artid121 byzantine art
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Rome in the East: The Art of ByzantiumART ID 111 | Study of Ancient Arts
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD NYIT Center for Teaching and Learning with Technology
With modifications by Arch. Edeliza V. Macalandag, UAP
- the term commonly used to describe the artistic products of the Byzantine Empire from about the 5th century until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453.
- also used to refer to the art of Eastern Orthodox states which were contemporary with the Byzantine Empire and were culturally influenced by it, without actually being part of it (the "Byzantine commonwealth"), such as Bulgaria, Serbia, or Rus and also for the art of the Republic of Venice and Kingdom of Sicily, which had close ties to the Byzantine Empire despite being in other respects part of western European culture.
Byzantine Art (527-726)Art produced by Eastern Orthodox Christians living in the Ottoman Empire is often called "post-Byzantine." Certain artistic traditions that originated in the Byzantine Empire, particularly in regard to icon painting and church architecture, are maintained in Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, Russia and other Eastern Orthodox countries to the present day.
- the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centered on the capital of Constantinople.
- Known simply as the "Roman Empire") or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, it was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State and maintained Roman state traditions.
Byzantine EmpireByzantium is today distinguished from ancient Rome proper insofar as it was oriented towards Greek culture, characterised by Christianity rather than Roman paganism and was predominantly Greek-speaking rather than Latin-speaking.
- In 324, Constantine I founded the city Constantinople on the site of the ancient city of Byzantium to serve as the new capital of the Roman Empire.
- After the collapse of the empire in the west in the 5th century, Constantinople and the eastern portion of the empire continued to flourish artistically for another thousand years, until the 15th century when it was finally defeated and occupied by the Ottoman Turks.
Byzantine EmpireChurch and state united:
Under the rule of Justinian, Orthodox Christianity became Constantinople's only lawful religion. The Byzantine emperors were believed to be the earthly vicars of Jesus Christ, whose imperial will was God's will.
Art historians divide the history of Byzantine art into the three periods of its greatest glory:
1.Early Byzantine2.Middle Byzantine 3.Late Byzantine
Byzantine Empire The Golden Age of Justinian
A distinctive Byzantine style emerged during the reign of Justinian in the sixth century.
Justinian as world conqueror
(Barberini Ivory)
mid-6th centuryivory
1 ft. 1 1/2 in. x 10 1/2 in.
Justinian as world conqueror
(Barberini Ivory)
mid-6th centuryivory
1 ft. 1 1/2 in. x 10 1/2 in.
Saint Michael the Archangel
early-6th centuryivory
1 ft. 5 in. x 5 1/2 in.
Anthemius of Tralles & Isidorus of Miletus
Hagia Sophia
Constantinpole, (Istanbul), Turkey | 532-537
The domed church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is one of the supreme accomplishments of world architecture.
Anthemius of Tralles & Isidorus of Miletus
Hagia Sophia
Constantinpole, (Istanbul), Turkey | 532-537
Anthemius of Tralles & Isidorus of Miletus
Hagia Sophia
Constantinpole, (Istanbul), Turkey | 532-537
Anthemius of Tralles & Isidorus of Miletus
Hagia Sophia
Constantinpole, (Istanbul), Turkey | 532-537
Virgin (Theotokos) and Child enthroned
Apse mosaic, Hagia Sophia 867 | mosaic
San Vitale | Ravenna, Italy | 526-547
San Vitale
Ravenna, Italy
526-547
San Vitale | Ravenna, Italy | 526-547
Apse Mosaic
San Vitale | Ravenna, Italy | 526-547
Justinian, Bishop Maximianus and attendants
north wall apse mosaic, San Vitale | Ravenna, Italy | ca. 547 | mosaic
Theodora and attendants
south wall apse mosaic, San Vitale| Ravenna, Italy | ca. 547 | mosaic
Abraham and the Three Angels (Philoxeneos), and the Sacrifice of Isaac
north lunette mosaic, San Vitale| Ravenna, Italy | ca. 547 | mosaic
Sacrifice of Abel, Sacrifice of Melchisedech
north lunette mosaic, San Vitale| Ravenna, Italy | ca. 547 | mosaic
Sant’Apollinare in Classe
Ravenna, Italy | 533-549
Sant’Apollinare in Classe
Ravenna, Italy | 533-549
Saint Apollinaris amid sheep
Sant’Apollinare in Classe
Ravenna, Italy
533-549mosaic
Transfiguration of Jesusapse mosaic, Church of the
VirginMonastery of Saint Catherine
Mount Sinai, Egypt
ca. 565mosaic
Transfiguration of Jesusapse mosaic, Church of the Virgin | Monastery of Saint CatherineMount Sinai, Egypt | ca. 565 | mosaic
Virgin (Theotokos) and Child between Saints Theodore and
George, icon
6th or early 7th centuryencaustic on wood
2 ft. 3 in. x 1 ft. 7 3/8 in.
