Middle Ages:

The Reign of Religion The Dark Ages-truly anything but dark!!

What do we know about?

Egypt, Greece, Rome

Emperors

Empires

Religious practices

People’s focus

Purpose of art

Background of Roman Empire

◦ Declining Power of Rome (West)

Transfer of the capitol of the Roman Empire from

Rome in the west to city of Byzantium in the

eastern provinces.

In CE 330, the emperor Constantine I dedicated his

new capital, which was renamed Constantinople, in

the Eastern Roman Empire.

This move marked the beginning of the long history

of the Byzantine Empire.

Background, cont.

Western section of the Roman Empire was marked

by weakness and decline

Invaders from the north came down to overrun the

once-powerful Western Roman Empire.

In 410, king of the Visigoths, took Rome, and

invasions followed.

By end of 5th century CE, the Western Empire had

come to an end

Roman Republic 510BC-40 BC

Roman Empire 20AD-360AD

Western Roman Empire

405AD-480AD

Eastern Roman Empire 405AD-

480AD

Spain

France

Italy

Rome

What we will see….

Roman Empire was divided between Rome

and Byzantium (later named Constantinople)

Christianity was illegal but practiced anyway

Christians hid and drew pictures with symbols

Realism is no longer emphasized

Emphasis shifted from the here-and–now to

the hereafter

Body as beautiful to body as corrupt

Early Christian Art 100-300 CE

Christ portrayed as good shepherd

Art in Quest of Salvation

Early Christian and Byzantine Art

The birth of the Christian Church became a

new source of power.

Roman emperors were replaced by popes.

Church’s influence spread to touch on every

aspect of life-especially the visual arts.

Early Christian Art

For many years, the Christian religion

was not legal throughout the Roman

Empire

Result was much hardship and

persecution for its many followers

In 313 CE, Christianity was made legal

when emperor Constantine signed the

Edict of Milan

Early Christian art

◦ Pictures with hidden Christian meanings were

being painted

◦ Paintings found on stone walls of narrow

underground passageways called catacombs

◦ Passageways were used as places to hold

religious services and bury their dead.

◦ Catacombs grew into a maze of tunnels

◦ These catacombs were privately owned by

rich Roman citizens

◦ The views of early Christians set them apart

from those who believed in Roman religion

Catacombs (Underground passageways and Tunnels)

pictures of animals, birds, and plants

Christian Beliefs

◦ Christ is the savior of all people

◦ Christians hoped to join Him in heaven after

death as a reward for following his teachings

◦ They had little interest in gaining fame and

fortune in the world-instead sought an eternal

reward in the form of life after death

Characteristics of Christian Art

Paintings

◦ showed little interest in the beauty, grace and

strength of the human body (which was so

important to Greek and Roman artists)

Purpose of Early Christian painting

◦ illustrate the power and glory of Christ

◦ tell, as clearly as possible, the story of Christ's life

on earth

◦ portray Christ’s life story as the model for people

to follow as the surest way to attain salvation

Symbolism in Early Christian Painting

Christian artists used

symbols as a kind of code

Familiar figures or signs were used to represent something else

Catacomb paintings are filled with images of animals, birds, and plants-just like Roman art

Symbols

In Christian art the images symbolized different Christian ideas

Bird (goldfinch) ate thistles and thorns-reminded them of Christ’s crown of thorns-became symbol of Christ’s death

Shepherd-symbol of Christ leading his flock (followers)

Dog-symbol of faithfulness because of its watchfulness and loyalty

Ivy-symbol of eternal life because it is always green

1. Great circle-heaven

2. Cross-Christ’s death and resurrection

3. Good Shepherd-Christ/one willing to lay down his life for them, his flock

4. Sheep-faithful followers

5. Lamb-people who need additional help on the difficult road to salvation

6. Jonah and the Whale-God’s protection

7. Hands raised-members of church pleading to God for assistance and mercy

1.

2

3

4

5

6

Concern for

realism in

Roman art

replaced with

concern for

making

understandable

symbols

Image Characteristics

Not realistic

Little or no depth

Main interest was in illustrating the

Christian story so that followers could

“read” it easily and meditate on its

meaning

Roman Empire-East and West

Fall of Rome (west) marks the beginning of Middle Ages-5th century

250 AD Order of 1st Persecution of Christians

313 AD Constantine ends persecution and recognizes

Christian Church

395 AD Empire divided into Western and Eastern with

Milano (west) and Constantinople (east) capitals

402 AD West empire moves capital from Milano to

Ravenna

Eastern Empire lasted until 1453 (marks the beginning of the Renaissance)

Roman Empire fell around 410

Roman Empire Divides into East and

West

(Byzantium)

(West) Roman

Empire

(East) Byzantine Empire

West vs. East

Art in the west reflected Roman

characteristics

Art in the east took on a look of its own-

influenced by Greek, Roman and Eastern

cultures

Both changes took place at the same time

Islam religion also emerged in the east-

which began in Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Basilicas

◦ Once Christianity was legalized, it spread

rapidly across the entire Roman Empire

◦ Christians were free to practice their faith

openly

◦ A new kind of building was needed for the

large numbers of worshipers

◦ Christians borrowed a floor plan idea from a

common Roman public , secular building: the

Basilica

Basilica idea was good because:

