Art of the Byzantine Era (World of Art)

"Not since the world was made was there ever seen or won so great a treasure, or so noble or so rich, ... had there been so much wealth as was found in Constantinople." Robert of Clari, a French crusader, in 1204 A Classic Art Study: Talbot Rice, an authority on Byzantine Art, who traveled and worked in east Mediterranean countries, and visited Cappadocia and Cilicia, wrote a compelling study, and edited a masterly presentation of almost 250 pieces of art in icons, mosaics, frescoes, Coptic textiles, ivories, jeweled gospel covers, and gave an exposition of the beautiful architecture of the era, which characterizes Orthodox Worship to date. This study is a rare attestation to the roots of iconography in Coptic mural paintings at the ancient monasteries at Bagawat (5th century), Deir Abu Hennis and Bawit, and those of Suryan monastery. But most beautiful is the Coptic icon of Christ and St. Menas (now in the Louvre) Byzantine Art: Byzantine always admired art reflected the splendor and prestige of its court and church, which were often intertwined in Byzantine society and culture. Byzantine art set standards for craftsmanship, and its architecture reflected the Eastern Orthodox worship traditions which thrived in the Eastern part of the post Constantine Roman Empire. The the time frame of Byzantine art consists of a first golden age, started after establishment in 330 the second golden age of Byzantine art, and the late period, ended with the Ottomans in 1453. Sacred Art: The Eastern Churches adopted an earnest reflected tone to worship in contrast to the colossal cathedrals of the West. This focus is reflected in Byzantine art, and in architecture as featured in the unique dome style, exemplary in the Hagia Sophia. The figures in those arts appear flat, two dimensional with minimal use of shadowing, to give any three dimensional impression. Figures are almost always presented from the front with somber faces and solemn looks amplified with staring eyes. Faces were rather narrow and dark, with trendy use of a reflecting gold background. Very little attempt, if any, was made for realism in the painting, while mosaic depictions are more impressionists, the Ravenna collection is especially cheerful and beautiful. In, 'Art a World History' Jo Marceau, concludes that, "Byzantine art displayed the same constancy: in the fifth and sixth centuries, it developed a formal expression that was manifested in thousands of works of art that came to be regarded as sacred and immutable." Iconoclasm, Art Destruction: The development of the style of Byzantine Art was achieved during the Fifth and Sixth centuries. During the Eighth and Ninth Centuries, the writing of icons (painting of saints' images) was prohibited by Emperor Leo III in 726, and then after by the iconoclasts who believed iconography was a form of idolatry and that all icons should be destroyed. This spilt the empire into two parties and came to be known as the Iconoclastic Crisis. Icon

Rice's introduction to Byzantine art is particularly useful in that it does not limit itself to the arts of Constantinople only. It focuses first on the Late Antique period (primarily in Egypt), and then goes on to provide worthwhile overviews of artistic developments in Constantinople, Byzantine Italy and the Balkans. And, although he provides little more than a cursory explanation of the complex causes of change in the Byzantine aesthetic, the author's enthusiasm for his subject is evident in his clear, jargon-free descriptions of individual works. Despite being originally published almost 40 years ago, this study still effectively conveys the breadth of Byzantium's artistic influence better than most.