Christian & Byzantine Art

Historical Background A.D. 313: Emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. Edict of Milan Constantine had a vision of a cross & a voice told him “In this sign, you shall conquer.” He converted to Christianity.

St. Helena led an archeological expedition to the Holy Land. People are now interested in the life of Christ. From this point, Christianity will influence art, literature, poetry. The emperor Diocletian divided the empire in A.D –Western Empire: Rome is the capital –Eastern Empire: Constantinople is the capital.

In 1054, there is the Great Schism –Christian church divides itself into the western branch centered around Rome; this becomes Roman Catholicism. –The eastern branch is centered around Constantinople; it becomes the Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The art of each branch will develop differently. BUT, purpose will be the same—to educate the illiterate about the life of Christ and the teachings of the church.

Early Christian Art The earliest Christian art can be found in the catacombs of Rome. –Narrow underground passageways –Early Christians would hold secret religious ceremonies here and bury their dead. –Some were decorated with primitive-looking drawings & diagrams from the life of Christ. –These early artists relied heavily on symbols; it was illegal to be Christian in these days.

The symbols were codes for Christian teachings. Popular symbols included –Fish –Shepherd –Animals (lamb & goat) –Goldfinch –Peacock –Dog –Crucifix Simplicity was the most important concept for these artists; realism was not their objective.

Basilica Christian interpretation of the Roman design. Large spacious buildings that the Romans had used for their public meeting halls. It was practical since it could hold large numbers of people crowding into worship. The early builders made no attempt to imitate the grandeur of Roman temples.

The Christian basilicas were simple on the outside especially when compared to Roman temples. A later addition was the campanile, which is the bell tower. Unlike the Roman basilica, the Christian one had an entrance at one end & a single apse at the opposite end. The apse contained the altar where the priest celebrated the Mass.

Houses of Mystery The interior of the basilicas was decorated with mosaics. Mosaics were decorations made with small pieces of glass & stone set in cement. Used on the walls instead of the floors, like in the Roman villas. Light would make them flicker & glow mysteriously which gave them an unearthly appearance.

Byzantine Culture As the Western Roman Empire declined in importance, the eastern half continued to thrive. This Byzantine empire would thrive for another thousand years. The capital was Constantinople; it would become the center of culture & art in the Medieval period. The treasure of the city was the Hagia Sophia.

Hagia Sophia means “Holy Wisdom.” Central plan basilica Built in the sixth century by the Emperor Justinian to replace an older church that was built by Constantine. Not designed by architects, but rather two Greek math experts. After the Muslims captured the city, this church was turned into a mosque & the mosaics were either destroyed or painted over. The Muslims also built minarets around the perimeter.

Today, the secular government of Turkey has declared it a museum to both the Christian & Islamic faiths They are restoring the damage done to the Christian mosaics in order to attract tourists to visit the holy site. The plan of the building is quite impressive. The dome is almost 100 feet across & is 31 feet higher than the dome of the Pantheon (175 feet high.)

The dome of the Hagia Sophia rests on four huge piers which support arches made of cut stone. Thinner walls & more windows give light to the interior of the church. Creates the illusion of lighter weight. There is a row of windows around the base of the dome.

Central Pier

Mosaics in Hagia Sophia The walls of the church were decorated with stone & marble brought from Egypt & Italy. These were decorated with gold, silver, ivory, & gems. The piers were decorated with red & green marble. Walls were decorated with brilliant murals & gleaming mosaics.

The mosaics had to be big & brightly colored so they could be seen from great distances. These brightly colored mosaics became the trademark of Byzantine churches. Told the story of Christianity from the Old & New Testament. They also showed the connection of the church & state. After being conquered by the Ottomans, the church became the imperial mosque of the Ottoman rulers. They covered over the mosaics with plaster.

Iconoclasm One of the most important forms of Byzantine art is the iconicon –ICON: an image of Christ, the Virgin (particularly the Virgin and Child), or a saint, used as an object of veneration in Orthodox churches and private homes. In the original Greek, the word for "image" (imago, Latin) is "icon." In 730 Emperor Leo III banned the use of images of Jesus, Mary, and the saints.730Leo III

This inaugurated the Iconoclastic period which lasted, with interruptions, until Iconoclasm is the destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually for religious or political motives.religious iconsreligious LeoIII forbade the worship of religious images which did not apply to other forms of art, including the image of the emperor, or even religious symbols such as the cross. The ban was lifted in 843.

More about Icons The Byzantines also lost interest in the realistic depiction of actual people. Since no-one knew what Christ, the saints and the martyrs actually looked like, ideal images were used to portray them. Byzantine art was to educate people about the one true religion rather than using it for the production of pagan idols.

Producing art for the gratification of personal vanity and sensual pleasure, as the ancients had done was no longer the motivation for artists. The classical artist strove to depict physical perfection in the human form. The Byzantine artist sought to depict the inner or spiritual nature of his subjects. To this end simplification and stylization were perfectly acceptable.

Specific Subjects of Icons Christ Pantocrator: Christ, Ruler of All Theotokos: title of Mary, the Mother of Jesus Anastasius: the Resurrection Panagia: “All Holy” another title for Mary, the Mother of Jesus Threnos: Lamentation over the dead body of Christ

Christ Pantocrator Panagia

Anastasius Theotokos

Changes in Art The most profound of these was that the humanist ethic of Ancient Greek art was replaced by a Christian ethic. humanistChristian If the purpose of classical art was the glorification of man, the purpose of Byzantine art was the glorification of God, and particularly of his son, Jesus.GodJesus But the triumph of Christianity brought with it a sexual conservatism derived from its roots in Judaism, and the nude was banished from its dominant position in art. Judaism

In place of the nude, the figures of God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the saints and martyrs of Christian tradition were elevated, and became the dominant focus of Byzantine art.Virgin Mary saintsmartyrs Artistic forms characteristic of Byzantine art began to develop in the Roman Empire as early as the 4th century, as the classical tradition declined in vitality and eastern influences were more widely felt. Eastern influences = Oriental & later Islamic; plus Persian & the Middle East.

The rise of Islam had important consequences for Byzantine art.Islam Many Christians came to accept the Islamic view that the depiction of the human form was blasphemous.

The End of Byzantine Art Eight hundred years of continuous Byzantine culture were brought to an abrupt end in 1204 with the sacking of Constantinople by the knights of the Fourth Crusade1204Fourth Crusade Although the Byzantines recovered the city in 1261, the Empire was thereafter a small and weak state confined to the Greek peninsula and the islands of the Aegean. 1261Aegean

The Byzantine era came to an end with the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks (Muslims) in 1453.fall of ConstantinopleOttoman Turks1453 By this time the Byzantine cultural heritage had been widely diffused, carried by the spread of Orthodox Christianity, to Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania and, most importantly, to Russia.BulgariaSerbia RomaniaRussia Russia would become the center of the Orthodox world following the Ottoman conquest of the Balkans.

Important Dates A.D. 330: Constantine establishes Constantinople as his capital in the East A.D. 395: Division of the Roman Empire into Western & Eastern Empires A.D. 476: Fall of the Western Roman Empire A.D. 532: Justinian builds Hagia Sophia A.D : Iconoclasm controversy (on & off) A.D. 1054: The Great Schism divides the Christian Church into Roman & Eastern A.D. 1453: Constantinople falls to the Muslims; end of the Eastern Roman Empire.