Chapter 3 Flashcards
How did the eucharist location change when the Hagia Sophia was built?
No longer followed the long direction of the nave (body where isles are)
But instead followed the circular pattern of the apse (round thing in the back, this area tends to have a dome now) (dome over centre where eucharist is done)
How does the dome keep the appearance of being “suspended from heaven”?
40 windows pierce the entire rim of the dome (and gold used to decorate)
-Creates rays of light that shine down when doing the eucharist ceremony
Did Christian builders ever copy the Hagia Sophia?
Nope
(Did inspire Islamic mosques tho)
Who commissioned S. Apollinare nuovo?
Arian Gothic ruler Theodoric
Originally: “Arian cathedral dedicated to Christ”
What is the structure of S. Apollinare Nuovo and S. Apollinare Classe?
three-aisled basilicas,
How are S. Apollinare Nuovo and S. Apollinare Classe different from other Roman Basillicas?
they differ from Roman basilicas in their proportions and other details. The naves are wider and shorter than in typical Roman basilicas.
Side rooms flanking the apse reflect the architects’ Eastern heritage
apse has an Eastern form, polygonal on the exterior and semicircular on the interior
When was the Church of S. Vitale founded?
(Finest surviving church)
founded by Bishop Ecclesius (521-532)
What is the structure of the Church of S. Vitale?
a central octagonal plan,
central domed octagon is surrounded by an ambulatory and gallery
Eight piers that support the dome (galleried niches stand out)
At the Church of S. Vitale, what is around the central domed octagon? (main area)
ambulatory (a place for walking, especially an aisle around the apse)
and
gallery (second floor with windows high up. A platform, raised above the church floor. Galleries were often located at the west end of the church, over the west door, and used to house musicians or singers performing during church services)
How is the Church of S. Vitale different from most Constantinopolitan buildings?
The apse, the choir, and the gallery roofs all ascend to the roof over the dome in a series of distinct yet interlocking polygonal forms.
(Basically, the exterior looks stacked and builds up to roof)
Explain how Byzantine artists employed another device to deny traditional illusionism?
They rendered objects in reverse perspective, that is, the lines diverge from each other as they recede, and objects appear to tip up and grow larger in the distance.
(ex. goblet where top shows even if it wouldn’t in realistic perspective- object points towards the viewer)
How did Byzantine art shift?
From illusionistic vision to thoroughly abstract imagery
How did abstraction work in mosaics?
composition symmetrically and eliminated all landscape and architectural details,
What did mosaic colours look like?
Strong contours and bright, flat colors make the images easily visible from the nave floor.
What is in the church of S. Vitale, Ravanna?
Mosaics of Theodora and Justinian
How did Jewish mosaics design people?
figures full face with profile legs and feet.
Less detailed
- Shows the story of Isaac
In eastern churches, what were ivory diptychs (panels joined in pairs) used for?
memorial tablets, on which were inscribed the names of people for whom prayers were to be said during the Mass.
In one example: St. Michael appears as a divine messenger holding an imperial orb with a cross. His youthful face conforms to a classical ideal, and his well-proportioned figure is revealed by clinging tunic and pallium. The archangel seems more like a young Greek hero or a Roman orator than an invisible messenger of God.
Explain the symbolism in Portrait of the author at work with an assistant, and Inspiration?
Dioscorides is represented as a scholar seated with an open book on his lap. He is inspired by Epinoia, the Power of Thought, who holds a mandrake root.
What are some features of the antique pictorial style?
- realistic details contrast with the idealized background of colonnade and niche.
- The complex poses of the figures,
- the refined modeling in light and dark tones, and the perspective rendering
What are Icons?
small portraits of Christ, the Virgin, or the saints, designed, like the pagan imperial portraits, to serve as proxies for the divine presences.
Where were icons kept?
Monasteries be-came important centers for the manufacture and sale of these reproductions because they kept most of the existent icons in protective custody
