Week6 Early Christian Art

Key Terms: Icon Isometric Perspective Mosaic Illumination Basilica Cross Plan Central Plan Key Movements: Byzantine Romanesque Gothic Chapter Fifteen Christianity and Formation of Europe

The Good Shepherd, the story of Jonah, and orants, painted ceiling of a cubiculum in the Catacomb of Saints Peter and Marcellinus, Rome, Italy, early fourth century.

Christ as Sol Invictus, detail of a vault mosaic in the Mausoleum of the Julii, Rome, Italy, late third century. Apollo / Helios, from a Roman floor mosaic.

Calf Bearer (Moschophoros) , dedicated by Rhonbos on the Acropolis, Athens, ca. 560 B.C. Marble, restored height approx. 5' 5". Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Ceiling - S. Callisto catacomb. - mid 3rd century A.D.

Portrait of Constantine, from the Basilica Nova, Rome, Italy, ca. 315–330 CE. Marble, approx. 8’ 6” high. Palazzo dei Conservatori, Rome. His features are exaggerated, especially the geometrical eyes, and his hair is abstracted. This is a precursor to Byzantine art.

Reconstruction drawing of the Basilica Nova (Basilica of Constantine), Rome, Italy, ca. 306–312 CE.

Aula Palatina, Trier, Germany, early fourth century CE (interior).

While most Greek, Roman, and Egyptian temples were designed to be viewed from the exterior, Christianity emphasized congregational worship.

They adopted a Roman meeting-hall plan called a basilica , which is a long, rectangular structure.

Restored view (a), plan (b), and section (c) of Old Saint Peter’s, Rome, Italy, begun ca. 320. (The restoration of the forecourt is conjectural.) They added a transept , an elongated rectangle, to the apse as a focal point. This constructed the cross plan

Christ before Pilate, folio 8 verso of the Rossano Gospels, early sixth century. Tempera on purple vellum, approx. 11” X 10 1/4”. Diocesan Museum, Archepiscopal Palace, Rossano.

Portraits of the four tetrarchs, from Constantinople, ca. 305 CE. Porphyry, approx. 4’ 3” high. Saint Mark’s, Venice.

Europe and the Byzantine Empire ca. 1000

Byzantine art was based on the less naturalistic Eastern styles. It centered on elongated, flattened, linear qualities and elaborate materials.

They emphasized the heavenly qualities as opposed to everyday qualities.

Aerial view of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy, 526–547.

Plan of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy, 526–547 .

Christ as the Good Shepherd, mosaic from the entrance wall of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna, Italy, ca. 425.

Theodora and attendants, mosaic from the south wall of the apse, San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy, ca. 547.

Portrait of a husband and wife, wall painting from House VII,2,6, Pompeii, Italy, ca. 70–79 CE. Approx. 1’ 11” x 1’ 8 1/2”. Museo Nazionale, Naples.

Interior of Saint Mark’s (view facing east), Venice, Italy, begun 1063.

Pantokrator, Theotokos and Child, angels, and saints, apse mosaic in the cathedral at Monreale, Italy, ca. 1180–1190. Note the position and authority of the deity

The Middle Ages in Europe Early Middle Ages Ca. 600-800

Purse cover, from the Sutton Hoo ship burial in Suffolk, England, ca. 625. Gold, glass, and enamel cloisonné with garnets and emeralds, 7 1/2” long. British Museum, London.

Geometric and abstract designs were fascinating to Pre-Romanesque artists. Monks in secluded monasteries decorated pages of Scripture and other writings with infinite detail. X-P page From the Lindisfarne Gospel Book

robotlab, “The Bible Scribe”, 2007.

Equestrian portrait of Charlemagne or Charles the Bald, from Metz, France, ninth century. Bronze, originally gilt, 9 1/2” high. Louvre, Paris.

Equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, from Rome, Italy, ca. 175 CE. Bronze, approx. 11’ 6” high. Musei Capitolini, Rome.

