1. Byzantine Art Early Byzantine 500-726 (Iconoclastic Controversy)
Middle/High Byzantine (Medieval Crusades)
Late Byzantine (Ottoman Conquest)

2. Main Ideas of Byzantine Art
Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire – lasted nearly 1000 years beyond the Western Roman Empire
Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) was the seat of the Eastern Roman Empire once established by Constantine – very affluent from trade
Byzantine Empire assisted in the spread of the orthodox Christian religion throughout eastern Europe
Can be broken into two artistic traditions: classical Roman and hieratic medieval (sometimes both styles are used in one artwork)
Patronage: church and state (one in the same)
Byzantine Empire known for: mosaics, icons, manuscript illumination
Architectural innovations: pendentives and squinches
Greek-speaking culture

3. Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus, HAGIA SOPHIA, Istanbul, 535. Combination of central and axial plans (see next slide); dome supported by pendentives with windows at base of dome; interior had huge mosaics of gold; minarets added in Islamic period (started as church, then turned into mosque); patrons were Emperor Justinian and EmpressTheodora
Early Byzantine

4. Groundplan of Hagia Sophia

5. Interior of Hagia Sophia
Windows at base of dome
Pendentive
Flat wall
Four medallions added in Islamic period
Apse
Tiny people

6. San Vitale, Ravenna, 530. Eight-sided church, large windows let in light;

7. Monastary Churches, Hosios Loukas, Greece, 10th-11th Centuries Squinches support a dome with windows; decorative stonework forms interplay of horizontal and vertical elements, holes in window areas create a mysterious feeling; sparkling mosaics inside; delicate arches inside

8. The squinch who stole wall space…

9. Middle (high) Byzantine
Interior, St. Mark’s Cathedral, 11th Century, Venice, Italy 5 domes placed in a cross pattern; very spot on the walls is covered in mosaics of gold with weightless (no groundline) figures; less open than Hagia Sophia (more compartmentalized); prominent iconostasis separates apse from nave; relics of St. Mark inside church
Middle (high) Byzantine

10. Late Byzantine
St. Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow, Commissioned by Ivan the Terrible,

11. Archangel Michael, icon, 10th-11th century, silver gilt with enamel, 19 x 14”. Designed to be handled as a reminder of faith.

12. ?

13. Theodora and Attendants, mosaic from San Vitale, Ravenna, 547
Theodora and Attendants, mosaic from San Vitale, Ravenna, 547. Wife of Justinian (they were also the patrons of the Hagia Sophia); flattened and weightless figures; three magi on her robe (which is purple…why?).

14. Manuscript Illumination

15. David Composing the Psalms (from the Paris Psalter), tempura on vellum, Classical style, muscular bodies contrast with stiff drapery; balanced color and composition; curvilinear

16. Andrei Rublev, Old Testament Trinity, tempura on wood, 1410, Moscow
Andrei Rublev, Old Testament Trinity, tempura on wood, 1410, Moscow. Old testament angels compare to the holy trinity. Mirror image poses, faces not individualized, gold spaceless background

17. Classical or medieval style?
Saint Michael the Archangel, 6th century, ivory, British Museum, London. One side of diptych, Roman hairstyle, classical drapery; folds in robe; notice the wings; imperial imagery (orb & sceptor; odd placement of feet; body beneath drapery
Classical or medieval style?

18. Harbaville Triptyich, ivory, 950, Louvre
Harbaville Triptyich, ivory, 950, Louvre. Heads are individualized; hieretic composition; angels in medallions; crisp and delicate carving; labeled with names (very medieval); some hands covered as sign of respect