Chapter 8: Early Jewish, Early Christian and Byzantine Art

late Byzantine art

1261-1453 CE 1204 Latin Crusaders sack Constantinople --> end of middle Byzantine 1261 Michael 8 recaptured city 1453 Ottoman Turks capture city --> end revival of mural paintings like in Church of Christ in Chora revival of icons displayed in tiers on Iconostasis or individual stands to view both sides ex: annunciation (christ/virgin on front, reverse is narrative from life of christ)

pre-Constantine

192-306 CE 2nd commandment prohibition of idolatry falsely led scholars to believe no figural art existed remodeled private homes like synagogue at Dura Europos (house churches) have extensive series of mural painitngs w/ episodes from Hebrew pics christ crucified 33 CE little art/architecture survives fromt the 1st C CE "early christian art" refers to earliest art of Christian content coming primarily from Roman catacombs; not of Jesus' time during 2nd 1/2 3rd C CE Christian Sarcohpagi w/ mix of old and new testament scenes

Constantine ruled...

306-337 CE

Contantine

306-337 CE 313 Edict of Milan granted Christianity legal status Constantine was 1st great patron of Christian art building 1st churches in Rome including Old St Peter's basilica - Christian Basilica 330 named Constantinople new capital of Roman Empire 337 baptized on death bed early Christian art profusely decorated walls and ceilings of catacombs w/ frescoes and popular themes of good shepherd and salvation of Jonah (old and new testament combo; Jewish-Christian parallels)

early Byzantine art

324-726 CE 324 Constantine founded Constantinople on site of ancient Greek city Byzantium --> dedicated New Rome to God in 330 and Constantinople named capital 1st Golden Age under Justinian (527-565) who built/ restored more than 30 churches in Constantinople ex: Hagia Sophia Justinian est seat of Byzantine power in Ravenna, Italy w/ greatest church San Vitale having mosaics ~ weightless, frontal hovering figures against gold background ~ Byzantine aesthetic Justinian rebuilt monastery at Mt Sinai in Egypt, where found preserved Sinai icons (finest work of early byzantine) 726 Leo III initiated Iconoclasm and destruction of many early Byzantine works 726-843 CE Iconoclastic period

Justinian ruled...

527-565 CE

middle Byzantine art

843-1204 CE 843 empress Theodora repealed Iconoclasm 867 Basil I dedicated new mosaic depicting Theotokos (mother of god) in Hagia Sohpia ~ Triumph of iconophiles demonstrated ivory carving and manuscript painting flourished w/ hinged ivory shrines(triptych/diptych) popularized for private prayer ex: Harbaville Triptych AND conscious revival of classical naturalism ex: Paris Psalter churches like at Daphni, Greece have highly decorative exterior walls and feature domes on drums above center or greek cross climax of interior mosaic programs was Pantokrator in Dome

Happenings at Ravenna

Augustus: Port of Classis est at Ravenna 5th C Barbarian invasion -> Honorius Honorius: made it his capital, Sister Galla Placidia lived there and made it center of christian art and culture 476 deposition of Romulus Augustulus: entered period of prosperity 540: take by Belisarius remaining Byz center of Italian control til 752 752 on decline 1441 on under Venetian and Papal rule

under Justinian Ravenna became

Byzantine occupation in 540 and became exarchate: provincial capital, Byzantine stronghold in Italy built Church of San Vitale marking his new control over Constantinople and Italy

during Justinian's rule

Constantinople became the artistic and political capital of the E empire great monuments were constructed his reign was referred to as the Golden Age

many outstanding works and monuments survive in

Ravenna, Italy after barbarian invasion of W empire and Ravenna, Emperor Honorius gained control over Ravenna becoming the italian center of the byzantine empire (outpost) provided evidence of artistic, religious and political relationships sister of Emperor Honorius, Galla Placidia (hence name of mausoleum) made Ravenna a center of christian art and culture during 6th C and reign of Justinian see Ravenna flourish as center of learning and arts, with great architectural production 8 key buildings ex: Church of San Vitale

one of earliest central plan churches is

Santa Costanza dedicated to Constantine's daughter Constantia who was buried there lacks transept features ambulatory: a ring shaped aisle covered by barrel vaults, encircles the building/rotunda the ambulatory surrounds the central rotunda: round room, central room of the central plan church with dome overhead

longitudinal plan church

aka rectangular basilicas have a longitudinal axis drawing guests toward the apse and altar, colonnade or arcades separating nave and side aisles direct viewer onward toward apse and altar ex: Old St Peter's Basilica features: atrium (forecourt)--> narthex (entrance porch) --> doorways (portals) leading from narthex into nave --> nave (congregational area) rows of columns (colonnades) separate high ceilinged nave from 1/2 side aisles w/ lower ceiling; nave may be raised above side aisles as well at nave end opp. narthex is apse (semi circular projection) apse is buildings focal pt where altar, raised on platform, resides may feat transept: wing crossing nave before apse rendering the building T-shaped like a cross; perpendicular to nave; yields side areas marked off by colonnades for mass preparation and offering storage when additional space exists b/w transepts and apse have a liturgical choir and plan is called a "latin cross" where arms not same length *greek cross found in central plan churches w/ equal arm length

in early christian art, christ is represented as

as a shepherd, the good shepherd guiding and protecting his sheep "believers" alternate representation was attempt to abide by prohibition against image making from the 2nd commandment against idolatry

the advent of wall mosaics was

b/w 1st and 3rd C CE

Mausoleum at Galla Placidia

built 425-50 CE plain bare exterior lightened by pilasters that meet in arches and crowned by brick dome concealed by small quadrangular tower interior lavishly decorated lower portion clad in panels of yellow marble, remainder in mosaic in W Roman architectural tradition