High Middle Ages

Ca. 800-15 th Century (Renaissance)

The Crusades – 1095-1270

The Magna Carta – 1215

Basis for English constitutional law

The Black Plague – 1348-1349

Europe About 1100

Battle of Hastings, detail of the Bayeux Tapestry, from Bayeux Cathedral, Bayeux, France, ca. 1070–1080. Embroidered wool on linen, 1’ 8” high (entire length of fabric 229’ 8”). Centre Guillaume le Conquérant, Bayeux. This is one of 72 episodes depicting the Norman invasion. Note the abstracted flattening and use of isometric perspective. The entire piece is like a long picture book, 20 inches high and 231 feet long, that tells the story of the conquest of England by William of Normandy in 1066.

Europe About 1200

The Romanesque Period (1050 to 1200 C.E.) utilized a southern style, drawn from ancient Roman styles.

Romanesque architecture is defined by:

- Overall massiveness

- Thick stone walls

- Round Arches

- Barrel-vaulted stone ceilings

St. Sernin, Toulouse (nave)

Vezelay, exterior tympanum (Mission of the Apostles) Sculpture used to teach religion to people since most could not read. This type of sculpture is called architectonic since it is part of the architecture.

Altarpiece, French, 1450-1500 – painted limestone

Nave elevations of four French Gothic cathedrals at the same scale (after Louis Grodecki): (a) Laon, (b) Paris, (c) Chartres, (d) Amiens.

Gothic Style

The Gothic architectural style is an exaggerated form of Romanesque with ornate, linear, vertical elements. It is characterized by:

- Intricate decorative detail

- Higher and more pointed peaks

- Ribbed vaulting

- Flying buttresses

- Stained glass windows

Aerial view of Chartres Cathedral (from the northwest), Chartres, France, begun 1134; rebuilt after 1194.

Plan of Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France, as rebuilt after 1194 (after Paul Frankl).

Old Testament kings and queens, jamb statues, central doorway of Royal Portal, Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France, ca. 1145–1155.

Chartres Cathedral, 13 th Century

Gothic door jambs from the south transept on the right are naturalistic, imply movement, and were sculpted to show the anatomy underlying the fabric.

They are more in the round, almost appearing to be ready to step away from the column they are attached to.

Saints Martin, Jerome, and Gregory, jamb statues, Porch of the Confessors (right doorway), south transept, Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France, ca. 1220–1230.

Visitation, jamb statues of central doorway, west facade, Reims Cathedral, Reims, France, ca. 1230.

Virgin and Child and angels (Notre Dame de la Belle Verrière), window in the choir of Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France, ca. 1170, with 13th century side panels. Stained glass, 16’ X 7’ X 8”.

Rose window and lancets, north transept, Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France, ca. 1220. Stained glass, rose window approx. 43’ in diameter.

Blanche of Castile, Louis IX, and two monks, dedication page (folio 8 recto) of a moralized Bible, from Paris, France, 1226–1234. Ink, tempera, and gold leaf on vellum, 1’ 3” X 10 1/2”. Pierpont Morgan Library, New York.

CIMABUE, Madonna Enthroned with Angels and Prophets, ca. 1280–1290. Tempera on wood, 12’ 7” x 7’ 4”. Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.

Duccio, Christ Entering Jerusalem , detail of Maesta Alter, 1308-11, Tempra on Panel, 40x21” By the early 1600’s we begin to see a break with the Middle Ages art styles in favor of: - Naturalistic spatial techniques - Realistic proportion - Depiction of movement Two artists very influential in making this transition, which is considered a precursor to the Renaissance style, are Duccio and Giotto.

DUCCIO DI BUONINSEGNA, Betrayal of Jesus, detail from the back of the Maestà altarpiece, from the Siena Cathedral, Siena, Italy, 1309–1311. Tempera on wood, detail approx. 1’ 10 1/2” x 3’ 4”. Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Siena.

GIOTTO DI BONDONE, Lamentation, Arena Chapel, Padua, Italy, ca. 1305. Fresco, 6’ 6 3/4” x 6’ 3/4”.

Towards the Renaissance