Early Christian Art Flashcards
The Romans love _____ in art
realism
The Arch of Constantine commemorates the victory of ______ to win the _____
Maxentius
West
The Aftermath of a Lion Hunt, Sacrifice to Hercules, and Distribution of Largesse are part of which Roman arch?
The arch of Constantine
The arch of Titus/Constantine has the illusion of 3D space
Titus
The arch of Titus/Constantine has people in a plane
Constantine
How does Constantine portray himself in the Head of Constantine?
As a heavensent sovereignty (superhuman)
Immovable
Why is it important that the Head of Constantine is looking up?
He’s looking up at the spiritual source of his rule (God? Jupiter?)
Hierarchical Scale
A technique where scale is used to depict the relative importance of the figures in the artwork, rather than spacial relationships
What is a Synagogue?
A decorated private house that held the Torah
Dura-Europas
A Roman city now in Syria where a Jewish synagogue and Christian church-house was found in the 20th century
True or False: Early Christians loved images all the time.
False
In hierarchical scale, the biggest figure is the most/least important
most
Is there a sense of depth in hierarchical scale?
Not really.
______ and _________ style gets around anti-material religious belief.
Abstract, representational
One of the oldest house-churches ever discovered was found in the city of ________ dating from around _____
Dura-Europos, 230s
Parable of the lost sheep/Christ as the good shepherd is a common ancient motif adopted from _______
The ram bearer Kriophoros
Usually Hermes/Mercury
What are catacombs?
underground cemeteries
Layout of a catacomb
streetlike tunnels with niches to hold the loculi (dead). Becomes like a maze with time.
Are the catacombs secret?!
Nah. Banquets are held there and churches are often constructed on top.
What is the Queen of the Catacombs?
The catacomb of Priscilla
The Three Children in the Furnace was found in ____ from _____ in ____
the catacomb of Priscilla
3rd century
Rome
The Three Children in the Furnace is based off of _______ _
Daniel 3
What is the mood of The Three Children in the Furnace?
Joyous! Awaiting Heaven
Describe the people in The Three Children in the Furnace
Hebrew in Persian dress
Praying pose
Happy
True or False: Mother and Child found in the Catacomb of Priscilla may be the first representation of Mary as the mother of Christ
True
Flashes of color and highlighting in Mother and Child may suggest a __________ __ _____
a dematerialization of form
Ichthus means _____
fish
Why is the fish a symbol of Christianity?
Christ feeding the multitude, regarding fish (baptism) and bread (eucharist)
Christ is the fisher of souls
Apotheosis
The glorification of a subject to divine levels
A medium of decoration with designs made up of closely set, small pieces of material such as stone, mineral, glass, tile, or shell called tesserae
Mosaic
Christ/Helios pictures Christ as a _____
charioteer / Apollo
Symbolism in Christ/Helios:
Vines
Chariot
Apotheosis
Vines – Eucharistic wine
Chariot – Sol Invictus (cosmic power ruler)
Apotheosis – resurrection
Mosaic as a medium lends itself to ________
abstraction
The small, repeated pieces found in a mosaic are called ____
tesserae
Early Christian art produced a style in which the artists deny the ______ world and show scenes through ______ and ______.
physical
Gestures and glances
A freestanding figure designed to be viewable from all angles
Sculpture in the Round
3-dimensional sculpture attached to a background, and only viewable from some angles.
Relief
True or false: In the early years, there is a Christian reluctance to raise prominence of visual arts.
True
Christianity used art primarily for ________ and _______
instructional value
monumental commemoration
True or False: The early Christians loved sculpture in the round.
Nah, that’s too worldly
Many of the relief sculptures of Christian art were found on _____
sarcophagi
In the ____ century, Christianity becomes more popular and the house-churches are no longer acceptable.
4th/5th
Churches must be a ______ and a _____
House of God
Tomb of Christ
Apse
A semicircular recess in the wall with a vault or semi-domed roof, common in Byzantine, Romanesque, and Gothic architecture.
An apse usually holds the _____ and _____
altar and shrines
A church or shrine built over the tomb of a Christian martyr
Martyrium
Ambulatory
An aisle encircling an apse
The site of the Church of The Holy Sepulchre contains
both the place where Jesus was crucified and His tomb