Hagia Sophia

built by Emperor Justinian 532-537 CE rivaled roman architecture 184' high dome on pendentives BUT seemed to float like Pantheon "suspended by golden chain from heaven" ~ heavenly realm fusion of central and longitudinal plans

5th C CE

christianity was state religion in Roman Empire artists and patrons free to showcase Christian symbols in art good shepherd was popular but transformed ~ by in tunic in early works --> young emperor in imperial attire of purple and gold and golden halo***

from the mid 4th to the early 6th century

classicizing tendencies recurred in early christian sculpture

mosaic

closed placed/spaced poly or mono chrome particles (tesserae) of near to equal size embedded in a binder early christian and byzantine art features glass as major material for wall and vault mosaics served as decorative medium on walls, floors and columns enables variety of patterns and ornamental designs to be combined/ placed adjacent to each other ~ appreciable quality use of gold tesserae in mosaics popularized during late christian and byzantine period --> solid fields of gold and gold backgrounds "heavenly realm" shapes of tesserae fairly regular as rectangles, squares, triangles or trapezoids tesserae of colored glass provided colors not found in natural stone --> reds, blues, greens tesserae of gold and silver proved important in Roman mosaics during 4th C CE thin plates of gold/silver placed b/w 2 slabs of molten glass, which yielded reflection w/ minimal light --> glowing, beautiful, mysterious effect that achieved the "heavenly realm"

Church of San Vitale

completed 547 CE fronted by large quadroportico later converted into cloister 2 stories w/ upper one encircling dome apse is semi-circular on interior and polygonal on exterior apse flanked by 2 small rectangular rooms terminating in niches and 2 semi-circular sacristies

8 buildings of the 5/6th C located in Ravenna

demonstrated artistic style combining many styles: greco-roman, christian themes and iconography, E and W styles Mausoleum of Galla Placidia* Neonian Baptistery (built over central plan) Basilica of Sant'Appolinare Nuovo* Arian Baptistery Arche Episcopal Chapel Mausoleum of Theodorich Church of San Vitale* Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe

from time of Justinian onward

domed central plan churches dom'd E world of orthodox christianity while basilican plan W

Timeline of Byzantium

early Byzantine art 324-726 CE middle Byzantine art 843-1204 CE late Byzantine art 1261-1453 CE

before the legalization of christianity

early christians met in private homes, called house churches, or the catacombs to celebrate the eucharist in hiding to evade persecution ex. of house church, domus ecclesiae, is at Dura Europos

central plan buildings

first used as tombs like pagan ancestors employed for baptisteries, martyriums or mausoleum ex: Church of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy like basilicas can have narthex, atrium, apse have vertical axis drawing viewer up and around feat: dome "vault of heaven", rotunda (round, central room w/ dome overhead), ambulatory: a ring chaped aisle covered by barrel vaults encircling the building/rotuna ex: Church of Santa Costanza (Constantine's Daughter) reminiscent of Pantheon

liturgy

form to which public christian worship conforms and is conducted

foremost feature of byzantine mosaics is

gold leaf yielding appearance of "heavenly realm" and abstract quality as opposed to roman landscape setting weightless, frontal hovering figures against gold background ~ new Byzantine aesthetic

goal of greco roman style vs byz and early christian style

greco roman goal was balance of opposing forces byz and early christian goal was immaterial space where walls and vaults like wtless shells glittering w/ mosaic --> illusion of unreality and holy realm

After Emperor Constantine triumphed over Maxentius at the Milan Bridge in 312

he issued the Edict of Milan which granted freedom from persecution to all religions; esp impacting christianity

icons play an important role in byzantine art

icons: from greek meaning "image", a panel painting of one or more sacred personages that was venerated display portraits of christ, enthroned madonnas, saints were objects of personal and public veneration the issue that they might be considered idols led to debate about their appropriateness and power

an important strategy for disseminating early christian imagery was the use of

illustrated manuscripts aka illuminated manuscripts manuscript: handwritten work in this context, a handwritten copy of the bible, or the gospels

the earliest christian art can be found

in the roman catacombs dating to 200 CE featured early christian frescoes who's value was symbolic

early christian fish and anchor symbol

means "christ" in greek means "XXΘYΣ" "Jesus Christ God Son Savior" or "icthys" Jesus' disciples were fisher of men, of souls

