in the latter part of the second century.

The Christian Church gained power in the West. In the East the Roman Empire became the .

Christians, Muslims, and Jews developed a rich culture in which the arts flourished. Art of the Middle Ages Throughout the Middle Ages, in a succession of three styles, art was concerned with religion. The main forms of art and architecture associated with each style were:

Byzantine Romanesque Gothic

Art , Frescoes, stylized Stained glass, more natural sculpture

Architecture Central- Barrel-vaulted Pointed- church church

Example St. Sernin Chartres

Date 532-37 Begun 1080 1194-1260

Place , Toulouse, France Chartres, France Turkey

Source: The Annotated Mona Lisa pg. 24 Mosaics Although drawing on the Roman tradition of setting colored cubes, or tesserae, in plaster to form a picture, Byzantine mosaics were distinct from Roman. Here are the principal variations:

Roman Mosaics VS. Byzantine Mosaics Used opaque marble cubes Used reflective glass cubes Pieces had smooth, flat finish Surfaces left uneven so work sparkled Colors limited due to use of natural stones Glowing glass in wide range of colors Typically found on floor of private homes Found on walls and ceilings - especially church dome and apse Subjects were secular, like battles, games Subjects were religious, like Christ as shepherd Used minute pieces for realistic detail Large cubes in stylized designs Background represented Background was abstract: sky-blue, then gold Elements of Architecture Atrium: An open aired, forecourt. Narthex: A porch which spans one of the buildings short ends. Portal: Doors Nave: Long Central area. Apse: Semicircular projection (like a bay window) opposite the narthex. This is where the altar is located. Dome: Half a sphere rising above the ceiling. Aisle: low-ceilinged sides of the church, separated from the nave by columns. Clerestory: Upper story with windows. Transept: Another wing of the church that crosses the nave to make the building T-shaped. Plan: A church with an atrium, narthex, LONG nave and apse. Central Plan: The building looks like a + sign. Early

It’s helpful to know that is generally divided up into three distinct periods:

1. Early Byzantine (c. 330–750) 2. Middle Byzantine (c. 850–1204) 3. Late Byzantine (c. 1261–1453)

The shows the Virgin and Child flanked by two soldier saints, St. Theodore to the left and St. George at the right. Above these are two angels who gaze Virgin (Theotokos) and Child between Saints Theodore upward to the hand of God, from which light emanates, and George, Sixth or early seventh century, encaustic falling on the Virgin. on wood, 2' 3" x 1' 7 3/8" (St. Catherine's Monastery, Sinai, Egypt) Ref: https://www.khanacademy.org/ Early Christian, Byzantine, and Islamic Art

In the wake of the Roman Empire, a new source of power was born – the Christian Church

The place of the Roman emperors was taken by popes: the Church was to play the dominant role in the 500 years following the decline of the classical period.

The Church’s influence eventually spread to touch on every aspect of life. Nowhere was this more evident than in visual artwork. Watch: Early Christian Byzantine Early Christian Art For many years, the Christian religion was not legal throughout the Roman Empire, resulting in hardship and persecution from its many followers.

Finally in 313 AD, was made legal when the emperor Constantine signed the Edict of Milan.

Pictures with hidden Christian meaning were being painted long before this time. The Catacombs Many of those earlier were made on the stone walls of narrow underground passages. When persecuted by Roman emperors, the Christians dug catacombs, or underground passageways, as places to hold religious services and bury their dead In time, the catacombs grew into a vast maze of tunnels. Characteristics of Early Christian Art The views of early Christians set them apart In their paintings of people, early Christian from those who believed in the showed little interest in the beauty, grace, religion. and strength of the human body, which were so important to Greek and Roman artists.

The Christians believed Christ to be the savior of all people; they hoped to join him in heaven Christian art was intended to illustrate the after death as a reward for following his power of glory of Christ. It was also meant to teachings. tell, as clearly as possible, the story of his life on earth.