Anicia Juliana Between Magnanimity
and Prudence
folio 6 of the Vienna Dioskorides
from Honoratainear Constantinople
(Istanbul)
ca. 512tempera on parchment
1 ft. 3 in. x 1 ft. 11 in.
Ascension of Christ Rabbula Gospels
From Zagba, Syria
586tempera on vellum
1 ft. 1 in. x 10 1/2 in.
Katholikon and Church of the Theotokos
Hosios Loukas, Greece | Katholikon early 11th century, Church of the Theotokos, 10th century
Apse of the Katholikon
Hosios Loukas, Greece
11th century | mosaic
Dome of the Katholikon
Hosios Loukas, Greece
11th centuryfresco
Dome of the Katholikon
Hosios Loukas, Greece11th century | fresco
Nativity of Christ
Katholikon
Hosios Loukas, Greece
11th centurymosaic
Baptism of Christ
Katholikon
Hosios Loukas, Greece
11th centurymosaic
Pantocratordome mosaic
in the Church of the Dormition
Daphni, Greece
ca. 1090-1100 mosaic
Crucifixion in the Church of the
Dormition
Daphni, Greece
ca. 1090-1100 mosaic
Saint Mark’s Cathedral
Venice, Italy
begun 1063
Saint Mark’s Cathedral
Venice, Italy | begun 1063
interior of Saint Mark’s Cathedral
Venice, Italy | ca. 1180 | mosaic
Anastasis From west
vault of Saint
Mark’s Cathedral
Venice, Italy ca. 1180 mosaic
Pala d’Orofrom Saint Mark’s Cathedral
Venice, Italy
ca. 1105gold cloisonné with precious stones
Archangel | Pala d’Oro from Saint Mark’s Cathedral
Venice, Italy | ca. 1105 | gold cloisonné with precious stones
ApseCathedral at Monreale
Monreale, Sicily, Italy
ca. 1180-1190 mosaic
PantocratorCathedral at
Monreale
Monreale, Sicily, Italy
ca. 1180-1190 mosaic
Theotokos and Child, angels and saintsCathedral at Monreale
Monreale, Sicily, Italy
ca. 1180-1190 | mosaic
Hodegetria, icon (front)
ca. 1150-1200tempera on wood
Hodegetria, icon (back)
ca. 1150-1200tempera on wood
Hodegetria, icon | ca. 1150-1200 | tempera on wood
Christ enthroned
with Saints(Harbaville
Triptych)
ca. 950 | ivory | 9 1/2 in. x 5 1/2 in. high
David composing the Psalms
Paris Psalter
ca. 950-970tempera on vellum
14 1/8 in. x 10 1/4 in.
Israelites’ Flight from Egypt
Paris Psalter
ca. 950-970tempera on vellum
14 1/8 in. x 10 1/4 in.
Anastasis (Ressurection)apse fresco in parekklision of the Church of Christ in Chora
Constantinpole, (Istanbul), Turkey | ca. 1310-1320 | fresco
Christ as Savior of Souls, icon
early 14th centurytempera, linen and silver on wood3 ft. 1/4 in. x 2 ft. 2 1/2 in.
Annunciation, reverse of 2-sided icon
early 14th centurytempera and linen on wood3 ft. 1/4 in. x 2 ft. 2 3/2 in.
Annunciation, obverse of 2-sided icon
early 14th centurytempera, linen and silver on wood 3 ft. 1/4 in. x 2 ft. 2 3/2 in.
Virgin (Theotokos) and Child, icon
Late 11th to early 12th centurytempera on wood
2 ft. 6 1/2 in. x 1 ft. 9 in.
