ancient christian art and art history
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artTRANSCRIPT
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GuideToArtHistory
FamousArtistsArtStylesandPeriodsArtMediumsAncientArt
IntroductiontoAncientChristianArtByArtHistory.net
TheperiodofearlyChristianartbeganabouttheyear100andlasteduntiltheByzantinestyle,orroughlytheyear500.ThebeginningofthisperioddidnotseewidespreadworksofChristianart.Forone,Christiansfacedpersecutionandthiswouldcertainlyhaveplacedconstraintsuponartisticproduction.Also,earlyChristianswerepartofthelowerclassesofsocietysoartistswouldhavelackedopportunityforpatrons.EarlyChristiansmustalsohavebeenmindfulaboutrefrainingfromproducinggravenimageswhichtheybelievedsimilartopaganiconography.
Nevertheless,intimeChristianartistswouldcreatearecognizablemovementandtheirworkswouldsurviveindarkplaceslikeinthecatacombsbeneathRome.WhiletheseartistsoftenborrowedfromRomanmotifs,theychangedtheirunderlyingsymbolismtoreflectaChristianethic.Forinstance,theimageoftheshepherd,onceaRomanmotif,wastransformedintothegoodshepherdundertheChristianmantle.EarlyChristiansalsoadoptedthegrapevineandevenpeacocksasreflectedintheirearlyfrescoesand,indeed,themediumoffrescowasalsoborrowedfromtheRomans.Christianartistsalsoproducedmosaics,illuminatedtexts,andsculptureartisticformsthatwerepopularinthepaganworld.
Yet,earlyChristianartistsalsodevelopedtheirownmotifs.Theidentifyingimageofthefish,apopularimageeventoday,stemsfromthesefirstChristianartists.Hitherto,thefishhadnotbeenborrowedasanartisticmotiffromanyotherculture.Likewise,thedovebecameanearlysymbolofpeace.ArthistoriansbelievethatmanyoftheiconsborrowedfrompaganculturesearlyonallowedChristianartiststoremainfurtive.AdoptingthelambtorepresentChristalsoallowedtheirmessagetoremainhiddeninplainsight.
AsChristianitybecamemorewidespreadandaccepted,artistsbegantoturntonewconstructionsofchurchesthatreplacedhiddenmeetingplacesespeciallyaftertheEdictofMilanin313whichnamedChristianitytheofficialreligionoftheRomanEmpire.DuringtheperiodofearlyChristianart,thebasictenetforartistswastotransmitfaithandtoteachthewordofGod.Artwasnotproducedforbeautyssakealone.OnceimperialsponsorshipattendedChristianartists,worksbecamemoreelaborateandsumptuousworksweredisplayedwithinbasilicas,baptisteries,andmausoleums.
SurvivingexamplesofearlyChristianartincludemanybasreliefs,frescoes,wallslabs,
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mosaics,andmetalworks.Historiansbelievetherewereprobablysignificantexamplesofpanelart,butthismediumwouldnothavesurvivedtheagingprocess.EarlyChristianartlaidthegroundworkfortheByzantineartperiodwhichwouldgrowoutoftheirtraditions.
SeeAlso:SistineChapelChartresCathedralNotreDameCathedral
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