Floor plan was long

Large enough to

hold many

worshipers

Secular, public

Roman use (town

hall, court of law)

so no ties to

Roman pagan gods

column

Christian Churches

Intended as retreats from the real world

Place for deeply spiritual event

Plain exterior to resemble plain outward appearance of Christian attitude

Campanile (bell tower) added-but still plain and simple exterior

Sant’ Apollinare en Classe

Ravenna, Italy. 533-549

Church Interior-contrast

◦ As in the Roman basilica, rows of columns divided the huge space into a main corridor(NAVE), narrower aisles on either side of the nave separated by a row of columns called a colonnade, and an apse where the altar was placed

◦ Floor plan served as the basic model for church architecture in western Europe for centuries

St. Apollinare en Classe, Ravenna, Italy

Notice the long nave, the colonnade, and side aisles and the apse at the end

Mosaics

Walls were richly decorated

with mosaics

A mosaic is a decoration

made with small pieces of

glass and stone set in cement

Light from windows and

candles caused the mosaics

to flicker and glow

Mosaics decorated the walls

Picture of St

Apollinare

Pictured as shepherd

of flock

First time anyone

other than Christ in

the apse decoration

Byzantine Art

Growth of Byzantine Culture; Art of the East

330-1453

East vs. West

After the eastern capital was established in Constantinople (Byzantium) in 330 CE the Roman Empire functioned as two separate sections, East and West

Each section had its own emperor

West -emperor gradually lost power, the

Emperors gradually lost their influence and

prestige

After a long struggle, the Western Roman Empire

fell to the barbarian invaders

As the emperor lost power, the Church, governed

by the popes, assumed its place as the central

authority in the West

East-Byzantine Culture

◦ Remained unified and strong for 1000 years

◦ Now called the Byzantine Empire

◦ City of Constantinople soon became the largest city in the medieval world

East Empire

Great cultural center with grand public buildings and art treasures

In Constantinople, Roman, Greek, and Eastern influences were blended to produce rich and brilliant art

This art glorified the Christian religion and served the needs of the Church

Set the standard for artistic excellence in western Europe until the twelfth century

Byzantine Architecture

Churches

◦ Preferred a central plan (instead of the basilica

floor plan as in the West)

Eastern Roman Empire

Hagia Sophia,Istanbul, Turkey

532-537

100’ dome

Hagia Sophia-Floor Plan

◦ Built in the 6th C. by the emperor Justinian

◦ Central floor plan

◦ Mixture of Roman engineering skill with Greek balanced proportions

◦ Holds a 100 foot dome (think of the Pantheon in Rome)

◦ Dome is supported by 4 massive piers (vertical pillars)

◦ Pier supports made it possible to build thinner walls and add more windows to light the interior

Interior of Hagia Sophia

Built as a

church,

then used

as a

mosque

(added

minarets)

now is a

museum

Mosaics

were

covered

with plaster

for Islamic

faith, but

now

uncovered

Interior: Mosaics

Stone walls are decorated with gold, silver,

ivory, and gems

Bright colors and large images needed to

be seen from great distances

Mosaics became trademark of Byzantine

churches

Meaning of Virgin and Child Mosaic

◦ Left is emperor Justinian carrying a small church ◦ Right is emperor Constantine bearing

a small city ◦ Virgin (Mary, mother of Jesus) in

center ◦Meaning: emperors are proclaiming the

loyalty and dedication of church and state to the Virgin and Child ◦ Gold background symbolizes a divine

setting

Emperor Justinian

After Roman Empire fell, the emperor

from the east, Justinian, wanted to re-take

control of Italy

He managed to re-gain control

Moved capital from Rome to Ravenna in

northern Italy-a quiet, safe, harbor town

He brought eastern styles with

him…seen in San Vitale-a church he

ordered built

San Vitale Design

Floor plan

◦ Central plan-but octagonal

◦ Plain exterior

◦ Highly decorated inside with mosaics

Central plan in the west

San Vitale Mosaics

◦ The Apse

Christ flanked by angels introducing St. Vitalis

(L) and Ecclesius with a model of the church

Justinian and Attendants

Justinian is seen with the archbishop, deacons, soldiers, and

attendants

Bodies of most important people overlap those of the

lesser ones

Archbishop places his leg in front of the emperor’s cloak,

perhaps to show that in spiritual matters the archbishop

was the leader of all people, including the emperor

Theodora and Attendants

◦ On the opposite wall, facing the emperor and his

party, are his wife, the empress Theodora, and her

attendants

◦ Dressed in magnificent robes and wears imperial

crown

◦ Halo on her head is similar to the emperor’s

symbolizing their virtue and innocence, and

proclaiming they are marked for future sainthood

Mosaic Characteristics ◦ Not realistic or

naturalistic

◦ Stylized: flat, stiff, abstract and formal.

◦ Gold background

◦ Purpose: religious lessons, NOT beauty and grace

◦ Pictures intended to be simple and clear

◦ Reminded common people that everyone-even members of the highest royalty-had to pay homage to God in order to gain salvation