Byzantine Art

I really enjoyed learning about the history of different artworks during the ancient and medieval time period. The art that stood out the most and was the most interesting to me, is the Byzantine Art. I think that this is because all the beautiful churches and cathedrals that were built during the Byzantine Period are found mainly in Russia and Eastern Europe. I am originally from Ukraine, which happens to be part of Eastern Europe, and I had several opportunities to go see some of the most amazing cathedrals ever built during the Byzantine Period. I was intrigued by both, the historical context of Byzantine Art as well as its visual detail.

Santa Sophia Cathedral (above) in Kiev, Ukraine, was one of the few cathedrals that I have seen. Although it looks magnificent in its size and has amazing artworks all over its walls, floors, and ceilings, it cannot be compared to the glory of the Church of Hagia Sophia. (top right, right) Hagia Sophia was built in 537 in Constantinople during the reign of Justinian and Theodora. It was built in place of an older church that was burned down during a rebellious battle against the emperor. The main visual aspect of the church is its ginormous dome, which looks like its suspended in the air when the light shines through the windows encircling the dome and reflects gold mosaic that cover the surfaces of the dome. (Stockstad, 235) The central dome is extended by two semi-domes that are located on either side of it, making the central space extend into a longitudinal nave. This dome area is called the "naos" in Byzantine architecture, and it is flanked by side aisles and galleries above them overlooking the "naos". The large-scale dome built as part of Hagia Sophia "is one of the boldest experiments in the history of architecture." (Stockstad, 236) The architects working on this project stretched out their building supplies to their physical limits, thus emphasizing the spirituality of the building. But the dome was too shallow and extended too far outwards, which caused it to collapse in 558. The dome was rebuilt in much steeper slope and with a summit that was 20 feet higher than the one of the previous dome, and this helped the church stay in one piece throughout the years that followed, some bringing earthquakes with them. The Sanctuary is located behind a crimson curtain embroidered in gold, where the celebration of Mass took place. Only the emperor was allowed to enter the sanctuary during Mass while everyone else was left on the other side of the curtain. The main focus of the congregation was not on the altar, but rather on the beautiful dome that was above them, looking like a window to heaven, as well as on the many devotional paintings, icons, that were portrayed in the gallery. "This upward focus of the people is explained by the Byzantine philosophers as a way to rise above the material world and into the spiritual phase." (Stockstad, 237)

Hildesheim Doors

The doors of abbey church of St. Michael are one of the "most ambitious and complex bronze-casting projects undertaken since antiquity." (p. 448 Stokstad) They were made under the direction of Bishop Bernward, in 1015, in Hildesheim, Germany. The doors are made of bronze and are 16 feet and 6 inches in height. The door consists of eight pairs of panels that are located next to each other on the horizontal line. The first eight panels that are on the left side of the door, from top to bottom, have molded drawings starting from the creation of Eve and down to the scene when Cain murders Abel, from the book of Genesis in the Old Testament of the Bible. The second eight panels that are on the right side of the door, from bottom to the top, have molded drawings of Jesus life starting from the Annunciation scene on the lowest panel and up to the scene of Noli me tangere, from the New Testament of the Bible.

The drawing of each panel has architectural elements and landscapes in a low relief in the background. In the foreground of each panels' drawing, there are people who are molded in much more detail compared to the background, and have 3-dimensional depth to their heads which make them stand out more. Each pair of scenes across from each other is meant to compliment the other scene and the event which it depicts.

For example, the seventh panel down on the left side of the door, shows Offerings by Cain (grain) and Abel (lamb). And its paired with another panel on the left side which is the scene of Nativity. The Offerings by Cain and Abel shows us how the two brothers brought the best of their labors and offered it to God to glorify Him, but God only accepted Abel's offering of the lamb, the most innocent and pure of the creatures, because his heart was pure and sincere. Abel is also known as the first martyr, and this scene pretty much shows his last day on earth before his brother Cain killed him of jealousy. The other panel, the Nativity, shows the scene of Jesus birth.  It shows how God had sent His Son down to Earth to save the sinners, those who did know Him yet. Jesus was born an innocent child into a manger, a place where animals live and eat out of. This could be referenced to the lamb that Abel offered to God, the lamb is the symbol for Jesus. Some people say that Abel himself was also a symbolism for Jesus, he was innocent and had a humble heart. And the birth of Jesus shows the Holy Child being offered to us to be later sacrificed for our sins, which is a different version of the offering that Cain and Abel brought for Gods glory.

