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Byzantine Art
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Features of Byzantine Art
Byzantine art is a stylized, religious art form, distinguished by
its naturalism, and by a rejection of the ordinary in favour of the
extraordinary. The wide social gulf between lay and church leaders
on the one hand and the people on the other was evident in Byzantine
art. Intricate aesthetic detail is paramount: in architecture, outer
walls are made to look like thin curtains and topped by a dome, an
emblem of perfection, while interior walls are lavishly encrusted
with marble and gold. Byzantine aesthetics exemplify a culture based
on the unchanging laws ot a Christian universe, but always with an
attention to detail and ornamental finery. The greatest monument of
Byzantine architecture is the Hagia Sophia, or church of Divine
Wisdom in Constantinople. Built between ad532-537 under the rule of
Justinian, it replaced a more modest church that was destroyed by
fire. The sixth century was seen as the first "Golden Age" of
Byzantine art. At this time, mathematics was regarded as the highest
of the sciences, and one of the architects of the Hagia Sophia,
Anthemius of Tralles. described architecture as the "application of
geometry to solid matter". The interior of the church shows a rejection of
homogeneity and. in its place, exists a luxurious, exotic diversity.
It contains columns of green marble (from the
temple of Artemis at Ephesus), of porphyry (possibly from the temple
of Zeus at Baalbek), and of granite (from Egypt), and the walls are
lined with coloured marble. A lively mosaic of the figures of
Justinian and Constantine adds to the splendour conjured up by the
play of sunlight on the interior. The vastness of this imperial,
mystical building contrasts with the more sober buildings of public
worship in Rome. Constantine VII, himself a sculptor and writer,
came to power in 945 and was emperor of the Byzantine Empire at the
height of its glory. In his De Ceremoniis he describes court
life and gives an idea of what the ancient imperial palace looked
like. It bore no resemblance to the great residences of Rome, which
comprised one building with gardens and pavilions, but was a complex
of buildings of every kind - religious and secular - with its own
harbour and courts. It was influenced by Eastern palace designs. The
many rooms were notable more for their furnishings and ornamentation
than for their structure. However, the palace did contain mosaics
that continued the classical tradition, portraying pastoral,
non-religious scenes. From Constantinople, Byzantine art spread
through northern Europe. The Vikings, or "Rus", who ruled the people
of Russia and traded with the Byzantine Empire by ship, took
Byzantine art with them when they returned to their lands, the
influence lasting there until today. The frescos and mosaics of true
Byzantine art show a break with the classical tradition, as does the
painting. The individual elements are suggested by shapes that are
almost hieroglyphic; scenes are usually shown without perspective,
there is a code of repetitive poses and gestures (figures and forms
are often stylistic or ritualistic), and the emphasis on outlines
echoes the "barbarian" taste for linear definition. Areas of empty
space are often represented in gold. Unlike the Christ of Western
art, the Christ of Byzantine art is portrayed as awesome, and is
similar to the Jehovah of the Old Testament. The golden circle
adopted from the sun kings of the East was transferred to Christ,
and became the medieval halo. In 1204, the Crusaders left the city
of Constantinople in ruins. The glorious Eastern Empire of the
Romans dwindled, but its influence remained in the art of the region
for centuries to come.
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Basilica of San Vitale
526-547
Ravenna, Italy
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 Basilica of San Vitale, (526-547), Ravenna, Italy |
 Basilica of San Vitale, (526-547), Ravenna, Italy |
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Marble capital with horses, San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy, sixth
century.
Typical Byzantine capitals such as this gradually developed from the
earlier
Hellenistic-Roman designs.
The characteristic abstract surface design is achieved by a combination
of fretwork and the repetitive patterns of the acanthus leaves.
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 Basilica of San Vitale, (526-547), Ravenna, Italy |
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 Basilica of San Vitale, (526-547), Ravenna, Italy
Apse mosaic of the theophany. Christ as cosmocrator sits on the sphere of the
cosmos. Saints, including Saint Vitalis and Archbishop Ecclesius and a donor are
being welcomed into the celestial garden of Paradise. |
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 Basilica of San Vitale, (526-547), Ravenna, Italy
Detail from this group showing the Hospitality of Abraham. While proportions are
hieratic, Abraham's wife has an expressive gesture.
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Wall mosaic, Justinian and His Attendants, San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy,
c.546-47.
Suspended in a golden space and identical in posture, the
figures are individualized by their faces.
The emperor is identified by
emblems of rank, including the red footwear, the three-pendant fibula,
the diadem, and the halo.
There are also strips of purple-amethyst in
the clothing of other dignitaries
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Wall mosaic,
Empress Theodora and Attendants,
San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy,
c.546-47.
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Basilica of San Vitale
The Basilica of San Vitale is the most famous monument of
Ravenna, Italy and is one of the most important examples of
Byzantine art and architecture in western Europe. It was
begun by Bishop Ecclesio in 527, and completed by the 27th
Bishop of Ravenna, Maximian in 548 during the Byzantine
Exarchate of Ravenna. The building combines Roman elements
(the dome, shape of doorways, stepped towers) with Byzantine
(polygonal apse, capitals, narrow bricks, etc). However, the
Basilica is most famous for its wealth of Byzantine mosaics,
the largest and best preserved outside of Constantinople
itself. The church is of extreme importance in Byzantine
art, as it is the only major church from the period of
Emperor Justinian to survive virtually intact to the present
day, and it is also thought to reflect the design of the
Byzantine Imperial Palace Audience Chamber, of which nothing
at all survives.
The construction of the church was
sponsored by a Greek banker, Julian the Silversmith, of whom
very little is known, except that he also sponsored the
construction of the Basilica of Sant' Apollinare in Classe
at around the same time.
(From Wikipedia)
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Here is an example of the "Inspired Evangelist"
iconographic theme. Each Evangelist has a set of associated
symbols.
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Head of the Empress Theodora. |
Lady in Waiting |
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 Basilica of San Vitale, (526-547), Ravenna, Italy
Mosaic of the "tent of heaven." Orant angels support the Lamb Triumphant
surrounded by garland of four seasons which suggests Paradise. The classical
acanthus is handled naturalistically, and the symbols are concrete. The Lamb is
on a blue rather than gold ground. |
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Medallions with portraits of the Apostles Thomas and Jacob from a set
of twelve apostles on the underside of an arch. |
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