They had little interest in gaining fame and fortune in the world. Instead they sought an Christ’s life story was important because it eternal reward in the form of life after death. was the model for people to follow as the surest way to attain salvation in Heaven. Saint Apollinaire in Classe ,

• Not long after the catacombs was completed, the status the Christians began to improve. • Christianity had spread rapidly across the Roman Empire, ad the emperor Constantine finally granted Christians the freedom to practice their faith openly. • A new kind of building was need for the large number of worshippers. • Again the Christians borrowed from the Romans in the use of the Basilica as their model. • Christian churches were intended as retreats from the real world, and where worshippers could take part in deeply spiritual events. • Exteriors were relatively simple, but interiors were meant to be highly dramatic. Sant’ Apollinare. Ravenna Italy Saint Apollinaire in Classe

Watch: Saint Apollinaire in Classe, Ravenna, Italy Saint Apollinaire in Classe Ravenna, Italy • Stark unadorned exterior brickwork echoes the crudeness of the outside world • Interior richly decorated symbolizes the soul • 12 sheep represent the 12 apostles • 3 sheep are the apostles who witnessed Jesus's Transfiguration • Moses and Elijah flank the cross • Hand of God comes down and blesses the seen • Increasing flatness of forms, moving away from classical naturalistic depictions in Early Christian Art .The early Christians’ view on life on earth .Catacomb paintings were filled with images of animals, as preparation for the hereafter is birds, ad plants, which are also found in Roman art. reflected in the artworks they produced. .If there was a painting of a goldfinch a Roman just saw a bird where as a Christian would have remembered that the goldfinch ate thistles and thorns, plants that .These works may have appeared Roman, were on Christ’s crown during his death. but the beliefs and ideas they passed on to other Christians were not Roman beliefs . The goldfinch came to symbolize Christ’s death to and ideas – they were Christian. early Christians. .Over time, birds, animals, and plants came to symbolize different Christian ideas. A dog = faithfulness .Christian artists used symbols as a kind of code. Familiar figures or signs were sued to .The artists main goal was to illustrate the Christian represent something. story as clearly as possible to make it easy for others to comprehend. Good Shepherd and the Story of Good Shepherd and the Story of Jonah Jonah Artist Unknown, 4th Century AD More than 1,650 years ago, an unknown Christian artist completed the a painting on the rough ceiling of a room in the catacombs.

The artist who painted this image borrowed heavily from art forms seen all over , but were given new Christian meaning. Mosaics • When eyes strayed from the altar, they rose to view the walls richly decorated with mosaics. • A mosaic is a decoration made with small pieces of glass and stone set in cement. • Christian artists placed mosaics on walls where light from windows and candles caused them to flicker and glow mysteriously. • From the few early Christian churches that have survived, it is clear that they served as a model for church architecture in western Europe. and Mosaics – The Mosaics of Hagia Sophia • Inside the dim lighting and shimmering surfaces The best examples of the combine to produce a dreamlike setting. Byzantine style were great • Walls of stone and marble are decorated gold, silver, churches. ivory, and gems. • Churches like Hagia Sophia required special decoration Western architects favored on the interior. the hall-like basilica plan for • Works of art had to be of bright colors and large their churches. enough to be seen from a distance. Eastern architects favored a • Mosaics meet these special needs and became the trademark art style of the Byzantine church. central plan. • They were created to tell familiar stories from the Bible HAGIA SOPHIA in (formerly Constantinople) Turkey 530 HAGIA SOPHIA in Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) Turkey

Watch: Deësis Mosaic, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul Early Byzantine Art in the Age of Justinian Hagia Sophia, Istanbul (formerly Constantinople), Turkey

● Combination of central plan and axial planned church ● Exterior: plain and massive, little decoration ● Altar at far end, but emphasis placed over the area covered by the dome ● Dome supported by pendentives ● Powerful central dome, with forty windows at base ● Cornice unifies space ● Arcade decoration: wall and capitals are flat and thin but richly ornamented ● Great fields for mosaic decoration ● At one time had four acres of gold mosaics on walls, many windows punctuate wall space San Vitale, Ravenna (c.547)

