Middle Ages:
The Reign of Religion The Dark Ages-truly anything but dark!!
What do we know about?
Egypt, Greece, Rome
Emperors
Empires
Religious practices
People’s focus
Purpose of art
Background of Roman Empire
◦ Declining Power of Rome (West)
Transfer of the capitol of the Roman Empire from
Rome in the west to city of Byzantium in the
eastern provinces.
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.
Background, cont.
Western section of the Roman Empire was marked
by weakness and decline
Invaders from the north came down to overrun the
once-powerful Western Roman Empire.
In 410, king of the Visigoths, took Rome, and
invasions followed.
By end of 5th century CE, the Western Empire had
come to an end
Roman Republic 510BC-40 BC
Roman Empire 20AD-360AD
Western Roman Empire
405AD-480AD
Eastern Roman Empire 405AD-
480AD
Spain
France
Italy
Rome
What we will see….
Roman Empire was divided between Rome
and Byzantium (later named Constantinople)
Christianity was illegal but practiced anyway
Christians hid and drew pictures with symbols
Realism is no longer emphasized
Emphasis shifted from the here-and–now to
the hereafter
Body as beautiful to body as corrupt
Early Christian Art 100-300 CE
Christ portrayed as good shepherd
Art in Quest of Salvation
Early Christian and Byzantine Art
The birth of the Christian Church became a
new source of power.
Roman emperors were replaced by popes.
Church’s influence spread to touch on every
aspect of life-especially the visual arts.
Early Christian Art
For many years, the Christian religion
was not legal throughout the Roman
Empire
Result was much hardship and
persecution for its many followers
In 313 CE, Christianity was made legal
when emperor Constantine signed the
Edict of Milan
Early Christian art
◦ Pictures with hidden Christian meanings were
being painted
◦ Paintings found on stone walls of narrow
underground passageways called catacombs
◦ Passageways were used as places to hold
religious services and bury their dead.
◦ Catacombs grew into a maze of tunnels
◦ These catacombs were privately owned by
rich Roman citizens
◦ The views of early Christians set them apart
from those who believed in Roman religion
Catacombs (Underground passageways and Tunnels)
pictures of animals, birds, and plants
Christian Beliefs
◦ Christ is the savior of all people
◦ Christians hoped to join Him in heaven after
death as a reward for following his teachings
◦ They had little interest in gaining fame and
fortune in the world-instead sought an eternal
reward in the form of life after death
Characteristics of Christian Art
Paintings
◦ showed little interest in the beauty, grace and
strength of the human body (which was so
important to Greek and Roman artists)
Purpose of Early Christian painting
◦ illustrate the power and glory of Christ
◦ tell, as clearly as possible, the story of Christ's life
on earth
◦ portray Christ’s life story as the model for people
to follow as the surest way to attain salvation
Symbolism in Early Christian Painting
Christian artists used
symbols as a kind of code
Familiar figures or signs were used to represent something else
Catacomb paintings are filled with images of animals, birds, and plants-just like Roman art
Symbols
In Christian art the images symbolized different Christian ideas
Bird (goldfinch) ate thistles and thorns-reminded them of Christ’s crown of thorns-became symbol of Christ’s death
Shepherd-symbol of Christ leading his flock (followers)
Dog-symbol of faithfulness because of its watchfulness and loyalty
Ivy-symbol of eternal life because it is always green
1. Great circle-heaven
2. Cross-Christ’s death and resurrection
3. Good Shepherd-Christ/one willing to lay down his life for them, his flock
4. Sheep-faithful followers
5. Lamb-people who need additional help on the difficult road to salvation
6. Jonah and the Whale-God’s protection
7. Hands raised-members of church pleading to God for assistance and mercy
1.