chrismon symbol

monogram of christ made up of greek X and P rho symbols together --> abbreviation of christ Alpha and omega are present referencing "I am the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega" from book of revelation greek alphabet inscribed w/in circle or wreath ~ symbolic of victory, like roman emperors w/ battle victory grapes present ~ wine, blood shed on cross, eucharist, Jesus referred to himself as "the vine"

byzantine artists shared many of the concerns of their early christian counterparts such as

non-naturalistic, symbolic representations

early christian monuments in Ravenna

of outstanding significance due to supreme artistry of mosaic they contain AND provide evidence of artistic and religious contact during euro cultural history

theme of the Good Shepherd

originated in agrarian societies shepherd watching flock or carrying home lamb over shoulders became powerful and positive image today seen as christian symbol greeks and romans sometimes rep'd Hermes as shepherd carrying lamb and orpheus charmed sheep w/ his music Jewish patriarchs measured wealth via herds of sheep and 1 of best known songs of King David envisions god as shepherd (Psalm 23) Jesus used such imagery in parables to make God's love understandable according to John, Jesus called himself the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep image took on belief of the beholder

Timeline of Antiquity

pre-Constantine 192-306 CE Constantine 306-337 CE Sons of Constantine up to Justinian 337-526 CE

Early Christian buildings based on 2 roman prototypes

rectangular basilicas aka longitudinal plan churches central plan building aka circular/square structures including rotundas

Ravenna

seat of Roman empire in 5th C CE seat of Byzantine Italy til 8th C CE has unique collection of early christian mosaics and monuments all 8 buildings were constructed in 5th and 6th C and show great artistic skill including greco-roman tradition, christian iconography and oriental and western styles

central plan and basilican structures are similar...

section of central plan building parallels basilican church as both have high central space w/ clerestory flanked by lower aisle

pendentives

spherical triangles system for building large scale dome atop arches vaults in form of spherical triangles that connect arches supporting dome

squinches

stone lintels placed diagonally across corners to form a continuous base for dome often supported from below by masonry built up in wedge/arch form

no clear division exists b/w early christian and byzantine art prior to

the 6th century CE

the great surviving monument from Justinian's reign is

the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople unique combo of basilica and central plan feats the earliest example of the use of pendentives: spherical triangles, system for constructing large scale domes on arches, vaults in form of spherical triangles that connect arches supporting a dome pendentives were employed to support huge domes on a monumental scale

development of byzantine art was disrupted by

the Iconoclastic Controversy 726-843 CE conflict began w/ edict from byzantine emperor Leo III in 726 CE prohibiting religious images (icons) iconoclasts: destroyers of images, took the bible too literally, opposed to graven images iconophiles: led by monks, thought christ and the/his image were inseparable, the veneration of the image was in honor of christ and therefore essentially honor and worship of him indirectly iconophiles triumphant in 843 and making of byzantine art resumed controversy caused irreparable split b/w catholicism and the orthodox faith (W and E) called the great schism churches remained united until 1054

typology

the matching or pairing of pre-christian figures, persons and symbols w/ their christian counterparts enabled smoother transition of people of other faiths to christianity

most scholars date the beginning of the byzantine style to

the reign of Justinian 526-565 CE Justinian's patronage of art displayed unity of style, setting the foundation for future byzantine art

in early church only those baptized and receiving instruction could witness mass the "mystery" of mass others could only hear catechumens

those people receiving religious instruction, not yet baptized

Sons of Constantine

up until Justinian 337-526 CE 380 Emperor Theodosius proclaimed Christianity official religion of empire 391 Emperor Theodosius banned Pagan worship 404 Emperor Honorius moved W capital to Ravenna 410 Rome fell to Visigoth King Alaric Mosaics became major vehicle for depiction of Christian themes in churches ex: extensive mosaic cycles in nave of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome ex: esp in Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna early 6th C earliest preserved manuscripts w/ old and new testament illustration ex: Vienna Genesis illuminated manuscripts became major art form of the Middle Ages late antique artists excelled producing luxury items in ivory and silver ex: tableware, boxes, triptychs decorated w/ roman and christian themes in relief

centrally planned religious buildings

used as a baptistery, mausoleum or martyrium

frescoes another important early christian decoration was

wall mosaics were highly symbolic like frescoes

early christian church

was a basilica plan church modeled after the roman basilica: atrium, narthex, nave, side aisles, colonnades or arcades separating aisles and aisles from nave, apse, clerestory, trussed wooden roof(triangular wooden support for roof) roman basilica was suitable model combining spacious interior to accomodate the masses with imperial associations that claimed status of christianity variations from roman basilica: altar placed before apse, had the added transept: separate space placed perpendicular to the nave and aisles w/ spaces marked off at the ends by columns for item preparation and church offering storage oriented with the apse pointing east in the direction of Jerusalem; also where sun rises

after the legalization of christianity, christians

were able to openly worship in public based their first church, Old St Peter's, on the Roman basilica