Paleochristian art and Byzantine art
Introduction
Paleochristian and Byzantine art are two different artistic stages, simultaneous and but with some common characteristics. Initially, we must distinguish the meaning of the concepts of this work. We differentiate:
- Paleochristian art: the use of the word was used to refer to the first artistic manifestations of the Christian world. This is characterized by being a religious art that is established in Roman civilization. We can also say that it is an adaptation of the themes and contents of the religion in question, becoming a great cultural pillar at the time.
- Byzantine art: it comes from the city of Constantinople, by Byzantium. Covers until 1453. It stands out in the first centuries of this stage since a religious art is developed as the previous one, where there is a union between the Church and State.
Between these two arts, there are a number of common properties such as:
- The creation of a new artistic and irrational language.
- The supremacy of religious issues in all the artistic manifestations that will be born at this time.
The new iconography: the painting of the catacombs
Paleochristian art lives two differentiated periods separated by the Edict of Milan in the year 313 D. C. From this time interval, the Christian cult spread and authorized throughout the territory of the empire. This is called "Peace of the Church´´.
The painting of the catacombs
The catacombs were a series of underground cemeteries, where the bodies of the deceased were buried. It was also used to celebrate cult at times of persecutions. The Via Appia deposit in Rome stands out, where the bodies of San Pedro and San Pablo were located. These used to be located in places used by the Romans for the extraction of all types of construction materials.
Within these graves, Christian prayer and symbols used by Paleochristian civilization are distinguished. These elements have reached us today, since they settled in the Christian religion in a fixed and continuous way. These are:
- The fish, which symbolizes the presence of "Jesus, the Son of God ”.
- The Lamb, which symbolizes the death of Christ, since he was sacrificed to save humanity.
- The Good Shepherd
- The christer
Paleochristian artists wanted to propaganda and have mutual recognition among the faithful, which through these artistic representations would create a Bible close to everyone. These artists did a great job to adapt the Christian contents to the pagan themes so that the people knew them. All this was done in order that when the Church was recognized by the government and the respective laws, it had its own iconographic system and a perfectly formed structure. Catacumba de la Via Appia (Rome) Paleochristian iconography
The Christianization of the Basilica
As of 313 and after the previously commented edict of Milan, Christians could practice their religion legally and publicly, so that a new church would be born, where said doctrine had a great advance, full of splendor. This new rebirth caused the creation of new buildings, to house rites and publicize its new and enormous power. This strong growth occurs between the fourth and centuries after Christ, where special emphasis is placed on buildings such as:
- The basilicas of the main cities, for example, the capitals of Christian kingdoms. These followed the plant inherited by the Romans.
- The churches in Rome.
- Small sanctuaries distributed by the Byzantine Empire.
The basilica acquired all kinds of changes, depending on the needs of the Christian religion. We highlight a change in space orientation, which produced, a new distribution of this. Thanks to this, the area left between the door and the altar, was considered the section where the encounter of the faithful with God. The new temples were made up of:
- An access yard: open and porticado, which symbolizes the transition between the world of sin and salvation. We observe that this patio disappears in the Middle Ages, but had great influence on Islamic culture.
- Rectangular interior space: It is located divided into a series of ships, covered by flat roofs. This was sustained by columns and entablatments. Of the ships, mentioned above, the central was the widest and most long, and was illuminated by windows. We also distinguish a new zone, called Transcept, which is defined as a crosswalk horizontally, which allowed the faithful to access the crypts where the bruises of the deceased were kept.
- Presbytery: The altar area is also considered, made in the form of apse. This is associated with the majesty of Christ, since, in previous times, it had been used to keep the different imperial statues. This was accessed through an arc, which symbolizes the victory of Christianity against paganism. In Rome we highlight numerous basilicas built by the Pope, such as Santa María la Mayor, Santa Sabina or the primitive of San Pedro. These were located on the periphery and used to be accompanied by rectangular plant buildings that are:
- Baptisteria, rich decoration buildings, organized around the pool where the sacrament of baptism was carried out. San Juan de Letrán stands out in Rome.
- The temple-mausoleos, who are graves of martyrs or saints used for worship, where Santanza stands out in Rome. Both buildings are characterized by a semi -inferous dome, on whose base twelve windows are opened and is limited by a series of paired columns. The central space is wrapped by an annular vault decorated with mosaics. The basilicas and the mausoleos join in the holy places, Jerusalem and Belén, where Christ was born and died. Here we highlight:
- The Church of the Nativity of Bethlehem, in the place where the birth of the Son of God occurred. It is a five -ship basilica with a final octagon.
