Transcript Art, Culture, and Values

Byzantium
Chapter 7: Outline
The Decline of Rome
Literature and Philosophy
Augustine of Hippo
Boethius
The Ascendancy of Byzantium
Church of Hagia Sophia: Monument and Symbol
Ravenna
Art and Architecture
St. Catherine's Monastery at Mount Sinai
The Persistence of Byzantine Culture
Outline: Chapter 07
Timeline : Byzantium
250 AC - Persecution of Christians under Decius
286 AD - Diocletian divides Roman Empire into East and West parts ruled by himself
and Maximian
c. 326 AD - Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem
330 AD - Constantine dedicates new capital of Roman Empire on site of Byzantium,
naming it Constantinople
c. 333 AD - Old Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican
386 AD - Saint Jerome translates Bible into Latin
386 AD - Saint Ambrose of Milan begins use of vernacular hymns in church
397 AD - Augustine of Hippo, The Confessions
410 AD - Visigoths sack Rome
413-426 AD - Augustine of Hippo, The City of God
c. 450 AD - Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Neonian; Arian Baptisteries, Ravenna
522-524 AD - Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy, allegorical treatise
526-547 AD - San Vitale, Ravenna
527-565 AD - Reign of Justinian as Eastern Roman emperor in Constantinople
532-537AD - Hagia Sophia, Constantinople, rebuilt, combining basilica plan and
central plan with dome
590-602 AD - Gregorian Chant established at Rome during papacy of
Gregory the Great
1054 AD - Eastern and Western Church formally split
1063 AD - Saint Mark's, Venice begun
This chapter traces briefly the slow waning of Roman power in the West
by focusing on the impact of two late Roman writers who are both Christians:
Boethius, who wrote in provincial Ravenna,
and Augustine,who lived in Roman North Africa.
The Decline
of Rome
• Unwieldy bureaucratic machine
• Too many mercenary troops that were disloyal
• Power shift from Rome to Constantinople
• Invasion of barbarians from north
• 330 A.D. Emperor Constantine moved capital to Constantinople
• Final barbarian assault – end of empire, 476 A.D.
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
By the early fourth century, The Roman Empire already had severe
economic, political, and social problems. In 330 Emperor Constantine
dedicated the Greek Commercial center of Byzantium as his
eastern capital.
He renamed the city Constantinople.
Early Christian Iconography
•Simplified Forms
•Stylized Figures
•Pure High-Key Color
•Frontal Presentation
•Rigid Postures
•Decorative Design
Elements
•Symmetrical Composition
•Spiritual Quality
•“God’s Eye View”
•Biblical – The Word of God
•Imbued with Holy Spirit
•Didactic – Used for Purposes
of Religious Instruction
•Evangelical – Used to
Spread the Faith
Page with The Crucifixion,
from the Rabbula Gospels,
from Beth Zagba, Syria. 586
Saint Augustine of Hippo
(354-430 AD)
“So long, therefore, as his philosophy
agrees with his religious doctrines,
St. Augustine is frankly neo-Platonist; as
soon as a contradiction arises, he
never hesitates to subordinate his
philosophy to religion, reason to faith.
He was, first of all, a Christian; the
philosophical questions that occupied
his mind constantly found themselves
more and more relegated to the background.”
-Catholic Encyclopedia
This is the oldest surviving portrait
of Augustine, from the Lateran in
Rome in the sixth century.
Saint
Augustine
Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, 480 – 525 AD
•Roman statesman and philosopher, often styled
"the last of the Romans", regarded by tradition
as a Christian martyr
•Translated works of Aristotle
•Created many original philosophical texts
•Extended the groundwork of Christian Philosophy
Boethi
us
Boethius takes up many problems of metaphysics as well as ethics
and of the Being and Nature of God, of providence and fate,
of the origin of the universe, and of the freedom of the will.
As the wheel of fortune turned downward for Rome, Byzantium began
its ascent as the center of culture. Our focus is on the great builder and
patron of Byzantine culture, Emperor Justinian and his consort,
Theodora. The central feature of their reign is its blending of their
political power with the Christian Church so that church and state
became a seamless whole. Christianity, which had been a despised
and persecuted sect, now became the official religion of the state
The Roman
Empire,
Christianity,
and the
ascent of the
Byzantine
Empire
Church of Hagia Sophia, Constantinople, 6th century AD
Byzantine Christianity had a readily recognizable look to it, a look most
apparent in its art and architecture. It was an art that was otherworldly,
formal, and profoundly sacred. A contemporary Orthodox theologian has
said that the proper attitude of a Byzantine worshiper is gazing. The
mosaics and icons of this tradition were meant to be seen as windows
through which the devout might view the eternal mysteries of religion.
