GUIDE 8UNIT 2NameDate .docx

GUIDE 8
UNIT 2
Name:
Date:
EARLY CHRISTIAN ART
BYAZANTINE ART
Cathedral of the Holy Wisdom in Kiev (Ukraine) preserves
much of its original Byzantine interior. 1037.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Sophia_Cathedral_in_Kiev

CHRISTIAN ART
FROM CATACOMBS TO CATHEDRALS
We are entering another
thousand-year
period in the history of humanity and art.
Before you start reading this section, we need to touch the
historical aspect of what happened with the powerful Roman
Empire and Classical art (or Greco-Roman art).
In the 4
th
century the
Roman Empire
was divided into two parts:
Western Roman
Empire
and
Eastern Roman Empire
(or
Byzantine
Empire
). These parts would have very different historical fates. They
will also provide two major branches for the Christian Church –
Catholic (in the West) and Orthodox (in the East).
WEST

EAST
Roman Empire
Western Roman Empire
Capital
:
Rome
Eastern Roman Empire
Or Byzantine Empire
Capital
:
Constantinople
Christian Church
Catholic Church
Head of Church
:
Pope

Orthodox Church
Head of Church
:
Patriarch
The Latin-speaking Western Empire with its centre in Rome,
would face the barbarian invasions, undergo a slow decline for
200 years and eventually fell under the barbarians.
The Greek-speaking Byzantine Empire, centred in
Constantinople, would grow to a powerful state.
I would offer you to stick with the following simple timeline.
CHRISTIAN ART
1000 years
EARLY CHRISTIAN ART
BYZANTINE ART

First 3 centuries A.D.
4
th
- 14
th
centuries
Period of
Persecution
Period of
Recognition
Since the very be
ginning of human history, art and religion have been closely
connected. In the first unit you have learned that art played a
central role in prehistoric magic rituals, as well as in Egyptian
religious ceremonies to ensure the afterlife.

Why so?
Have you ever heard music –a church choir or organ -in the
cathedral with beautiful stained glass windows? Yes, this is the
answer – art has an ability to deliver a strong emotional
message to the human soul.
Early Christian Art
Western Empire
Rome
Let us follow the events happening in the both parts of
crumbling Roman Empire.
Name two key events that took place in the 3
rd
century.
*
-
The Edict of Milan, 313.
*
Two periods into which the
Early Christian
art is divided:
*
*
The Period of Persecution
As Christianity developed, and Christian church formed a sort
of federative republic within the heart of Rome, the Romans
began to fear it.
In 302, when Christians refused to join in Roman religious
ceremonies, the emperor Diocletian instituted his terrible
persecution of the “mutinous” sect, wherein two thousand

Christians died.
Catacombs
-
What wastheir purpose? How did they look?
*
*
*
Lunette
-
*
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunette
Catacombs, Via Latina
Early Christian artistic expression was limited to hidden places
like
catacombs, such as those at Via Latina, Rome. The fresco in the
lunette
derived from the Roman style of art, and contain Christian
iconography.
Oran
-
*

Orans
were common in Early Christian wall paintings in the Roman
catacombs.
Photograph by Araldo de Luca/Corbis
Iconography
–
*
An
iconography
, through which Christian concepts were given visual
expression, developed. For example, Christ was symbolized by
a fish, a cross, or a lamb, or by the combined Greek letters chi
and rho (ΧΡ, the first two letters of the Greek spelling of
“Christ”) as a monogram. Christ the Good Shepherd was often
shown as a beardless young man, derived from
pagan
Roman embodiments of
Apollo
, an image that persisted into the 6th century in Italy. -
http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefArticle.aspx?refid
=761579100
Eikōn -
*
This is where Russian
icon

came from …
www.depauw.edu/galleries
In what way was
Christian art
connected to the
Greco-Roman art
? Analyze the ceiling fresco in the
catacomb of Saints Pietro and Marcellino
.
*
Symbols in Christian art
Examples:
Fish
– was a symbol of
*
Grapes
-
*
Cross
-
*

(find in the paragraph about the catacomb of Saints Pietro and
Marcellino)
Symbol
– an image or sign representing something else by association,
resemblance or convention.
The Period of Recognition
How did the situation change in the 4
th
century after Emperor Constantine adopted Christianity?
*
What changes do we observe in regards to the places and way
the first Christians worshiped?
*
St. Pete’s Cathedral in Rome
- “one of the most important buildings to be erected during
the Early Christian period”
Why is it considered to be that important? -
*
Describe the cathedral’s plan.
You have to remember that it was based on the basilica’s plan.
*
The following parts will appear in the countless cathedrals of
the later centuries:
(Give definitions and find them on the plan in your book)