2
3
4
5
6
Concern for
realism in
Roman art
replaced with
concern for
making
understandable
symbols
Image Characteristics
Not realistic
Little or no depth
Main interest was in illustrating the
Christian story so that followers could
“read” it easily and meditate on its
meaning
Roman Empire-East and West
Fall of Rome (west) marks the beginning of Middle Ages-5th century
250 AD Order of 1st Persecution of Christians
313 AD Constantine ends persecution and recognizes
Christian Church
395 AD Empire divided into Western and Eastern with
Milano (west) and Constantinople (east) capitals
402 AD West empire moves capital from Milano to
Ravenna
Eastern Empire lasted until 1453 (marks the beginning of the Renaissance)
Roman Empire fell around 410
Roman Empire Divides into East and
West
(Byzantium)
(West) Roman
Empire
(East) Byzantine Empire
West vs. East
Art in the west reflected Roman
characteristics
Art in the east took on a look of its own-
influenced by Greek, Roman and Eastern
cultures
Both changes took place at the same time
Islam religion also emerged in the east-
which began in Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Basilicas
◦ Once Christianity was legalized, it spread
rapidly across the entire Roman Empire
◦ Christians were free to practice their faith
openly
◦ A new kind of building was needed for the
large numbers of worshipers
◦ Christians borrowed a floor plan idea from a
common Roman public , secular building: the
Basilica
Basilica idea was good because:
Floor plan was long
Large enough to
hold many
worshipers
Secular, public
Roman use (town
hall, court of law)
so no ties to
Roman pagan gods
column
Christian Churches
Intended as retreats from the real world
Place for deeply spiritual event
Plain exterior to resemble plain outward appearance of Christian attitude
Campanile (bell tower) added-but still plain and simple exterior
Sant’ Apollinare en Classe
Ravenna, Italy. 533-549
Church Interior-contrast
◦ 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
◦ Floor plan served as the basic model for church architecture in western Europe for centuries
St. Apollinare en Classe, Ravenna, Italy
Notice the long nave, the colonnade, and side aisles and the apse at the end
Mosaics
Walls were richly decorated
with mosaics
A mosaic is a decoration
made with small pieces of
glass and stone set in cement
Light from windows and
candles caused the mosaics
to flicker and glow
Mosaics decorated the walls
Picture of St
Apollinare
Pictured as shepherd
of flock
First time anyone
other than Christ in
the apse decoration
Byzantine Art
Growth of Byzantine Culture; Art of the East
330-1453
East vs. West
After the eastern capital was established in Constantinople (Byzantium) in 330 CE the Roman Empire functioned as two separate sections, East and West
Each section had its own emperor
West -emperor gradually lost power, the
Emperors gradually lost their influence and
prestige
After a long struggle, the Western Roman Empire
fell to the barbarian invaders
As the emperor lost power, the Church, governed
by the popes, assumed its place as the central
authority in the West
East-Byzantine Culture
◦ Remained unified and strong for 1000 years
◦ Now called the Byzantine Empire
◦ City of Constantinople soon became the largest city in the medieval world
East Empire
Great cultural center with grand public buildings and art treasures
In Constantinople, Roman, Greek, and Eastern influences were blended to produce rich and brilliant art
This art glorified the Christian religion and served the needs of the Church
Set the standard for artistic excellence in western Europe until the twelfth century
Byzantine Architecture
Churches
◦ Preferred a central plan (instead of the basilica
floor plan as in the West)
Eastern Roman Empire
Hagia Sophia,Istanbul, Turkey
532-537
100’ dome
Hagia Sophia-Floor Plan
◦ Built in the 6th C. by the emperor Justinian
◦ Central floor plan
◦ Mixture of Roman engineering skill with Greek balanced proportions
◦ Holds a 100 foot dome (think of the Pantheon in Rome)
◦ Dome is supported by 4 massive piers (vertical pillars)
◦ Pier supports made it possible to build thinner walls and add more windows to light the interior
Interior of Hagia Sophia
Built as a
church,
then used
as a
mosque
(added
minarets)
now is a
museum
Mosaics
were
covered
with plaster
for Islamic
faith, but
now
uncovered
Interior: Mosaics
Stone walls are decorated with gold, silver,
ivory, and gems
Bright colors and large images needed to
be seen from great distances
Mosaics became trademark of Byzantine
churches
Meaning of Virgin and Child Mosaic
◦ Left is emperor Justinian carrying a small church ◦ Right is emperor Constantine bearing
a small city ◦ Virgin (Mary, mother of Jesus) in
center ◦Meaning: emperors are proclaiming the
loyalty and dedication of church and state to the Virgin and Child ◦ Gold background symbolizes a divine
setting
Emperor Justinian
After Roman Empire fell, the emperor
from the east, Justinian, wanted to re-take
control of Italy
He managed to re-gain control
Moved capital from Rome to Ravenna in
northern Italy-a quiet, safe, harbor town
He brought eastern styles with
him…seen in San Vitale-a church he
ordered built
San Vitale Design
Floor plan
◦ Central plan-but octagonal
◦ Plain exterior
◦ Highly decorated inside with mosaics
Central plan in the west
San Vitale Mosaics
◦ The Apse
Christ flanked by angels introducing St. Vitalis
(L) and Ecclesius with a model of the church
Justinian and Attendants
Justinian is seen with the archbishop, deacons, soldiers, and
attendants
Bodies of most important people overlap those of the
lesser ones
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
Theodora and Attendants
◦ On the opposite wall, facing the emperor and his
party, are his wife, the empress Theodora, and her
attendants
◦ Dressed in magnificent robes and wears imperial
crown
◦ Halo on her head is similar to the emperor’s
symbolizing their virtue and innocence, and
proclaiming they are marked for future sainthood
Mosaic Characteristics ◦ Not realistic or
naturalistic
◦ Stylized: flat, stiff, abstract and formal.
◦ Gold background
◦ Purpose: religious lessons, NOT beauty and grace
◦ Pictures intended to be simple and clear
◦ Reminded common people that everyone-even members of the highest royalty-had to pay homage to God in order to gain salvation