- The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where the Lord was buried. Basilica of five ships and a great roundabout where the sepulcher of Jesus is located.
Byzantine buildings and dome: Santa Sofia
In 395, Theodosius dies and the Roman Empire is divided into their children, so that one inherited the eastern part and another the western one, where the capital of the Eastern Eastern was established in Constantinople. This did not have the great impact that Rome had, but created a new art full of symbolism, which showed the alliance between the Church and the Emperor. The architecture of this culture made a fundamental pillar of it the dome, since it considered it more than an architectural element, reflecting the union between God and men.
Justinian’s foreign policy was fundamental and expansive, since he conquered territories in Italy, North Africa or East European, creating important buildings such as the Church of Santa Sofía located in Turkey and made in five years, from 532 to 537,Thanks to the divine advice that the emperor had received. This building was characterized by the new sense of space, used to hold the dome. It was also considered heiress of the pantheon and symbol of heaven.
Everything was created around that dome, which is held thanks to four pillars. In this, the masses are staggered and hierarchized in a way that symbolizes a perfectly ordered world. Its architects were Artemio de Tralles and Isidoro de Mileto. The first was the theoretical responsible for the construction, while the second performed the action of the work.
This church is one of the examples that best narrate Byzantine architecture and one of the most spectacular basilicas made by human being. During its construction, there were numerous problems such as the collapse of walls or the dome on numerous occasions, but this did not prevent the project from continuing. From the fifteenth century it became mosque and today has no religious function and is used as a museum.
The structure that helps sustain that large dome of 30 meters in diameter and 54 meters high is as follows:
- A series of pechinas that are anchored to a pillar that reaches the ground.
- The dome circle is embedded in a square and this is subject by four pechinas.
- The center was surrounded by two adjacent domes that push the central and two arches that counteracted the already said thrust of the previous domes. I have to make special emphasis that tiles were used with a higher weight to relieve dome ballast.
If we observe the dome from within this magnificent building, we can realize that it seems that it is in the air. But if this dome is visualized from the outside, it is covered with a cylindrical drum that covers part of its height. This element consists of a series of windows that give way to light to illuminate the interior of the temple. The temple was decorated with mosaics, but because of wars and robberies they have been destroyed.
The musivary decoration
Painting and mosaic were the main elements within Byzantine decoration. We can emphasize that the practice of the second, was born in Rome, but had never reached an artistic level as high as in this period. The technique consisted of placing small tiles in an area of cement. These were colored with metal oxides and rarely they were covered with gold and silver. The most used method was the well -known Opus Tessellatum, composed of a series of cubic tiles, of the same size and different color. Opus vermiculatum also stands out, which were made up of the specific contour to perform all kinds of scenes. The first was used for fillings, while the second was used in the contour.
The Byzantines used the mosaic to decorate domes and walls, so it was that, thanks to the different artists, a series of games of lights and shadows were created that ayed to create an architecture made of light and spirit. In 726, the iconoclast revolution begins with the prohibition of religious figures in the churches. Iconoclasty triumphed thanks to:
- Emperor’s power overcame the economic and political that composed different monasteries.
- The sacred texts were against the proliferation of images.
- Emperor Leo III, who made this revolution, was advised by Muslim and Jewish ministers.
During this long period the naked cross and the empty throne were staged where the sacred books rested. Today very few mosaics are preserved. We can highlight that of the Church of San Vital, where we locate the famous Emperor Justinian and the Empress Teodora, accompanied by her entourage. During the reign of said emperor, numerous territories were conquered. Among them, Ravenna stands out, an Italian city, where the Byzantine left a great vestige of their culture, such as the Church of San Apolinar el Nuevos and already happiness, St. vital. The famous spoken mosaic is previously part of a set of scenes representing the Old Testament. The scheme of both mosaics is similar, where emperors make an offering to the temple. These use tiles of different colors that allows us to find out that:
- The central characters wear purple.
- Emperors like their entourage show a religious character.
As a whole we can consider this work as an official portrait rather than an individual representation of the different characters that compose it.In the Teodora mosaic we highlight a series of details that show a lack of interest in the perspective, where the niche and the source located in the foreground, unintentionally cause some depth. Justinian’s is limited to a golden curtain, surrounded by columns that highlights the image of the emperor and his companions.
Bibliography
- Baccalaureate II textbook.
- Class notes.
- Baccalaureate II Notes Book.
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