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I feel that the more wealthy thought that the more ornate their worship items were, the closer to God that they were. And if you could afford to have your own alter at you place of residence then you were truly close to God. Things such as a moralized Bible would also have been a worship item that was unavailable to those of limited means that would have separated the wealthy from those of lower social status.
Lacey, I agree when you boil down to the heart of the matter the main reason for having stained glass windows was function. By allowing more natural light in, they had to rely less on candles and oil to light the church.
The introduction of stained glass windows in gothic churches was brought on by a few different conditions. One of them was the change in architecture allowed larger windows which lends itself to the stained glass windows. Another is the stained glass windows allowed natural light to enter into the churches where the church did not have to rely so heavily on candles and oil. The third is that it allowed the windows to function as pieces of art and tell biblical stories as well as being functional.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/194Mm3ayYbc84JhncYT_Yd0OacNDACBCR/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TSDuROi8IJBp_nu92gu_BELZxeqvpqNV/view?usp=sharingThis was an interesting project. Unfortunately I was looking at what was due using the weekly modules and not the syllabus so missed the due date.
Tamara, you are correct that the art was very much based on religious images. I’m sure the rise of the church had much to do with this and since I’m sure that the church was the one “sponsoring” many of these artists, that the church was able to dictate what art was produced.
The art of this time took influence from the other eras by bringing attention to the characters of the Christian religion without making them into idols and graven images. In the Book of Durrow, Matthew is shown. He is shown in such as way though that it doesn’t make him into a deity.
I think it is easy to look at this 5th century art and critique it through 21st century eyes. What was going on during that time with the rise of the Christian church, influenced art a great deal. I think they were trying to blend beauty and function into one and much of the architecture is amazing from this time.
You are correct in your assessment Kaitlyn. One must remember that the church has always had a certain power over artistry and was able to deem what should be allowed and what was to taboo by their standards. Because at the time the church was probably the largest employer of artists, what ever rules they set had to be followed.
I feel at the time, the Christian church was dictating much of the theme of the art that was being produced. I think of this time as more of the “Dark Ages” when it comes to artists being able to express their own style and not was being dictated to them by the church. With this being said, there are many great examples of art that shows innovation. The artistry on the Lindesfarne Gospel and the Book of Kells is exquisite. It reminds me of the more modern trend of zentangles.
I feel that during this era, “art” has taken a step backwards and has become more of a way to communicate an idea between a group of people rather than a form of expression. In earlier times, rulers used art to elevate themselves to a higher level with the gods. I feel that during the Byzantine times, the art was used to spread the message of the church and was less about conveying realism in the artwork. Because the artists had to show their subject in a pious manner, realism was not as important.
To me there is nothing wrong with the images. The images are just pieces of art. It is the power that man has given to those images that have made them idols. When man says that this particular piece of art is so “godly” that it can heal you, it has crossed the line of being just a piece of art and is now something that has been elevated to something more which in my book is crossing the line of the intent of the Second Commandment.
With the vast array of Byzantine art, I feel that there are instances where the art is just trying to convey a story, such as David Battling Goliath. There are other instances where the art has become more of an icon or idol. When miracles and such are attached to an art piece rather than Jesus Christ, the person if giving the acclaim to an idol and not who or what the idol represents which I feel is a violation of the Second Commandment. There have been stories or statues of Virgin Mary crying or statues of Christ bleeding and both “healing” people of serious maladies. People will come from all around to touch the statue in order to be healed. Are these people worshipping and believing in God to heal them or are they worshipping an idol and trusting that statue to heal them?
Iconoclasm in the Byzantine era caused a division in the society and even to this day there is still a division when it comes to what constitutes worshiping an idol and what constitutes worshiping God. Such as the Virgin of Vladimir is sure to have been a piece that was considered to be an important Christian icon, especially if it was rumored to have been originally painted by Saint Luke. The same can be said for the Icon of Saint Michael the Archangel. There have been many stories of miracles happening when related to St. Michael statues. Many denominations look at other denominations and accuse them to this day of idolatry when they pray to Saint’s such as Michael and the Virgin Mary instead of Christ. During the Byzantine times, the church was rapidly expanding, so it is inevitable that the subject of a lot of art would by Christian icons.
I think one was that artists got around creating something that could be interpreted as a graven image or false god was by incorporating Christian aspects into the art. For instance in The Oratory of Galla Placidia, there are numerous Christian themes in the image such as the inclusion of the Gospels; Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The image also shows St. Lawrence carrying a cross and a bible to show his dedication to dying as a martyr for a noble cause. He died not for his own purposes, but to spread the word of Christianity.
I think the most glaring use of syncretism is the use of a shepherd with a lamb over his shoulder to represent Christ being the Good Shepherd and laying his life down for His flock of lambs. Also these sculptures keeping with the ideals of what Romans pictured as beauty also shows the use of syncretism..
