artHiStOrY 7 : Byzantine Art
BYZANTINE ART
After the Collapse of Rome because of barbarians, there is the rise of Byzantine art during (c.330-1453). As we know Byzantine art is the name for the artistic products of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, as well as the nations and states that inherited culturally from the empire. Though the empire itself emerged from Rome's decline and lasted until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, many Eastern Orthodox states in Eastern Europe, as well as to some degree the Muslim states of the eastern Mediterranean, preserved many aspects of the empire's culture and art for centuries afterward.Byzantine art, architecture, paintings, and other visual arts produced in the Middle Ages in the Byzantine Empire (centred at Constantinople) and in various areas that came under its influence. The pictorial and architectural styles that characterized Byzantine art, first codified in the 6th century, persisted with remarkable homogeneity within the empire until its final dissolution with the capture of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453. Byzantine art is generally divided up into three distinct periods:
As we can see Apse mosaic in basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy. Built 547. A.D. UNESCO World heritage site. On mosaic from left side: St. Vitalis, archangel, Jesus Christ, second archangel and Bishop of Ravenna Ecclesius.mosaics in this 6th-century church are considered some of the greatest achievements in Byzantine art. The glittering gold scenes cover the walls and ceiling of the choir, and the style is right at the cusp between late antique Roman and Byzantine. Furthermore , Famous for its mosaics commissioned by Archbishop Maximian (546/556 AD), the basilica is a place of contemplation. While the body descends its steps the spirit rises to the Truth. A masterpiece to be admired for its evident beauty and its hidden, precise, evocative theological argument.
After the Collapse of Rome because of barbarians, there is the rise of Byzantine art during (c.330-1453). As we know Byzantine art is the name for the artistic products of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, as well as the nations and states that inherited culturally from the empire. Though the empire itself emerged from Rome's decline and lasted until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, many Eastern Orthodox states in Eastern Europe, as well as to some degree the Muslim states of the eastern Mediterranean, preserved many aspects of the empire's culture and art for centuries afterward.Byzantine art, architecture, paintings, and other visual arts produced in the Middle Ages in the Byzantine Empire (centred at Constantinople) and in various areas that came under its influence. The pictorial and architectural styles that characterized Byzantine art, first codified in the 6th century, persisted with remarkable homogeneity within the empire until its final dissolution with the capture of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453. Byzantine art is generally divided up into three distinct periods:
Early Byzantine (c. 330–750)
Middle Byzantine (c. 850–1204)
Late Byzantine (c. 1261–1453)
Middle Byzantine (c. 850–1204)
Late Byzantine (c. 1261–1453)
Byzantine art evolved significantly over the course of it's more than 1000 year run, and is now broken down into three periods. Early Byzantine (c. 330–750), saw a departure from the naturalism of Roman art, and a fixation of the heavenly. Flat-faced saints float on gilded ethereal backgrounds. Middle Byzantine (c. 850–1204) was heavily influenced by the beginnings of Russian Orthodox Christianity, and economic prosperity encouraged more elaborate architecture and decorative objects. Late Byzantine (c. 1261–1453) was a twilight time for the Byzantine empire, after the invasion of European crusaders damaged trade and infrastructure. Byzantine painting specialized in mosaics, icons, and manuscript
illumination.it has 2 traditions: one reflecting the classical past, and a
second interested in a hieratic medieval style, often in the same work.Byzantine
Architects invented the pendentive and squinch for buildings known for their
mysterious and shadowy interiors.Church and state were united, and many works of art were
commissioned by both. Buildings were crowded with religious works, strong court
developed around the royal household.Individual artists worked with piety,
rarely signed their names.
Innovations in Byzantine Architecture ,it was invented the pendentive
for the Hagia Sophia and later Byzantine architects also invented the squinch,
a variation of the pendentive that can take many forms.Characteristics of
Byzantine Architecture Not known for its size,plain exteriors made of brick and
concrete,in Middle and Late periods, provocative colors of brick, stone, and
marble,small domes,interiors marked with colored marbles, mosaics, frescoes,domes
are low,small floor space,vertical emphasis and interior arches. Furthermore innovations
in Byzantine Painting the most characteristic work of Byzantine Art is the
Icon, a religious devotional image usually of portable size hanging in places
of honor either at home or in a religious institution.
Characteristics of Byzantine Painting. avoids nudity,jewel-like manuscripts,interiors
of churches covered in mosaics with tesserae made of gold, colored stones, and
glass. byzantine ensembles are arranged in hierarchal order, with Jesus
being the largest,purple as royal color, sometimes worn by Jesus,standard
facial types, no attempt at individualism, long thin noses, short closed
mouths,most paintings have flattened backgrounds, often with just a single
layer of gold to symbolize an eternal space. Finally , characteristics of Byzantine Sculpture,avoided
large-scale sculpture, unlike Greece and Rome and preferred working with ivory
or precious metals.
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| Bishop Ecclesius, Church of San Vitale ( AD 525)., Ravenna , Italy |
As we can see Apse mosaic in basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy. Built 547. A.D. UNESCO World heritage site. On mosaic from left side: St. Vitalis, archangel, Jesus Christ, second archangel and Bishop of Ravenna Ecclesius.mosaics in this 6th-century church are considered some of the greatest achievements in Byzantine art. The glittering gold scenes cover the walls and ceiling of the choir, and the style is right at the cusp between late antique Roman and Byzantine. Furthermore , Famous for its mosaics commissioned by Archbishop Maximian (546/556 AD), the basilica is a place of contemplation. While the body descends its steps the spirit rises to the Truth. A masterpiece to be admired for its evident beauty and its hidden, precise, evocative theological argument.
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