Early Christian art

Early Christian artChristian art was restricted to the decoration of the hidden

places of worship (ie: catacombs)Most early religious artists worked in manner that was

derived from Roman art (using pagan motifs), appropriately stylized to suit the spirituality of the religion.

These artists chose to reject the ideals of perfection in form and technique. They rather sought to present images

which pointed to its spiritual significance. An iconography was devised to visualize Christian

concepts. The first Christians don't see in art a way of expressing beauty, but one of transmitting their faith and

beliefs as well as to teach them.

Catacomb frescos•Christ is placed as the predominant character.

•The symbol of Christ's love - the Good Shepherd it is the most frequently represented in the catacombs;

•The lamb on his shoulders, tightly held by the shepherd's hands, is the Christian.

•The Saviour is often represented at work among men: on the bas-reliefs or on the walls we see Jesus who touches

the eyes of the blind-man or raises Lazarus from the tomb; Jesus who multiplies the bread or changes water into wine:

it is always the same Christ who goes about doing good.Then there are the symbols. The most significant ones are those in which Christ does not appear in human form, but

under the veil of a symbol.

Catacomb frescoCatacombs had stylised paintings of Christian themes which often referred to Biblical figures that had been saved by Christ and/or their Christian faith (ie: Jonah and the whale)Notice the composition and scale is symbolic

SarcophogiiRelief sculpture on sarcophagi of Christian themes from the Bible

Galla Placidia Ravena

West and EastEmperor Constantine acknowledged the Christian faith and Rome was no

longer a pagan ruled city but fell under the authority of the Church and the Emperor. Due to invasions from the Germanic tribes from the North,

Constantine moved his Capital to Constantinople (Turkey). Hence the

split btw the West and the East.

Early Christian churchThe split between the West and the East saw a rise in pilgrimages travelling from West to East and vice verca. Constantine was on a mission to find past traces of Christ’s existence and believers would often travel to these sites. This stone church is typical of the churches which were set up along pilgrimage routes. The rise in liturgy, believers, and the need for better acoustics lead to Christians using old Roman basilicas in the West for their new churches.

Early Christian Church

West and East

WEST•Early Christian art•Romanesque art•Gothic art

EAST•Early Christian art•Early Byzantine•Middle Byzantine•Late Byzantine

Early Christian churches in the West and the East

Once Christianity became part of Rome, Early Christian architecture flourished throughout the Roman Empire on a

monumental scale. Buildings were of two types, the longitudinal hall –

basilica (in the West), and the centralized building - a baptistery or a

mausoleum (in the East).

Inside of Early Christian Roman basilica

Inside of Early Christian Roman basilica: The alterThe alter was facing the East (Jerusalem) and was placed at the end of the long hall

Floor mosaic of Christian basilica

Notice how pagan motifs were apart of the Early Christian art

Floor mosaic of Christian basilica

Floor mosaic of Christian basilica

Floor mosaic of Christian basilica

Eastern Christian church

The churches in the East lead their congregations according tot he months of the year – a cyclical layout which was echoed in the round domes. Scenes from the bible were painted on the done. The space of the church and the dome was used symbolically, with scenes from Heaven painted at the top, and scenes from earth at the bottom.

Hagia Sophia

Islam mosque

Examples of Early Christian art - showing a change in style

towards Byzantine art (before Iconoclasm)

The good shepherdTomb of Galla Placidia in Ravenna•The image of the Good Shepherd, adopting the form of the classical Kriophoros, is the most common of the symbolic representations of Christ found in Early Christian•Representation of Christ is based on Greek or Roman models•Illusionistic scene – three dimentional approach to space •Halo and cross - symbols

The good sheperd Sant' Apollinare in Classe•Christ is stylised – not based on Roman or Greek Classical models•Sheep and plants are arranged around the central figure in a repetitive, symmetrical pattern.•Linear style•Stylised treatment of forms•Flat compositions•Two dimensional approach to space

The upper section of the triumphal arch depicts, inside a medallion, Christ. At the sides, within a sea of clouds, are the winged symbols of the four Evangelists: the Eagle (John), the Winged Man (Matthew), the Lion (Mark), the Calf (Luke). The decoration of the apse date to the 6th century, and can be divided into two parts:in the upper one, a large disc encloses a starry sky in which is a cross with gems and the face of Christ. Over the cross is a hand protruding from the clouds, the theme of the Hand of God. At the side of the disc are the figures of Elias and Moses. The three lambs in the lower sector symbolize the saints Peter, James and John, alluding the Transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Tabor. in the lower one is a green valley with rocks, bush, plants and birds. In the middle is the figure of St. Apollinaris, portrayed in the act of praying God to give grace to his faithful, symbolized by twelve white lambs.

Compare the Galla Placidia tomb mosaic to the St Apollinaire mosaic in terms of the following:

•Space•Style

•Representation of Christ•Use of symbols

The use of the icon in Byzantine art •Frontality and eye contact•Two dimensionality and stylization•The identity of an icon•Colour and scale •Image: Crucifixion at Hosias Loukas

The middle ages Romanesque era•Religious in nature•House of god the only public building •Sculpture and architecture the most important•Sculptures found on the columns or entrances of Romanesque churches•Neither completely sculptural nor entirely architectural – carvings

Tympanum of Autun Cathedral

Themes of the carvings • Superstitious and god fearing people• Scenes from the Last Judgement• - the weighing of the souls • Fearsome

Tympanum of Autun Cathedral

Romanesque architecture

How Romanesque churches began:protective purposes than for any aesthetic quality:Monasteries housed the relics of saints, and during the Romanesque period the cult of relics became a major cultural factor influencing architecture. Devout Christians would undertake long pilgrimages in order to visit and venerate the relics of saints and martyrs. People travelled widely to visit sites and see relics believing them to have curative powers. These large numbers of people travelling created standard routes from one monastery to another "Pilgrimage Roads" - they became routes of trade/commerceThe primary characteristics of Romanesque architecture were Roman in origin:

•large internal spaces covered by barrel vaults, •rounded arches on doors and windows,

•thick walls•solid, heavy because of the thick walls, and, as a result of the comparatively

small windows,

Gothic architecture

With the development of the flying buttress in the Gothic era, this enabled taller buildings, featuring the pointed Gothic arch, also enabling the soaring, vaulted ceilings of the great cathedrals. With the strength provided by the buttresses we also see the development of the stained glass window in its finest form, including the round rose window. The best example of both Romanesque and Gothic architecture is the cathedral in Chartres, France, who's construction straddled both eras and can be seen side by side in one location.

Gothic cathedrals were built with a slender skeleton, made up with pointed arches and flying buttresses, which gives impressions of harmony and luminosity.

Barrel vault – Romanesque The earliest barrel vaults were built by people living in the Roman Empire, who used them a lot for roofing.if you put on a barrel vault the roof was so heavy that the walls had to be very thick, with only a few tiny windows, and the church looked dark

Rounded groin vault – Romanesque

Around 1050 AD, people began using a different kind of vault - the groin vault. It's called a groin vault because the parts meet together in a V, like the V where your legs come together. You make a groin vault by building two barrel vaults that cross each other, so that they make an X. A groin vault can be rounded, as in Romanesque churches, or pointed, as in Gothic churches.

Pointed Groin vaulting – Gothic

Gothic architecture had groin vaulting which allowed for less wall space and more windows .

Flying buttresses – Gothic The flying buttress would start from the places at the top of the wall where the groin vaults were directing the weight of the roof. From there, the flying buttresses would carry the weight of the roof away from the building and down a column of stone to the ground. It wouldn't matter what the walls were made of anymore, because they wouldn't be carrying the weight of the roof