These two panels are related to each other mostly through the lamb that Abel brought as an offering to God, and through Jesus, who like the lamb, was given as an offering for the sins of people.

Roman and Early Christian Art

        Christianity existed within the Roman Empire, along with many other religions, in the second and the third century. Although the Early Christians and the Romans lived in the same country, you can easily tell the difference between them by studying each peoples artworks, especially their architecture for religious purposes. I think that these differences came about because of the different beliefs of the two people.

        The greatest of the Roman art could be seen through its architecture. I will talk about the temples. The Romans believed in many gods and built temples for them using columns, similar to the Greek temples, but with only one entrance. In these temples, they would have an image of the person or saint to whom the temple is dedicated, and an altar on which to bring offerings. During public rituals and religious ceremonies, the people of Rome would start, or end at the temple where an offering will be brought on the altar marking either an end or the beginning of the ceremony. 
         Early Christians, on the other hand, believed in only one true God, and instead of building temples with an altar for their God, they built churches with a large open area for standing or sitting in which many people could gather to worship God. 
        The Christian Church of Santa Sabina (p. 226, Stokstad) was constructed by Bishop Peter of Illyria between 422 and 432. Its basic elements consist of a rectangular shape and "a nave lit by clerestory windows, flanked by single side aisles, and ending in a rounded apse." (p. 227) White decorations together with the light coming in from the windows create a very airy and open space.  In contrast to its simple brickwork exterior, the interior of Santa Sabina displays a wealth of marble veneer and 24 fluted marble columns, which support the rounded arches, creating a nave arcade. The walls of such churches also displayed various paintings of Biblical scenes.
        The Temple of Portunus (p. 173 Stokstad) which was built in c. 75 BCE in Rome, is dedicated to the god Portunus. It is similar to Santa Sabina because it is also rectangular in shape and contains columns supporting it. But the difference between the columns of the two buildings, is that the Church columns were there strictly for support, and the temple columns were supporting the porch roof, but most of them were free-standing (half) columns surrounding and decorating the exterior walls of the temple. 

Parthenon Marbles

Around 490 BCE, 2 Athenian architects were put to a task, to design a larger temple to be built using the existing foundation of the Parthenon temple built for Athena. The workers were told to use the finest white marble throughout the whole works, even on the roof. All of the dimensions had to be right when building this temple, including the spacing between each column as well as the different thickness of the columns in different areas. The point was so that the temple would have an organic appearance to it rather than looking "like a heavy, lifeless stone box."  (p. 130 Stockstad) The sculptural decoration of the Parthenon reflects Pheidias' unifying aesthetic vision, but at the same time conveys the triumph of the democratic Greek cities and the Greek civilization over barbarism.

Over several centuries, some of the sculptures and parts of the temple got lost and other became damaged. Many of the Parthenon Marbles were recovered throughout time and were placed in  the museums of six different European countries. However, most of the sculptures could be found in either Athens, or London.

I think that it is a good idea that the sculptures were placed in the British Museum. That way, not only Greeks, but many more people have a chance to appreciate them and learn more about the Greek temple and its sculptures. I personally enjoy aesthetic works more than I do ancient and historic art, so I don't see how it can problematic otherwise for anybody when these beautiful remains of Parthenon were placed in the British Museum. I understand why someone would want the Parthenon marbles be returned to Athens, to their original location where they were carved and turned into the magnificent Parthenon temple, giving pride to the architects and the workers who worked on this project. But at the same time, I think that it's great that other people get to enjoy them as well, in their local museums. I think that the marbles should stay in London. That way, instead of it seeming like the British are robing the Athens of its sculptures, Britain had simply moved them to a different location, therefore, creating a mini-Athens in another part of the European continent.