Lesson 1 (Chapter 13)

Early Christian, Byzantine, and Islamic Art

I. Background of Roman Empire

a. Declining Power of Rome (West)

i. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly what brought about the decline of the great Roman Empire.

ii. Transfer of the capitol of the Roman Empire from Rome in the west to the site of the ancient

Greek city of Byzantium in the eastern provinces.

iii. 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.

iv. Western section of the Roman Empire was marked by weakness and decline

v. Invaders from the north came down to overrun the once-powerful Western Roman Empire.

vi. In 410, king of the Visigoths, took Rome, and wave after wave of barbarian invasions followed.

vii. By end of 5th century CE, the Western Empire had come to an end, and the barbarian kingdom of

the Middle Ages took its place.

b. (Lesson 1) Early Christian and Byzantine Art

i. The birth of the Christian Church became a new source of power.

ii. Roman emperors were replaced by popes.

iii. Church’s influence spread to touch on every aspect of life-especially the visual arts.

c. Early Christian Art

i. For many years, the Christian religion was not legal throughout the Roman Empire

ii. Result was much hardship and persecution for its many followers

iii. In 313 CE, Christianity was made legal when emperor Constantine signed the Edict of Milan

i. Pictures with hidden Christian meanings were being painted

ii. Paintings found on stone walls of narrow underground passageways called catacombs

iii. Passageways were used as places to hold religious services and bury their dead.

iv. Catacombs grew into a maze of tunnels

v. These catacombs were privately owned by rich Roman citizens

vi. The views of early Christians set them apart from those who believed in Roman religion

vii. Catacombs of Pricilla in Rome

B. Beliefs

i. Christ is the savior of all people

ii. Christians hoped to join Him in heaven after death as a reward for following his teachings

iii. They had little interest in gaining fame and fortune in the world-instead sought an eternal

reward in the form of life after death

C. Characteristics of early Christian Art

i. Paintings-showed little interest in the beauty, grace and strength of the human body (which was

so important to Greek and Roman artists)

ii. Purpose of Early Christian painting

a. to illustrate the power and glory of Christ

b. tell, as clearly as possible, the story of Christ's life on earth

c. portray Christ’s life story as the model for people to follow as the surest way to attain

salvation

iii. Symbolism in Early Christian painting

a. Christian artists used symbols as a kind of code

b. Familiar figures or signs were used to represent something else

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

art

d. In Christian art the images symbolized different Christian ideas

1. Bird (goldfinch) ate thistles and thorns-reminded them of Christ’s crown of

thorns-became symbol of Christ’s death

2. Shepherd-symbol of Christ leading his flock (followers)

3. Dog-symbol of faithfulness because of its watchfulness and loyalty

4. Ivy-symbol of eternal life because it is always green

e. Image characteristics

1. Not realistic

2. Little or no depth

3. Main interest was in illustrating the Christian story so that followers could

“read” it easily and meditate on its meaning

Byzantine Empire (527-1453)

Background

A. East vs. West

i. Art in the west reflected Roman characteristics

ii. Art in the east took on a look of its own-influenced by Greek, Roman and Eastern cultures

iii. Both changes took place at the same time

iv. Islam religion also emerged in the east-which began in Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Architecture

B. Basilicas

i. Once Christianity was legalized, it spread rapidly across the entire Roman Empire

ii. Christians were free to practice their faith openly

iii. A new kind of building was needed for the large numbers of worshipers

iv. Christians borrowed a floor plan idea from a common Roman public, secular building: the

Basilica

v. Christian builders selected the basilica as a good model because:

a. Floor plan was long

b. Large enough to hold many worshipers

c. Secular, public Roman use (town hall, court of law) so no ties to Roman pagan gods

d. Christian churches

1. Intended as retreats from the real world

2. Place for deeply spiritual event

3. Plain exterior to resemble plain outward appearance of Christian attitude

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

5. Interior-contrast to exterior-designed for dramatic effect

a. 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

b. Floor plan served as the basic model for church architecture in western

Europe for centuries

c. Mosaics

i. Walls were richly decorated with mosaics

ii. A mosaic is a decoration made with small pieces of glass and

stone set in cement

iii. Light from windows and candles

caused the mosaics to flicker and

glow

Sant’Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna, Italy

533-549 CE

COLUMN

C. Growth of Byzantine Culture

i. After the eastern capital was established Constantinople in 330 CE, the Roman Empire

functioned as two separate sections, East and West

ii. Each section had its own emperor

a. West

1. Emperors gradually lost their influence and prestige

2. After a long struggle, the Western Roman Empire fell to the barbarian invaders

3. As the emperor lost power, the Church, governed by the popes, assumed its

place as the central authority in the West

b. East

1. Remained unified and strong for 1000 years

2. Now called the Byzantine Empire

3. City of Constantinople soon became the largest city in the medieval world

4. Great cultural center with grand public buildings and art treasures

5. In Constantinople, Roman, Greek, and Eastern influences were blended to

produce rich and brilliant art

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

7. Set the standard for artistic excellence in western Europe until the twelfth

century

D. Byzantine Architecture and Mosaics

i. Churches

a. Preferred a central plan (instead of the basilica floor plan as in the West)

b. Hagia Sophia

1. Floor plan

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

b. Central floor plan

c. Mixture of Roman engineering skill with Greek balanced proportions

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

e. Dome is supported by 4 massive piers (massive vertical pillars)

f. Pier supports made it possible to build thinner walls and add more

windows to light the interior

2. Mosaics

a. Stone walls are decorated with gold, silver, ivory, and gems

b. Bright colors and large images needed to be seen from great distances

c. Mosaics became trademark of Byzantine churches

d. Created to tell familiar stories from the Bible using easily recognizable

symbols

i. Virgin and Child mosaic

1. Left is emperor Justinian carrying a small church

2. Right is emperor Constantine bearing a small city

3. Virgin (Mary, mother of Jesus) in center

4. Meaning: emperors are proclaiming the loyalty and

dedication of church and state to the Virgin and Child

5. Gold background symbolizes a divine setting

ii.

iii. After Roman Empire fell, the emperor from the east,

Justinian, wanted to re-take control of Italy

a. He managed to re-gain control

b. Moved capital from Rome to Ravenna in

northern Italy-a quiet town, safe, harbor town

c. He brought eastern styles with him…seen in San Vitale-a church he ordered built

iv. San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy

Virgin and Child with

the Emperors Justinian

and Constantine,

986-994, Byzantine

mosaic from Hagia

Sophia, Istanbul,

Turkey

a. Floor plan

1. Central plan-but octagonal

2. Plain exterior

3. Highly decorated inside with

mosaics

4. Mosaics in San Vitale

a. The apse

i. Justinian and Attendants

1. Justinian is seen with the archbishop, deacons, soldiers,

and attendants

2. Bodies of most important people overlap those of the

lesser ones

3. 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

ii. Theodora and Attendants

1. On the opposite wall, facing the emperor and his party,

are his wife, the empress Theodora, and her attendants

2. Dressed in magnificent roves and wears imperial crown

3. Halo on her head is similar to the emperor’s symbolizing

their virtue and innocence, and proclaiming they are

marked for future sainthood

4. Both the emperor and empress are part of a solemn

religious procession leading to the altar.

5. They hold the items used in the celebration of the Mass

iii. Mosaic characteristics

1. Not realistic or naturalistic

2. Stylized: flat, stiff, abstract and formal

3. Gold background

4. Purpose: religious lessons, beauty and grace

5. Pictures intended to be religious lesson: simple and

clear

6. Reminded common people that everyone-even

members of the highest royalty-had to pay homage to

God in order to gain salvation