Jewish and Early Christian Art (AoW Midterm II)

Synagogue

- Jews gather in synagogues for study of the Torah—considered a form of worship. - A synagogue can be any large room where the Torah scrolls are kept and read; it was also the site of communal social gatherings. - Some synagogues were located in private homes or in buildings originally constructed like homes.

title: Old St Peter's Basilica location: Rome, italy date: begun ca. 320 CE period: early christian Medium reconstruction drawing patron: roman emperor constantine the great

- Located over the grave of st.Peter → primary disciple of christ, the first pope - Basilica: rectangular in plan, sometimes w/ semicircular additions - Apses - Plan kind of adopted from earlier, secular roman basilicas (like basilica ulpa) - Our knowledge is based on written descriptions, drawings made before and while it was being dismantled, the study of other churches inspired by it, and modern archaeological excavations at the site - included architectural elements in a longitudinal-plan arrangement that has characterized Christian basilican churches ever since - An atrium, or courtyard, in front of the basilica and a narthex across its width at the entrance end provided a place for people who had not yet been baptized. - Does not survive - New christians had new needs - large gatherings required large churches Didn't adopt temples of greeks and romans - didn't want pagan links - New features: only one apse on the east, transept that provided additional space for the large number of clergy serving the church and accommodated pilgrims visiting, and an entrance from the short end - focus on the apse w/ the altar - Galleries, colonnades, faced w/ expensive marbles - Clerestory - the upper part of the nave, choir, and transepts of a large church, containing a series of windows. it is clear of the roofs of the aisles and admits light to central parts of the building

Galla Placidia

- One of the earliest surviving Christian structures in Ravenna; - oratory = small chapel - cruciform - cross-shape - A barrel vault covers each arm of the oratory, and a pendentive dome—a dome continuous with its pendentives—covers the square space at the center - inside vs outside - meant for the interior to be a heavenly space Aided by mosaics - v. Expensive, only v. wealthy patrons and emperors could afford it Christian mosaics mostly glass tessera - was dedicated to St. Lawrence, but it bears the name of Galla Placidia—daughter of Roman emperor Theodosius I, wife of a Gothic king, sister of emperors Honorius and Arcadius, and mother of Emperor Valentinian III; As regent for her son after 425, she ruled the Western Empire until 437/438. - mosaics in the vaults and panels of veined marble sheathing the walls below. - Bands of luxuriant floral designs and geometric patterns cover the arches and barrel vaults, and figures of standing apostles, gesturing like orators, fill the upper walls of the central space. - Doves flanking a small fountain between the apostles symbolize eternal life in heaven. -In the lunette at the end of the barrel vault opposite the entrance (seen here), a mosaic depicts the third-century St. Lawrence, to whom the building was dedicated. - The triumphant martyr carries a cross over his shoulder like a trophy and gestures toward the fire-engulfed metal grill on which he was literally roasted at his martyrdom; At the left stands a tall cabinet containing the Gospels, signifying the faith for which he gave his life.

title: Portrait of Constantine the Great location: from the basillica Nova. Rome, Italy date: ca. 325 CE period: late imperial/early christian Medium: marble

- Roman emperor regarded as the first christian emperor - From the basilica nova - Constantine I - first great imperial patron of christian art, moved the main capital of the empire from rome to a new city named after him: constantinople (istanbul) - Head was originally part of a colossal statue made of marble and bronze on a wooden frame→ constantine depicted as a jupiter - These kinds of statues typically decorated the apses of temples - Individual facial characteristics - Recognizable and idealized, perpetually young and v strong image of the emperor - note similarities to primaporta augustus

title: The Good Shepherd location: from the lunette of the entrance wall of teh chapel of Galla Placidia, Ravenna, Italy date: ca. 425 CE period: early christian Medium: mosaic

- Rome declines - imperial emperor moved capital to Ravenna - Lunette - semicircular wall section - Inside vs outside - meant for the interior to be a heavenly space, Aided by mosaics - v. Expensive, only v. wealthy patrons and emperors could afford it - Christian mosaics mostly glass tessera - Oratory = small chapel - Made of reused ancient roman brick - Christ turning his body in a v. natural way - careful observation of the way the human body works, also a simplification of the human form - iconography /symbolism - idea that christ is leading the flock/the faithful - Syncretism - adopted imagery → taken from previous times/cultures and given new meaning; The great shepherd - apollo, orpheus, etc. → christians mean to associate it w/ the idea of christ leading the faithful, and the idea of sacrifice (christ's sacrifice); Seen in dura europos and greek/roman catacombs - Since the motif was not exclusively christian, it only took on religious meaning from the christian viewer behilding it, a convenient subtlety for a faith that, in its early days, was periodically under threat of persecution - By the 5th century christianity had become the state religion in the roman empire - no longer persecuted - and artists and patrons were free to showcase specifically christian symbols in works of art - Main figure is christ - depicted similarly to a shepherd, has a cross instead of a crook, halo ( divinity, and sign of imperial power), colorful/royally colored garments (reserved for imperial authorities, express high status of figure, v. expensive to be used) - Late roman features: Tradition of naturalism Relaxed, twisted pose, Sheep depicted w/ idea of three dimensionality and naturalism - observed in nature; Tradition of space - three dimensionality

Dura-europos

- ancient roman city w/ earliest surviving church and synagogue (walls contained figurative/narrative illustration) - In 256, threatened by the Parthians attacking from the east, residents of Dura built a huge earthwork mound around their town in an attempt to protect themselves from the invading armies - houses used by Jews and Christians as places of worship were buried under the earthwork perimeter b/c they were located on the city's margins against its defensive stone walls - preserved church and synagogue - Temples dedicated to roman,greek, persian gods, churches, synagogues

title: Wall with Torah Niche location: from a house-synagogue, Dura-Europos, Syria date: ca. 245 CE period: early Jewish Medium: Tempera on plaster

