ART HISTORY TEST TWO - ERAS

Early Christianity

- During the 3rd and 4th centuries many people began to reject polytheism (belief in multiple gods) in favor of monotheism (the worship of a single all-powerful god) - The crucifixion was rarely depicted in Early Christian art - Artists emphasized Jesus' life as a teacher and miracle work, not his suffering and death at the hands of the Romans. - Very little is known of early Christian art - What we do know is that of which we have from the earliest preserved artworks having Christian subjects - The persecution of the Christians ended when Constantine embraced the Christian god as a source of his power rather than a threat to it. - 313 Constantine establishes the Edict of Milan which establishes Christianity as a legal religion with equal or superior standing to the traditional Roman cults.

Late Gothic

- Gothic was a term of ridicule created to describe late medieval art and architecture - Attributed to the Goths and regarded as "monstrous and barbarous" - Similar to medieval art, modern historians view this art and form of architecture as a high point whereas artists of the time viewed it as ugly and crude. - The birthplace of Gothic architecture was the abbey of Saint Denis (Dionysius) - Stain glass windows became a phenomenon because during this period the most important features were light and space, the stain glass helped create these to effects.

Early Medieval

- Once referred to as the Dark Ages - Period of a thousand years 400-1400 between the Roman Empire's official adoption of Christianity and the rebirth of classical art - Viewed as a blank between classical antiquity and the beginning of modern Europe - Early Medieval art was a fusion of the classical heritage of Rome's northwestern provinces, the cultures of the non-Romans in the Alps, and Christianity. - The term medieval definitely carried a negative connotation meaning unsophisticated or inferior back then however Modern scholars view medieval art as quite the opposite.

Romanesque

- Romanesque is a regional term invented to describe medieval art and architecture that appeared "Roman-like." - Certain aspects of architecture resembled that of Roman architecture: For example, barrel and groin vaults based on the round arch - Roughly designated to the period between 1050 and 1200 - Construction of churches became almost an obsession - The Romanesque Church Portal: Tympanum: the prominent semicircular lunette above the doorway proper Voussoirs: the wedge shaped blocks that together form the archivolts of the arch framing the tympanum Lintel: the horizontal beam above the doorway Trumeau: the center post supporting the lintel in the middle of the doorway Jambs: the side posts of the doorway

Roman Era

- Rome almost invariably conjures images of power and grandeur, of mighty armies and fearsome gladiators, of marble cities and far-flung roads. - First time a single government ruled over as many cities - Known as the "eternal city" Rome was the capital of the greatest empire of the world - Spanned 3 continents and its art was the most conspicuous and numerous of any ancient civilization - No government ever used art more effectively as a political tool - In fact, it is quite similar to that of modern day political campaigns - caput mundi: the head capital of the world - Imperial Rome was a densely populated metropolis crowded with: - Temples - Forum - Theatres - Bathing complexes - Triumphal Arches - 509 CE the Romans established a constitutional government or republic

Early Renaissance

- The Renaissance is the period of the rebirth of classical values in art and life. - Popularized the use of oil paints on wood panels - By superimposing translucent glazes, painters could create richer colors than possible using tempera or fresco - The greatest center of Renaissance art was in Florence, home of the Medici - some of the most ambitious art patrons in history.

Byzantine

- The period when Constantine died and Constantinople collapsed and became Rome. - Byzantine emperors called themselves the "earthly vicars of Jesus Christ." - Their will was God's will - They exercised the ultimate spiritual and temporal authority - Sole executives for Church and State - Shared power with neither the senate nor church council - Reigned supreme : combining church and state - Exalted position made them quasi-divine Byzantine Art is divided into 3 periods - Early Byzantine From the founding of Constantinople in 324 to the onset of iconoclasm in 726 under Emperor Leo III Iconoclasm is the destruction of images used in religious worship. - Middle Byzantine Begins with the renunciation of iconoclasm 843 and ends with the Western Crusaders' occupation of Constantinople in 1204 - Late Byzantine Corresponds to the two centuries after the Byzantines recaptured Constantinople in 1261 until its final loss to the Ottoman Turks in 1453

High Renaissance and Mannerism in Europe

- The quarter between 1495 and 1519 - Mannerism: styled, cultured, elegant - One major them with mannerism is artifice - Artifice is the sense that art is not natural but something formed from human hands. - Artists like Leonardo and Raphael would conceal the artifice through perspective to make their works look much more naturalistic whereas, - Mannerist artists would consciously reveal the nature of their artwork - Filled with ambiguous space and departures from expected conventions, along with unique presentations of traditional themes