● Byzantine forces capture Ravenna in 540 ● 8 sided structure ● Plain exterior except porch added later in ● Large windows for illuminating interior designs ● Interior has thin columns and open arched spaces, complex spatial system ● Sense of mystery in the space San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy AD 526-47 Emperor Justinian and Attendants, Saint Vitale, Ravenna

In the late Fifth and early Sixth Centuries, the Western half of The Roman Empire fell into a shambles. Even Italy was under the control of feuding barbarians.

The Emperor Justinian rallied his forces and recovered Ravenna. For a short time Ravena became the Byzantine capital in the West and a number of important early Byzantine monuments are preserved there today. The Church of San Vitale in Ravenna is one if the these monuments. San Vitale's humble exterior protects a glistening interior full of glass mosaics and sumptuous decorative marble.

Add slides http://www.slideshare.net/bassmanb/etruscan-to-early-christian Emperor Justinian and Attendants, Saint Vitale, Ravenna c.550

● Left is clergy, right is military ● Symmetry, frontality ● Figures have no volume, seem to float, and overlap each other's feet ● Minimal background, golden background indicates timelessness ● Halo indicates saintliness, a semi divinity as head of church and state The Virgin and Child Mosaic from Hagia Sophia Istanbul, Turkey

In Hagia Sophia, one notable mosaic shows the Virgin (Christ’s Mother) and the Christ child between two figures. Figure on the left is Justinian and on the right is Constantine both presenting a small church and city. Shows the emperors proclaiming their loyalty of the church and state to the Virgin and Child. Theodora and Attendants, Saint Vitale, Ravenna

● Slight displacement of absolute symmetry with Theodora, she plays a secondary role to her husband ● Richly robed empress and ladies at court ● Figures are flattened and weightless, barely a hint of a body can be detected beneath the drapery Icons

As gloomy as these images of tortured martyrs were, no discussion of Byzantine art is complete without a look at icons. Icons were small wood-panel paintings, believed to possess supernatural powers. The images of saints or holy persons were typically rigid, frontal poses, often with halos and staring, wide eyes. Icons supposedly had magical properties. According to legend, one wept, another emitted the odor of incense. Ardent believers carried them into battle or wore away their faces by kissing them. So powerful did the cult of icons become that they were banned from 726-843 as a violation of the commandment against idolatry.

Source: The Annotated Mona Lisa pg. 24 Later Byzantine Art - Church of San Marco 1050 St. Mark’s Cathedral , Italy 1050

● Five placed in a cross pattern ● Windows at base of dome illuminate brilliant mosaics that cover every wall space above the first floor ● Figures are weightless in a field of gold mosaics ● Prominent iconostasis separates apse from nape ● Compartmentalized space of middle Byzantine architecture Early Christian Art - Catacombs Catacombs, Rome

● Four million buried under Rome alone ● Galleries are 1 meter wide and 2-3 meters high ● Loculi, cubiculum ● Burial underground cheaper than surface burials ● Christian belief in burial because Christ was buried

http://www.catacombe.roma.it Early Christian Art - Project

The dictionary of symbols in art (see link below) is an important research tool. Use markers or colored pencils (or create a google doc) to create a drawing/document that incorporates at least four (4) symbols listed in the dictionary. You can choose your medium. Give your opinion of the symbol and couple your own drawing and interpretation of the symbol pictured. Take a picture or screenshot of your drawing and upload to canvas.

Link: Symbol Dictionary http://symboldictionary.net/?p=1333 Vocabulary - for reference define these terms. Alcazar Campanile Catacombs Koran Mihrab Minaret Mosaic Mosque Muezzin- Piers Triptych Pendentive Iconostasis Icons Manuscript Illumination Flying Buttress Constantinople