Art Of The West I Final: Jewish, Early Christian, Byzantine, And Islamic Art

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Synagogue at Dura-Europos (244-245), Syria

--courtyard, assembly area, separate area for women (renovation then let men and women congregate together)

--biblical stories wrap around the room in the narrative roman tradition of official historical story-telling (paintings show parting and unparting of the red sea with gods hand clear in both, showing his divine presence in every miracle)

--use of hieratic scale

--bench along the walls and niche for Torah scrolls

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Synagogue at Beth Alpha (6th century, Israel)

--mosaic floor w geometric pattern (but figural and symbolic compositions in the middle)

--three naves, vestibule, and courtyard

--near eastern and classical influence

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SS. Pietro e Marcellino (4th century)--ceiling detail

--shows story of jonah and the sea monster where he is swallowed and spat out after three days (allegory for resurrection of christ)

--depicts christians buried within those very walls

--central medallion with four semicircular lunettes framed by arches

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The Good Shepherd (250-300)

--can be see at the catacombs or Marcellino

--harks back to story of Jonah again and jesus's promise to be the good shepherd

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Old St Peter's Basilica (333)
--rome, vatican city

--what st. peter's basilica used to be like

--gatehouse leadings into fountain and atrium area, side aisles around the nave leading to transept with clerestory lighting

--nave ends with an arch that shows Constantine and St. Peter presenting a model of the church to christ for his approval

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Oratory of Galla Placidia, Ravenna (425)

--image of christ as a shepherd (symbol of the shepherd definitely used across cultures)

--sort of made in the guise of constantine (shares a lot of his features)

--good shepherd mosaic

--a more regal depiction of jesus (which makes sense if he's being compared to constantine) where he isn't really doing hard work, but rather sitting in a robe among his flock adorned w a hallow (effortlessness in his divinity)

--realism begins to be sacrificed for iconography: welcome to the middle ages

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Anthemius and Isidorus, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, 532-537

--so many windows where light can come through

--during rain of justinian, early byzantine

--"the church of holy wisdom"

--4 towering minorets were not there at the time of justinians creation, added later by the turks (turned it from a church to a mosque)

--humongous building, huge dome

--unassuming outside, amazing inside w so many colors and the LIGHT WOW!!!! (illusion that the dome is resting on light), the light "transforms substance into an abstract spiritual vision"

--formed using pendentives

--dome combined w long horizontal building, like the parthenon, feat of building (essentially a domed basilica)

--used brick instead of concrete (distinctly byzantine)

--Greek orthodox

--nave was for clergy, not congregation

--CHURCH AND STATE ARE ONE!

--size of rome, mystery of catholocism

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San Vitale, Ravenna, 547

--construction began by Bishop Eclesius

--centrally planned

--two concentric octagons (inner forms the interior w clerestory lighting)

--mosaic theme is holy ratification of justinian's right to rule

--solidifies emperor as proprietor of the church, shows him presenting plans to jesus for approval

--procession taking place in san vitale, jesus and justinian united by purple on robes

--placement is purposefully vague, floating, divine

--loses the squatness of early christian, more elegant figures

--divine are invisible (this image is just to stimulate religion, not to necessarily tell a story

--BYZANTINE ART IS NOT REALISTIC, THE SKY ISN'T GOLD (disparages matter and material values)

--image of theodora as well leading a similar procession (didn't have to do this, shows that she's his right hand man, sort of like nefertiti and akhenaten)

--neither of them were ever here, complete fiction

--3 magi on her robe show that she belongs w people who offered gifts to christ

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Virgin of Vladimir (11th-12th century)

--rejection of iconoclasm

--middle byzantine

--stylized abstraction from years of working and reworking

--all the hallmarks of a byzantine icon (long straight nose, small mouth, gold sky and robes, unbroken contour holding the two together

--virgin of compassion, pressing cheek to son caring

--symbol of byzantium's cultural and religious mission to the slavic world

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Khludov Psalter (9th century)

--destruction of icons equivalent to torture of christ