PORPILAEUM -
*
ATRIUM -
*
NARTHEX -
*
AISLES -
*
NAVE -
*
TRANSEPT -
*
APSE -
*
ALTAR -
*
There were two major types of churches– (1) longitudinal and
(2) central circular.
(1)
Latin cross plan
or
*
Where the Latin cross was most prominent?
*
And where were the smaller circular churches with central plans
more popular?
*
Mosaic
What can you say about the
art of mosaic
, which was widely used for decoration in the Christian
churches?

Did the first Christians invent this technique?
Analyze the style of the mosaic
Christ as the Good Shepherd
.
From whom was the art of mosaic adopted?
Define the artistic style of the Period of Recognition.
What style was it modeled after?
*
Martyr
from the mausoleum of
Galla Placidia
(Ravenna, Italy)
[
Mausoleum
– a large stately tomb or a building housing such a tomb or
tombs]
*
Byzantine Art
Eastern Empire
Constantinople
How did the term
Byzantine
originate?
*

Byzantine art
was not produced only in the town of Byzantium but had spread
across many Eastern regions.
Name them.
*
*
*
*
*
*
Now you understand better why the cathedral from Ukraine has
ended up on the cover of this guide, don’t you?
Church
of
San Vitale
in
*_
(city & country) built by the emperor
*_
Find on the map (see next Medieval section) this city that was a
capital of the western empire at this time. What did you learn
about it?
*
What type of architectural plan was used in

San Vitale
? -
*
During reign of which Roman emperor Ravenna attained
stability, arts began to flourish, and San Vitale was built? -
*
When was
Justinian Age
in Ravenna? -
*
[century]
(look at the dates under pictures)
AMBULATORY -
*
San Vitale looks simple from outside. What can you say about
its interior decoration?
*
Justinian and Attendants
This mosaic from San Vitale
apse
represents the Byzantine style at its peak.
What does the mosaic commemorate?
-
*
Are the human figures naturalistically depicted, or their bodies
are rather weightless?

*
What about their gestures and stares? -
*
Is their any deep three-dimensional space, in which they
placed? -
*
Do they really stand on the ground or rather are “hovering”
above the earth?
-
*
What kind of background is this?
!) -
*…
[Note, this is very typical for Byzantine art]
Now please go back to the first paragraph of “Byzantine Art”
section.
Write down the major
characteristics of Byzantine art.
Specify the difference between it and
Early Christian art.
*
*
*
In 330 A.D. Constantine moved the capital of the Roman
Empire from Rome to
*…
How did he rename it? -
*
What happened after his death? -
*
What is the modernname of this city?

-*
In what present day country is it located? -
*
Hagia Sofia
in
Constantinople
- a masterpiece
of Justinian architecture.
What does
Hagia Sophia
mean in Greek?
hagia
means
*
sophia
-
It has served as:
*
*
*
When was it built?
*__
[
Date
,
see next to picture]

*__
[Century - I just want you to practice –]
I would like to emphasize one more time – there were two
branches of the Roman Empire, and they were called Western
Roman Empire (old Rome) and Eastern Roman Empire,
but
officially it was still one Roman empire.
Notice that this cathedral was built by the emperor Justinian –
same emperor who is depicted in the mosaics of San Vitale
Church in Ravenna.
What are the most striking aspects of this outstanding Church?
*
*
Size:
*
(Just to have an idea)
Which ingenious architectural idea produces the impression of
the
hovering dome
?
It is particularly well seen from inside – see it above; you can
also see the similar effect in the St. Mark’s in Venice.
*

Later Byzantine Art
Until which century did Byzantine architecture continue to
evolve?
*
St. Mark’s cathedral in *…
.
When was built?
Date:
*
Century:
*
Greek cross plan
-
*
How is it different from the Latin cross plan?
To wrap up this section, I would like to show you a beautiful
Russian church built in the Byzantine traditions (central plan).
There were thousands and thousands of them all over Russia.
Many churches were destroyed by the Bolsheviks after the
Communist revolution in 1917 or used as the storage buildings.
Others had been neglected and slowly deteriorated with time.
Church “Pokrov” on the Nerli River.
Photo:

William Sokolenko
After Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453, Russia continued
for several centuries to develop national art that had grown out
of the middle Byzantine period.

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