No conscious attempt was made to be innovative in this art. The
emphasis was always on deepening the experience of sacred mystery.
lunette over the south doorway,
Curch of Hagia Sophia
Virgin and Child flamked by
Emporer Justinian I and Constantine I
Byzantine
Art and
Architecture
Church of Hagia Sophia, interior,
Constantinople, 6th century AD
Church of
Hagia Sophia,
Constantinople
Church of Hagia Sophia, interior, Constantinople, 6th century AD
Ravenna
San Vitale and Sant'Apollinare in Classe, in Ravenna, Italy
(6th century AD.) are two of the most illustrious expressions of
Byzantine artistry in the world.
Basilica of San Vitale
Sant'Apollinare in Classe
(Tower is a medieval addition)
Church of
San Vitale,
Ravenna,
Italy
Church of San Vitale, view across the central space toward the sanctuary apse ,
Ravenna, Italy. 526-47
Church
of San Vitale,
Theodora
Mosaic
Empress Theodora and Her Attendants, mosaic on south wall of the apse,
Church of San Vitale, Ravenna(Dodati) 547 AD
Church
of San Vitale,
Ravenna,
Theodora
Mosaic
Empress Theodora and Her Attendants, detail; mosaic on south wall of the apse,
Church of San Vitale, Ravenna(Dodati) 547
Justinian I- Roman Emperor (527-65)
Flavius Anicius Julianus Justinianus was born about 483 at Tauresium. In 521
Justinian was proclaimed ruler. The thirty-eight years of Justinian's reign are the
most brilliant period of the later empire. Full of enthusiasm for the memories of Rome,
he set himself, and achieved, the task of reviving their glory. The many-sided activity
of this wonderful man may be summed up under the headings: military triumphs, l
egal work, ecclesiastical polity, and architectural activity. Dominating all is the policy
of restoring the empire, great, powerful, and united.
Church
of San Vitale,
Ravenna,
Justinian
Mosaic
Emeror Justinian and His Attendants, detail;
mosaic on the north wall of the apse, Church of San Vitale. 547
Mausoleum
of Gala Placida,
Mosaic
Good Shepherd, mosaic in the Lunette over the west entrance,
Mausoleum of Gala Placidia, Ravenna, Italy. 425-26
Church of Saint'Apollinare
The Transfiguration of Christ with Saint Apollinaris,
First Bishop of Ravenna, mosaic in the apse,
Church of Saint'Apollinare in Classe, Italy. 533-49
Byzantine
Architecture
Byzantine Architecture
Early Byzantine architecture is essentially a continuation of Roman
architecture. Gradually, a style emerged which was influenced more
by the architecture of the near east, and used the Greek cross plan for
the church architecture which mostly stands today. Brick replaced stone,
classical orders were used more freely, mosaics replaced carved
decoration, and complex domes were erected.
Old St. Peters
Basilica, Rome
Old Saint Peter's, Rome, 320-27; atrium added in later 4th century
What Byzantine Art Reveals about Byzantine Civilization
•The power and expressiveness of the figures portrayed in the art suggest
the vitality and strength of Byzantine traditions, which have outlasted the fall
of the empire.
•The richness of the materials, especially the lavish use of gold,
indicates wealth.
•The great variety in the subject matter, media, and types of art attests to
the taste and sophistication of the society that commissioned it and to the
remarkable artistic skill of the craftsmen who created it.
•The continuing portrayal of classical themes and idealized human figures
are visual reminders of the importance of the Greco-Roman heritage
in Byzantine thought.
•In style and subject matter the arts of peoples as near as Russia, Georgia,
Armenia, and Bulgaria, and as far away as western Europe and the middle
East show the vast expanse of Byzantine cultural and artistic contacts.
What Byzantine
Art Reveals About Byzantine
Civilization
Because Byzantium was Greek-speaking, the culture
of ancient Greece was kept alive until the middle of the
15th century, when the city fell to the Ottoman Turks.
The removal of much of that culture to the West was a
strong influence on the development of the Renaissance.
The influence of this art was far-reaching. Italo-Byzantine styles of art
persisted in the West up to the beginnings of the Italian Renaissance.
These same styles entered Russia at the end of the tenth century and
still persist. Today, students can visit Greek or Russian churches and
see these art forms alive as part of traditional Christian Orthodox
worship and practice.
Persistence
of Byzantine
Culture
Extent of Byzantine Empire c 565 AD.