Byzantine Art

The back cover says that it is "The handbook of Byzantine art for lay readers and specialists." As a lay reader (though I have read rather extensively about other periods in art and history), I did find it about one level above what I would expect from an introductory text. For example, the author on numerous occasions would go into some detail to explain the dating of a particular object, rather than use that space to describe, for example, its artistic style, or how the object (or others like it) was used or experienced by the people of that period in history. In part for that reason, I did not find this "brisk" reading as one reviewer put it. The back cover also says that the author overturns the myth that Byzantine art (BA) remained constant. He does indeed go into great detail to show how BA of a given period was the product of a variety of factors, and how a given piece of art was different. But, again for a lay person, what is salient is how so much of BA was in fact fairly consistent in style and subject matter, and for so long, due its spiritual function. For my money, I would have liked to read at least as much about its continuity as about how much it changed. There was also no map in the book, even though it is about art in many different countries. And finally, although he organized his chapters chronologically, he roamed pretty freely with the art he was discussing, such that he regularly went into things, at length, that chronologically belonged to a previous or forthcoming chapter. All that said, I did learn a lot from the book, and would recommend it to anyone with more than a beginner's knowledge of this period in art history. (You can get that beginner's knowledge by first reading Wikipedia's entries on 1) Byzantine art, 2) Icons, and 3) the Byzantine Empire.)

An extended history beyond description of art objects, makes understanding what art in the Byzantine Empire represented. I loved it!

I was in search of an affordable book that featured color plates of the greatest art of the Byzantine world, running the gamut from late Roman times through the fall of Constantinople and Robin Cormack's excellent work more than fit the bill. Indeed, this may be the perfect introductory work on Byzantine art. Magnificently produced, the book is positively littered with high-resolution color and black-and-white photos which show amazing amounts of detail. Particularly stunning are the reproductions of the various mosaics from inside the great church of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul and from San Vitale in Ravenna. The text of the book is descriptive and analytical. Though somewhat scholarly in content, the writing is clear and the style is brisk. Enough historical background is provided to make the book suitable for a reader with little or no knowledge of Byzantine history. The devotional aspects of Byzantine Art were handled dispassionately with no trace of secular conceit--not always a given these days--and the Iconoclastic controversy was well covered in commendable detail. My only minor quibble was that the endnotes were buried amidst the back-matter and were somewhat difficult to find. Over all, Cormack's book will make an excellent textbook for courses in Christian and Medieval Art, and a perfect supplemental text for general Byzantine Studies courses. The lovely cover art and stunning interior photos will also make it the kind of book that will be picked up and perused by friends and family if left around the house.

Having had the chance to listen to Robin Cormack speak, and always having had an interest in Byzantine art, I look forward to reading this. I was not disappointed in the least. As Cormack rightly points out both in his introduction and his bibliographic essay, the art of Byzantium is presented either in an homongenous manner, linking all stylistic periods and developments into a monolithic, unchanging facade, or as a realm only the specialist would be willing to engage in. Cormack deftly navigates through the subject in such a manner that is both introductary as well as substantial enough for those already familiar with the subject. Where controverserial arguments are needed, Cormack enthusiastically dives in; where basic explanation is necessary, Cormack elucidates without dumbing-down; where a style of writing is called for to atmospherically render the majesty of the art, Cormack's writing never fails.For those of us teaching art history classes, finding a textbook devoted to Byzantine art is especially difficult. We now have the classic that will be more than sufficient for years to come.