Early Christianity: Ravenna and Byzantium - Essay Example

Humanities 03 April Early Christianity: Ravenna and Byzantium - Chapter 7 The ancient Romans were fond of mosaics, especiallyin their large public baths. However, the Byzantines made mosaic their dominant art form. Does the medium significantly affect the style and content of figures and designs that are depicted? How so? What does this tell us about Byzantine Christianity and the Byzantine view of the world? Christianity during the rise of the Byzantine Empire in 5th century and henceforth based on Byzantium art took new characteristics due to influence of the Eastern styles through the use of special glass tessarea manufactured in Italy. The mosaics were made from thick sheet of colored glass with characteristics of rough surface with tiny air bubbles, backed with reflective silver or gold leaf. The Byzantines specialized in covering walls and ceilings unlike the Romans who specialized in floor mosaics. The glass was ungrouped, which could allow “light to pass through and simultaneously reflect and refract within the glass” (Cunningham et al, 2013). The mosaics found in areas such as Katholikon were completed in an early Byzantine style centuries before Iconoclasm. The scenes depiction were flat and they had covered the background in brilliant gold mosaics. The figures in the scenes are depicted with naturalistic faces that are modeled and have long, narrow noses and small mouths. The Schematic folds and figures have been used to represent clothing, while the folds of the cloth represent a body underneath; however, there appears to be no representation of mass to the body. These characteristics of figures seen in Byzantine mosaics began to change in the preceding century, with partial addition of perspective(Cunningham et al, 2013). The style of the mosaics of the Byzantium is like a representation of the great age of Greek art. In Greece, near Athens, there is the church of Daphni, which contains some of the best mosaic works of Byzantine art. The figures are arranged in the shape of a triangle against the empty golden background, with each figure separate and yet unified with the other figures. There is balanced arrangement in placing their figures in the pediments of temples. From the Mosaics and in general Byzantine art, religious figures were adored, thus enhancing the value of worship in their society at that time (Cunningham et al, 2013). Islam - Chapter 8 In the long sweep of history, two of the newest religions are Christianity and Islam. Both spread rapidly after their inception. Both remain dominant forces today. How are these two religions similar? Different? How have their successes been achieved? Keep in mind that neither religion is monolithic. Both have competing sects. Both Christianity and Islam are monotheistic, as they both believe in one God who is supreme and Creator of the universe. In both religions, God is the creator of everything on earth and He has a special connection with humans. However, although both believe in one God, the Christian belief of the Holy Trinity is disapproved by Muslims who believe that God is only one divine entity. They both have different founders, for instance, Muhammad is the founder of Islam while Jesus founded the Christian religion. To Muslims, Muhammad is their Prophet, religious leader, and also a political leader, while Christians believe that Jesus is the Sons of Gods sent on earth to save mankind from death. They both believe on their founder to be infallible and sinless; however, they both recognize Jesus, but they differ greatly on the beliefs about the roles of Jesus. Both religions believe that Jesus performed Miracles, ascended to heaven, and resurrected, asserting he was a very important prophet in regards to Muslims and the God Himself according to Christians. It is also worth noting that both religions believe that there is end of the world when Jesus will come again to judge all people, with the righteous going to heaven and the wicked going to hell. Finally, the two religions conduct prayers on their assigned holy days, with Christians conducting their prayers in churches on Saturdays or Sundays, and Muslim gathering in Mosques mainly on Fridays to pray (Cunningham et al, 2013). The aggression that Christians and Muslim had through the day of crusaders in thirteen century, which led to circumstances such as capture of Jerusalem by Muslims and the raiding of Christian crusader of the Constantinople are just but a few instance that have helped to shape the scope of the spread and growth of both faiths in the world. Several categories of both faiths have developed, with Christianity having Protestants, Catholics, Pentecost, Lutherans, and many others, while Islamic branching into the Sunni, Shia, Muslim Brotherhood, Abbasid Caliphate, and Zahrin among others (Cunningham et al, 2013). The Rise of Medieval Culture - Chapter 9 What are the chief characteristics of Romanesque art and architecture? "Romanesque" implies similarities to ancient Roman art and architecture. What were those similarities? What were the Differences? What were the strengths of this style? Weaknesses? Romanesque is the European art that began from the late 10th century to the start of the Gothic style of art of 13th century. It had several characteristic, with its architecture combining both features of Roman and Byzantine buildings. The architecture was characterized by quality thick walls, round arches, vaults, and massive towers with an addition of decorated arcades. The forms were clearly defined with regular, symmetrical plan, and with emphasis to simplicity. Romanesque had paintings that resembled the Byzantine style of iconic religions, commonly used in churches, which depended heavily on intense saturated primary colors using stained glass as a medium. Pictorial composition had little details and had to be flexible enough to fit within historical initials, church columns, and tympanums. (Cunningham et al, 2013). Romanesque art and Roman art had similar