Andrei RublyevThree Angels, icon
ca. 1410tempera on wood
4 ft. 8 in. x 3 ft. 9 in.
Iconostasis
A wall of icons between the sanctuary and the knavea in an Eastern Orthodox church
- Themes:
- Religious
- Imperial
- Partly a result of the pious and autocratic nature of Byzantine society, and partly a result of its economic structure: the wealth of the empire was concentrated in the hands of the church and the imperial office, which therefore had the greatest opportunity to undertake monumental artistic commissions.
- Mosaics were more central to Byzantine culture than to that of Western Europe. Byzantine church interiors were generally covered with golden mosaics. Mosaic art flourished in the Byzantine Empire from the 6th to the 15th centuries.
The Byzantine Aesthetic
- The most salient feature of this new aesthetic was its “abstract,” or anti-naturalistic character. If classical art was marked by the attempt to create representations that mimicked reality as closely as possible, Byzantine art seems to have abandoned this attempt in favor of a more symbolic approach.
- “Minor” or “luxury” arts (i.e. ivories, steatites, enamels, jewelry, metalwork, ceramics, etc.) were produced in large number throughout the Byzantine era. Many of these were also religious in nature, although a large number of objects with secular or non-representational decoration were produced: for example, ivories representing themes from classical mythology, and ceramics decorated with figures that may derive from the Akritic epics.
The Byzantine Aesthetic
IMPORTANT GENRES
-Icon
- an image of Christ, the Virgin, or a saint, used as an object of veneration in Orthodox churches and private homes alike.
-Illumination of manuscripts*
- most ommonly illustrated texts were religious, both scripture itself (particularly the Psalms) and devotional or theological texts (such as the Ladder of Divine Ascent of John Climacus or the homilies of Gregory of Nazianzus)
- secular texts were also illuminated: important examples include the Alexander Romance and the history of John Skylitzes.
The Byzantine Aesthetic*An illuminated manuscript is a manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration, such as decorated initials, borders (marginalia) and miniature illustrations.
In the most strict definition of the term, an illuminated manuscript only refers to manuscripts decorated with gold or silver, but in both common usage and modern scholarship, the term is now used to refer to any decorated or illustrated manuscript from the Western traditions.
IMPORTANT GENRES
-Acheiropoieta (Byzantine Greek: αχειροποίητα, "made without hand"; singular acheiropoieton) — also called Icons Made Without Hands (and variants) — are a particular kind of icon which are alleged to have come into existence miraculously, not created by a human painter. Invariably these are images of Jesus or the Virgin Mary. The most notable examples are, in the Eastern church the Image of Edessa or Mandylion, and in the West, the Veil of Veronica and the Shroud of Turin.
The Byzantine AestheticSuch images functioned as powerful relics as well as icons, and their images were naturally seen as especially authoritative as to the true appearance of the subject. Like icons believed to be painted from the live subject, they therefore acted as important references for other images in the tradition. They therefore were copied on an enormous scale, and the belief that such images existed, and authenticated certain facial types, played an important role in the conservatism of the Byzantine tradition.
HIGHLIGHTS
-Encompasses two periods in the history of the Byzantine Empire when Emperors, backed by imperially-appointed leaders and councils of the Orthodox Church imposed a ban on religious images or icons.
-The "First Iconoclasm", as it is sometimes called, lasted between about 730 and 787, when a change on the throne reversed the ban.
-The "Second Iconoclasm" was between 814 and 842.
-Iconoclasm has generally been motivated by an Old Covenant interpretation of the Ten Commandments, which forbid the making and worshipping of "graven images", see also Biblical law in Christianity.
The Byzantine IconoclasmIconoclasm, Greek for "image-breaking", is the deliberate destruction within a culture of the culture's own religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually for religious or political motives. People who engage in or support iconoclasm are called iconoclasts, a term that has come to be applied figuratively to any person who breaks or disdains established dogmata or conventions.
Sources
• http://www.wadsworth.com/art_d/templates/student_resources/0155050907_kleiner/studyguide/ch12/ch12_1.html
• http://websites.swlearning.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20b&product_isbn_issn=0155050907&discipline_number=436
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_art • Art Through the Ages, 12th/11th ed., Gardner