- dura europos: found the earliest christian church, earliest known synagogue (walls contained figurative/narrative illustration); Created something akin to natural barrier for defense → church and synagogue became buried under the earth used for it, were preserved; Temples dedicated to roman,greek, persian gods, churches, synagogues - Proves jews were more wealthy than christians - Jews illegal at the time - 58 different scenes/stories from scripture - story of moses, menorah, etc. - three registers - The Crossing of the Red Sea - late roman stylistic characteristics, roman prophet dressed as roman p; figures mostly frontal, static, flat, less naturalistic; Moses appears twice to signal sequential moments in the dramatic narrative. - To the left he leans toward the army of Pharaoh, which is marching along the path that had been created for the Hebrews by God's miraculous parting of the waters, but at the right, wielding his authoritative staff, he returns the waters over the Egyptian soldiers to prevent their pursuit.; Over each scene hovers a large hand, representing God's presence in both miracles—the parting and the unparting—using a symbol that will also be frequent in Christian art.; Hierarchic scale makes it clear who is the hero in this two-part narrative, but the clue to his identity is provided only by the context of the story, which observers would have already known. - niche ususally held scriptures - synagogue was a place to gather and study torah, not the religious center

Constantine the Great/Constantine I

- first great imperial patron of christian art; - issued the edict of milan (313 CE) - legalized christianity - moved the capital from rome to constantinople in 330 CE - Area had a much better strategic position - defended by the sea on all three sides; Eventually becomes the byzantine empire and center of the eastern roman empire - commissioned Old St. Peter's Basilica

tempera

A painting medium made by blending egg yolks with water, pigments, and occasionally other materials, such as glue.

lunette

A semicircular wall area, framed by an arch over a door or window. Can be either plain or decorated.

tesserae

A small piece of stone, glass, or other object that is pieced together with many others to create a mosaic

Christians

Followers of Christianity; Christians believe that Jesus of Nazareth was that Messiah (the name Christ is derived from the Greek term meaning "Messiah"). → They believe that in Jesus, God took human form, preached among men and women, suffered execution, rose from the dead, and ascended to heaven after establishing the Christian Church under the leadership of the apostles (his closest disciples). Jesus limited his ministry primarily to Jews; it was his apostles, as well as later followers such as Paul, who took his teachings to gentiles (non-Jews).; Despite sporadic persecutions, Christianity persisted and spread throughout the Roman Empire. → The imperial government formally recognized the religion in 313, and Christianity grew rapidly during the fourth century; As well-educated, upper-class Romans joined the Christian Church, they established increasingly elaborate organizational structures, rituals, doctrines, and works of art and architecture; Christian communities became organized by geographic units, or dioceses, along the lines of Roman provincial governments; Senior church officials called bishops served as governors of dioceses made up of smaller units known as parishes and headed by priests; The earliest Christians gathered to worship in private apartments or houses or in buildings constructed; As their worship became more ritualized and complex, however, they developed special buildings—churches and baptisteries—as well as specialized ritual equipment. They also began to use art to visualize their most important stories and ideas - use of syncretism Christians, like Jews, used catacombs for burials and funeral ceremonies. They were not sites of communal worship.

Jews

Followers of Judaism; Jews believe that God made a covenant, or pact, with their ancestors, the Hebrews, and that they are God's chosen people. → They await the coming of a savior, the Messiah, "the anointed one."; The Jewish people trace their origin to a Semitic people called the Hebrews, who lived in the land of Canaan.; Canaan, AKA by the Roman name Palestine, was located along the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea; Jewish law forbade the worship of idols, a prohibition that often made the representational arts—especially sculpture in the round—suspect.

transept

The part of a church with an axis that crosses the nave at a right angle. The arm of a cruciform church perpendicular to the nave. The point where the nave and transept intersect is called the crossing. Beyond the crossing lies the sanctuary, whether apse, choir, or chevet.

Torah

The sacred book of the jews; The first five books of Jewish Scripture, which they believe are by Moses; According to Exodus, the second book of the Torah, the prophet Moses led the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt to the promised land of Canaan. At one crucial point during the journey Moses climbed alone to the top of Mount Sinai, where God gave him the Ten Commandments, the cornerstone of Jewish law. The commandments, inscribed on tablets, were kept in a gold-covered wooden box known as the Ark of the Covenant.

Roman Catacombs

an underground cemetery. A network of galleries and burial chambers cut out of tufa beneath the city level (in the city of rome)

mosaic

image formed by arranging small colored stone or glass pieces (tesserae) and affixing them to a hard, stable surface.

Ravenna

in 395, Emperor Theodosius I split the Roman Empire into Eastern and Western divisions, each ruled by one of his sons. -Heading the West, Honorius (ruled 395-423) first established his capital at Milan, but in 404 to escape the siege by Germanic settlers, he moved his government to Ravenna, on the east coast of Italy; were moving from city of rome - had suffered multiple barbarian invasions, fallen apart, began to decay - beneficial strategically - provided military security - offered direct access to constantinople 4

Bible

includes the Hebrew Bible as its Old Testament as well as the Christian New Testament

Milan Edict

issued by Constantine in 313 CE; egalized christianity - Before that christians prayed secretly in private houses and were often persecuted Christianity was illegal b/c they denied the divinity of the roman emperor and didn't want to pay taxes to the emperor - god was their sole ruler

altar

the table in a Christian church at which the bread and wine are consecrated in communion services. Important features of christian churches - Typically, the entrance faces the west, altar faces the east