RELIGIOUS CONVICTION
AND ART
OBJECTIVES
• Explain why during the Christian era, art shifts from earlier
Greek and Roman traditions of realism toward a strong
use of symbols.
• Understand that under Justinian, the Byzantine empire
moved to the East in 527 AD and that the emperor was
extremely influential in fostering the art of his reign.
• Comprehend that during the seventh century, the rival
faith of Islam, which began in Arabia, spread rapidly to
the Near East and the southern Mediterranean
• Describe Islamic art and explain why it relied heavily on
geometric and abstract forms.
• Understand that early medieval art was made largely by
nomadic tribes until Charlemagne fostered a revival of
Classical culture in the late 8th and early 9th centuries.
EARLY CHRISTIAN ART
• Define the following words:
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Diptych
Catacombs
Atrium
Nave
Apse
Baldachin
Transept
Crypts
Rotunda
Sarcophagus
EARLY CHRISTIAN ART
• Look at and study the following pieces:
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The Archangel Michael 5th century Ivory
The Good Shepard ceiling fresco early 4th century
Typical basilica outline/ plan
St. Apollinare in Classe 533-549 Ravenna
The Good Shepard 3rd century Marble sculpture
Chalice of Antioch 350-500 silver and gilt
Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus 359 Marble
EARLY CHRISTIAN ART QUESTIONS
• Name an early Christian symbol and tell what it
represented.
• Where were the earliest Christian frescoes painted?
• What is a diptych?
• What type of Roman buildings did the early
Christians adapt to become churches? WHY?
• How were basilicas decorated on the inside?
• Contrast this to their exterior appearance.
• What was the purpose of a sarcophagus?
• Describe how Christ was portrayed in Early Christian
Art.
BYZANTINE ART
• Warm up- if you wanted to create a shimmering,
heavenly light inside a church, what kind of building
materials do you think you’d employ?
BYZANTINE ART
• Vocabulary:
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Tesserae
Pendentives
Piers
Icons
Iconostasis
Triptych
BYZANTINE ART
• Research the following:
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Interior of the San Vitale
Emperor Justinian and Attendants 547 Mosaic
Empress Theodora and Attendants 547 Mosaic
Hagia Sophia (compare to the Pantheon)
What is sixth century known as?
Plan of 6th century churchs
Christ Between the Virgin and Saint John the Baptist 1261
(compare to earlier Roman mosaics)
Cathedral of St Basil 1554 Moscow
St. Marks 1063 Venice
Enthroned Madonna and Child 13th century Egg tempera on
panel
Harbaville Triptych (Christ enthroned with Saints) 950 Ivory
BYZANTINE ART
• How are the figures stylized in Emperor Justinian and
Attendants?
• Analyze how the artist has made Theodora the center of
attention in the mosaic Empress Theodora and
Attendants.
• Where is the Hagia Sophia located? What was
extraordinary about it’s construction?
• What did the iconoclasts want to destroy?
• Name the largest, most ornate church of the Second
Golden Age of Byzantium.
• From where did the horses over the entrance of Saint
Marks Cathedral in Venice come from?
• Describe the roof of the Cathedral of St. Basil in Moscow.
• What is an icon?
ISLAMIC FAITH AND ART
• Vocab:
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Arabesque
Stucco
Mosque
Minarets
Miniature
ISLAMIC FAITH AND ART
• Research:
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The Alhambra
Court of the Lions, Alhambra
Dome of the Rock
Great Mosque, Damascus
Album of the Conqueror, 15th century Turkey
Laila and Majnun at School
ISLAMIC FAITH AND ART
• Define arabesque.
• Describe the Alhambra. What part of the
Alhambra’s architecture is the most famous?
• What other civilization have we seen that has similar
famous animals? There are two main ones….
• What is a mosque?
• Why is the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem important
to both Christians and Moslems?
• What were some of the characteristics of Islamic
book illustration?
EARLY MEDIEVAL ART
• Vocab:
• Illumination
• Vellum
• Manuscript
EARLY MEDIEVAL ART
• Research:
Early middle ages
Lindisfarne Gospels- Chi Rho page
Illuminated manuscript
Migration art
Classical Revival under Charlemagne
Purse Cover, 7th century, gold, garnets, glass
Monastic life
St. Matthew the Evangelist 800 Gospel Book miniature on
parchment
• Saint Matthew the Evangelist 835 Gospel Book of
Archbishop Ebbo of Reims
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EARLY MEDIEVAL ART
• When was the medieval period?
• Why were nomadic tribes able to move so freely through
Europe during the Middle Ages?
• Name the main types of art produced during the Middle
Ages?
• Which medieval king revived an interest in Greek and
Roman art?
• How are the Lindisfarne Gospel and the Sutton Hoo
purse cover similar?
• What was the name of Charlemagne’s chapel?
• What city is it in?
• Compare the size of both St. Matthew illuminations. How
are they similar? How are they different? List at least
three ways for each.
UNIT REVIEW- QUESTIONS
• Describe the early Christian basilicas. Draw a basilica floor
plan. Are you aware of any modern day churches that
have this layout?
• Describe a typical Eastern European church built in the
Second Golden Age of Byzantium.
• Name one way that Roman and Byzantine mosaics differ.
• List several characteristics of Byzantine painting as
exemplified in Enthroned Madonna and Child.
• How did iconoclasts change the development of
Byzantine Art?
• What is a pendentive? Include an illustration in your
answer.
• What material did Islamic artists use to decorate the
arches in the Court of the Lion at the Alhambra?
SHORT ANSWER (THESE QUESTIONS
MUST BE ANSWERED WITH A MINIMUM
OF THREE SENTENCES.
• List several ways that Early Christian Art differed from
Classical Greek Art.
• How did the Edict of Milan affect architecture?
• Compare the Roman copy of the Greek painting
“The Battle of Issus” to “Emperor Justinian and
Attendants”. Discuss medium, location and style.
• Which of the illuminated manuscripts you have seen
impresses you the most? Why? What does is have
that makes it the best?