Early Christain Art

Art of Late Antiquity

• Started to reject polytheism
• Edict of Milan - ended persecution of Jews/Christians
• Most art found in catacombs (underground cemetaries)
• Monumental sculpture uncommon b/c of iconoclasm
• Constantine built churchs outside city to avoid  confrontation b/w the two ideas
• Mosaics important/common
• Rejection of classical style
  • Meant to place emphasis on spirtual world

Byzantine Art

Overview

• Byzantium became capital of Roman Empire (East)
  • Renamed Constantinople
• Division of empire lead to unstable West half

Early Byzantine

• Justinian through iconoclasm
• Hagia Sophia
• Churches filled with mosaics
  • less naturalistic than roman figures
  • front oriented, no shadows/space
  • proportions elongated
  • stiff garmet/no anatomy
  • gold b/g vs. natural environment
• Used to simulate spiritual world through symbol/simplification 
  • Classical thought humans were perfect creation of divinity (so it could be observed there)

• After end of iconoclasm
• Greek cross church plan
• Revival of icons/mosaics

• 12th C
• Plundering of Constantinople by Latins
• Small-scale decor. objects
• No architecture

• 500-1000 CE
• Fusion of Greco-Roman + Non-Romans from Alps
• Hiberno-Saxon Style
  • result of growing monastic culture in Ireland
  • decorative, complex illuminated text (ie. book of durrow, lindesfarne gospels, book of kells)
• Carolingian Art
  • reign of Charlemagne
    • remembered for united w. euro.
  • art is energetic/innovative
  • return to classical tech. (esp. in illuminated texts)

• 1000-13th C
• Roman features (ie. rounded arches, barrell vaults)
• Arch. differs from Mideival 
  • no timber roofs
• Differs from Gothic
  • rounded arches (v. pointed)
• Invention/revival of west work and portals on cathedrals, groin vaults, alternating piers/collumns along nave