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I feel like Byzantine art is somewhat hard to identify. The second commandment comes down to ‘you shall have no other gods or false idols’ which makes some of the Byzantine art borderline. A lot of the Byzantine art (especially murals in churches) are dedicated to saints and are Madden and Child (Mary and Jesus) which I see as the borderline examples. Saints, the ones I have read about (and Alexandria seen in one of the murals) are almost magical humans. They are often martyrs, virgins, and larger-than-life figures, representing perfect figures of Godly humans. It makes sense for them to be depicted in churches but I think that places them on a pedestal even with God which breaks the second commandment. Madden and Child depictions ride another fine line but I think it still breaks the commandment despite the presence of ‘The Son’ in the image.
Hey Jess,
I hadn’t even noticed the idea of creating scenes rather than depictions of figures. I think it’s really important that you point that out. Scenes in Christian religion is what brings about their beliefs – there are many stories that can be depicted in scenes, about the acts of God, without showing Him directly. These scenes show His power and presence without having Him physically be there, unlike in the older religions. Again, I hadn’t even thought about it like that but that is really cool that you noticed that!
Hey Laura,
I also used the Oratory of Galla Placidia in my example of syncretism. The garb that Saint Lawrence wears is extremely indicative of what was happening in his time period. I noticed the columns, as those are very prevalent in much of the roman architecture, but I didn’t even think about including the catacombs. Good points overall!
Surprisingly enough, there is quite a bit of Roman inspiration in Jewish and Christian works. At the Royal Complex at Herodium, there is a bathhouse built by Herod that is built in Roman custom. Though columns are hardly ‘just’ a Roman thing, they are also present outside of the Temple of Solomon. In one of the Jewish Catacombs, there are decorations in the painting, under the menorahs, that are similar to decorations and art found in Pompeii. The Beit Alpha Synagogue once resembled a Roman basilica, and in the center of its Mosaic the god Helios is present (which is probably the most unique aspect of all of the art we have looked at). Though a minor thing, the Oratory of Galla Placidia depicts Saint Lawrence wearing sandals of Roman origin (as he was a citizen of Rome before his death).
These are just some things I found, but I thought them to be evident of the influence Rome had for quite some time.
With early Jewish and Christian art, there is a drastic difference that we see as compared to pieces we have looked at in the past. A major thing is the lack of sculptures – many sculptures from other eras were dedicated to gods or deities, so it makes sense that there are much less in this era. This is in part due to the fact that the Christian god isn’t ever seen, only Jesus is. In some places (not seen in any of our wings) there are sculptures of Mary, Jesus, and more, but none of God. This goes with their beliefs of him being an unseen and fearful god. In paintings, mosiacs, and the like, again there are no depictions of God himself, but instead images of those impacted by his miracles / actions. The fact that none of the Christian / Jewish art is dedicated to any gods / God himself is what makes it in line with their second commandment.
For my final project, I attempted to draw an old bronze statue sculpted by the Etruscans during the 5th-4th century BCE, called the Chimera of Arezzo. Though this piece is not currently in our classes museum, I did research on it and worked on it for my second grant proposal. The mythological creature of the chimera fascinated me, so I wanted to work with it once again for our final. The drawing is a mixture of photoshop and my own art, so the medium is quite different from the original. Here are the links for my paper and slideshow:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1m37nsOfqhP3soQcsW32TVcYAqGs6f1MVmHXefi9HC-0/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ck9o02-a6UXDlXJJ2FD_TRKsTItZ-RruBm-y-Yl80R0/edit?usp=sharingHey Miranda,
I hadn’t even though about the government inspiration you mentioned – I think I took the question at face value and just looked at art, but I think you’re very right. Not only do the buildings go off of architecture we have seen in the Roman times, but so do many other heavily trafficked places. It is crazy to look at things that are so old and see inspiration from them in so many things that stand today.Hey ckocsis,
I think you’re absolutely correct – most of the art that depicts any sort of ruler can be viewed as a propaganda for that ruler. The Egyptians did this, as you pointed out, but it is so prevalent in Roman art just due to the mass amount of fighting the society went through. A lot of it depicts things or call out to things that aren’t necessarily artistic, but stand strong as propaganda.We see Roman art plenty of places throughout the world, mainly in architecture. Although Romans weren’t the first to use decorative columns, they are present in many very high-end buildings throughout the world. Even so, much architecture from the Romans is still standing today (in comparison to the rest of ancient buildings). When it comes to statues, I think statues crafted today are most similar to that from the Roman time period; there isn’t a standard contrapasso pose, but most statues do their best to recreate the person they are based off of, similar to that of Roman creation. Most of this is still seen in European society (I imagine) but is lacking in the western world.