characteristics in that, they both used stone barrel vaults that were basically used for aesthetic purposes. The temples in both had semi circular roofs, with interior space, with the differences in this two forms being varied in such a way that Romanesque used thick and heavy pillars in their architecture and Roman art used thin pillars (Cunningham et al, 2013). Roman architecture was characterized with large windows due to the application of thin pillars unlike the Romanesque’s small windows. Moreover, Romanesque applied triumphal arches whereas the Roman architectures were characterized with round arches. Romanesque art played a very important role to the architecture in the middle ages; it influenced the Roman culture and enhanced religion through construction of churches and the needs of the ruling class during this period. It was also negatively used to make a political statement, designed to enhance intimidation or defiance, as well as impose order on a conquered territory. In some instances, the laborers who built those churches were slaves and unskilled individuals, thus the reason why it has squarely shaped massive pillars. In the 12th century, the Romanesque style eventually fell out of favor and Gothic style was introduced (Cunningham et al, 2013). The High Middle Ages - Chapter 10  If the Gothic cathedrals are the dominant physical productions of the High Middle Ages, discuss how those landmarks embody the larger cultural forces of the times. Try to imagine yourself living near one of those cathedrals when it was the largest building in the city. Imagine participating in Mass and various other celebrations. How would that magnificent architecture affect your life and worldview? The Gothic Cathedrals are complicated designed architectural buildings, dating back to early 12th century. It took a considerably long time for the architects who were given responsibility to construct such immense magnificent buildings. It involved talent, skills, as well as rare material to build such a structure, which is a rich representation of the European history. Their origin can be traced from the Abby church of Saint Dennis, through Abbot Suger’s vision, who wanted to create a physical representation of the holy place of Christianity at that time, Jerusalem, in Europe. He designed the building with highest degree of linearity, beautifully lit and colorful; the sculptures were highly detailed and decorated with delicate exquisite statues on the outside and beautifully painted pictures on the inside part of the cathedrals. The Christianity religious context was highly emphasized in those paintings such that, they were based on biblical stories, highlighting visual typological allegories between the Old Testament prophecies and the New Testament (Cunningham et al, 2013). Although Gothic architecture existed for a long time, it has been presently used on some of buildings in England, one good example being the new construction at Oxford and Cambridge in the early 18th century. The Houses of Parliament in London are some of the examples of this Gothic revival style, In other countries such as France, Gothic revival is represented through a talented Architecture in construction of the fortified city of Carcassonne based in the southern part of France. Gothic cathedrals were well made buildings from long ago, as they were made so perfectly that some still stand today because of their unique features. From these works, I can understand the emphasis that the ruling class in the Middle Ages placed upon their cultural beliefs, religious sects, and social class. The Gothic architectures, with all of their history and beauty, are a magnificent addition to the history (Cunningham et al, 2013). The Fourteenth Century: a Time of Transition - Chapter 11 Compare Cimabues "Madonna Enthroned with Angels and Prophets" to Giottos "Madonna Enthroned with Child, Angels, and Saints." Clearly the compositions are similar, but what are the significant differences between the two works? Describe Giottos innovations. How does Giottos piece foreshadow Renaissance painting? Cimabue made great transformation to Italo-Byzantine style; it is recorded that in 1280 he painted “Madonna Enthroned with Angels and Prophets.” Later, Cimabue discovered a talented shepherd boy Giotto di Bondone, taught him how to paint, and surprisingly, ended up painting similar work of art - the “Madonna Enthroned with Child, Angels, and Saints.” These two works of art can be said to be generally almost identical because both are long and pentagonal shaped, with gold backgrounds, and their setting appears to be a divine location rather than on earth. However, although both Giotto’s and Cimabue’s paintings have Madonna, they differ on the way they depict her,; for instance, Cimabue portrays Madonna very idealistically with a small mouth and long fingers, making her appearance rather regal (Cunningham et al, 2013) while Giotto does the opposite by making his Madonna more solid and bulky, thus giving a much more realistic appearance. Another difference in the Madonna is the drapery of her clothing in the Cimabue ‘s painting, which are solely draped with lines, making her appear very thin and tall; in contrast, Giotto’s painting used shading of the forms with additional use of light to emphasize her body parts - this consequently makes Madonna appear much curvier (Cunningham et al, 2013). The major difference between the two paintings is the arrangement and the direction that the angels and prophets are facing. Cimabue’s portrayal of the scene was much more idealistic, while Giotto used aerial perspective and shading techniques to create a realistic portrayal of the Madonna and child. The artistic importance of Giotto surpassed the Byzantine schemes, and is famed to have introduced a sense of space, volume and color, anticipating the innovation of the Renaissance (Cunningham et al, 2013). Reference Cunningham, L., Reich, J., & Fichner-Rathus, L. (2013). Culture and Values: A Survey of the Humanities. OH: Cengage Learning. Read More