For more than a millennium, from its creation in 330 CE until its fall in 1453, the Byzantine Empire was a cradle of artistic effervescence that is only beginning to be rediscovered. Endowed with the rich heritage of Roman, Eastern, and Christian cultures, Byzantine artists developed an architectural and pictorial tradition, marked by symbolism, whose influence extended far beyond the borders of the Empire. Today, Italy, North Africa, and the Near East preserve the vestiges of this sophisticated artistic tradition, with all of its mystical and luminous beauty. The magnificence of the palaces, churches, paintings, enamels, ceramics, and mosaics from this civilisation guarantees Byzantine art's powerful influence and timelessness.
Оглавление
Charles Bayet. Byzantine Art
Introduction
I. Early Byzantine Art (306–843)
A. The Birth of a New Style (306–527)
B. Art under Justinian and His Successors (527–726)
1. Architecture
2. Painting, Mosaics, and Illuminations
3. Sculpture and Metalworking
C. Art under Iconoclasm (726–843)
II. The Renaissance of Byzantine Art (843–1204)
A. Art under the Macedonians and the Komnenoi
1. Architecture
2. Mosaics, Painting, and Illuminations
3. Sculpture, Metalworking
B. Byzantine Influences in the West
III. Late Byzantine Art (1204–1453)
A. Art under the Eastern Roman Empire (1204–1261)
B. Art under the Palaiologoi (1261–1453)
Conclusion
Chronology
The Byzantine Empire
Glossary
Bibliography
Отрывок из книги
Arch of Constantine, 312–315.
Marble, 21 × 25.7 × 7.4 m.
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In Constantinople itself, from Constantine to Justinian, the construction of thirty-eight new churches or monasteries has been noted, according to a Byzantine chronicler. Hardly any details are available on their architectonic characteristics; it seems, however, that after a fire, the Hagia Sophia was reconstructed “with cylindrical vaults”. There, as in Asia, the architects, who were called upon incessantly to produce new works, had to compete zealously. It fell to them to discover ingenious and original combinations. While in the West the misfortunes of the empire distracted people from artistic matters, in the East, a generally more positive situation favored their development. Rather than reproduce the same models over and over, with less intelligence and less care, Greek architects were constantly modifying and perfecting them.
From this time on, the mosaic was more and more the preferred decorative style. In St. George of Thessaloniki, the cupola covering the church was decorated entirely in mosaics. Today, only a portion of it remains; there are large compartments where saints are located standing upright, in an orant posture, amid a rich architectural framework. The craftsmanship of these mosaics is extremely beautiful, and, despite the mutilations they have suffered and their faded colours, they give off a very grand effect. The slightest ornamental details bear witness to a fine and delicate taste; arabesques and palmette bands are elegantly designed.