The Propaganda of Roman art is seen in a lot of their pieces – although it is very vague in some. A lot of the propaganda are displays of spoils of war, such as the Arch of Titus, which has depictions of soldiers walking under the arch with spoils from the temple of Jerusalem. During the High Imperial time, Commodus dressed and seen as Hercules is a sort of propaganda to his own power, how he viewed himself, as well as how others viewed him (while also being somewhat blasphemous to the legendary figure). Augustus’ armor, which shows victory over the Parthians, is another example of war-like propaganda. The enormous Ara Pacis Augustae displays many pieces of propaganda, and is a piece of propaganda itself, as it was created as devotion to the Pax Romana. The piece, Gemma Augustae, commemorates Augustus’ triumph over a barbarian tribe – another nod towards war / violence. The famous Colosseum itself was funded by spoils from the siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE and was part of the “Bread and Circus” idea to try and keep people entertained and at peace. Most notably, there is Constantine himself, who is the most important Propaganda of the Christian religion, as he converted on his death bed.
There is so so much, and I’m sure there is more, but this is just some of the stuff I found in our museum.
Hey Aubri,
I think you’re right that Hellenistic art added to the progression of humanistic values. The movement of extremely ideal figures to more realistic and, how you put it, human-esc was very important and the highlight of the times. Additionally, the inclusion of the flaws and struggles of humanity is important also, and the fact that Hellenistic art attempted to capture this (and did at some points) is also a very strong contender of the idea of progression of humanistic values (rather the the regression). Great points!
Hey Maggie,
I couldn’t agree more. The shift away from women being a constant symbol for fertility was undeniably for the best. Even just the differences between Hellenistic and Etruscan depictions of women is very interesting, as there wasn’t much time between them (as I understand it). Comparing the differences of Etruscan art and ideals to that of Classical Greek art is even more fascinating, as that is when the prevalent use of symbolic women was present. It makes me wonder what happened during those time periods that made us see such a drastic shift.
In Etruscan society, it seems that the role of women was very different from standard roles of women at the time. This is displayed in the information behind the Cerveteri Sarcophagus, where we learn that Greek and Latin authors saw the act of Etruscan men and women socializing together as offensive behavior. Additionally, it is outright stated that Etruscan women enjoyed a different and much more privileged status than their Greek and Roman counterparts. Based on that information, it is safe to say that women were much more individual in Etruscan culture and (most likely) had more agency. This is seen in the fact that women commissioned art, among other things.
Though I can see both sides of the argument, I think that Hellenistic art was a progression of humanist values. A lot of past images / paintings / sculptures (or any forms of art, really) were angled toward presenting an ideal human image. While Hellenistic art still did this in some of its works, some of it actively worked away from the age old idea. Nike of Samothrace and Sleeping Eros are good examples of moving away from this image (even though they are both divine figures). And, even though it is not a traditional piece of art, the Theater at Epidauros is something that is still used and stands today. Not only that, but its format is something that is seen and any and all theaters for the performing arts.
Hey Valene,
I think you’re absolutely right that Hellenistic art is more diverse and individualistic than Classical Greek art. Although we do see some ‘perfect’ images, many different things come about in the old woman sculpture as well as the children and other male statues that you mentioned. I agree with your point on the irony between wanting privacy but the saturation of nude sculptures – it is somewhat funny. I hadn’t read about that architecture of this time, so it is nice to see the input you have! Great post.
