Art History: Byzantine Architecture from Ravenna, Italy, and Japans Hry-ji Temple - Essay Example

The Hōryū-ji Temple (法隆寺) is one of the oldest existing wooden buildings in the world, exhibiting the heavy influence of Buddhism in Japanese art and architecture, especially in the 5th century AD (Asian Historical Architecture n. p.). In this case, the researcher would like to discuss the architecture and interior decoration, and symbolic design of the Byzantine Empire by analyzing existing architectural artifacts of the Byzantine Empire in Ravenna Italy. Then, the researcher would compare this with the architecture and art of ancient Japan as displayed in the Hōryū-ji Temple (法隆寺), and will also compare how these works of art reflected the existing socio-cultural conditions from the period when they are made.

According to some scholars, the Byzantine period actually produced one of the greatest periods of innovation in architecture and the arts (Fletcher and Cruickshank 282-320), wherein geometric complexity and innovative structuring, along with the prevalence of iconoclasm and mosaic art flourished (Fletcher and Cruickshank 282-320). In this case, the dominance of the Christian religion in architecture and the arts can clearly be seen, wherein the construction of Christian basilicas became a highlight of Byzantine Architecture (aside from the construction of palaces for the emperor, of course) (Fletcher and Cruickshank 282-320). Some of the highlights of Byzantine architecture, especially as seen from the Basilicas of San Vitale and Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy, were the increased use of brick and plaster, the use of mosaics for decoration and iconography (as opposed to the former dominance of carved decoration), the increasing use of complex domes that were dependent upon massive piers which supported it (especially central domes, which served as the centerpiece of the whole structure),  and the use of windows that illuminated filtered light (Fletcher and Cruickshank 282-320). Of course, the basilicas constructed during the Byzantine period reflected the dominance of Christianity, even to the ruling polity of the empire, given that these basilicas were also graced with images of the emperor Justinian (Fletcher and Cruickshank 282-320). Churches were also dominated by mosaics of religious scenes from the scripture, indicating that they dominated the everyday life of the empire (Fletcher and Cruickshank 282-320). Meanwhile, the Hōryū-ji Temple (法隆寺), which was ordered to be constructed by the ailing Emperor Yomei, represented the dominance of Buddhism in that period of Japan’s history (the emperor actually commissioned the building of this Japanese temple in order to cure his illness) (Asian Historical Architecture n. p.). The temple, which derived from Chinese and as well as Korean (Baekje) influence, was dominated by the presence of a pagoda, which served as the centerpiece of the structure while accommodating key features of slight curvature columnar elements, cloud-pattern" bracket arms that supported the roof, and swastika pattern railings, all indicative of Buddhist beliefs in the order of the world (Asian Historical Architecture n. p.). These structures may have different structural principles, but they actually both displayed the dominance of religion as a centerpiece of the everyday lives of the Byzantine and Japanese empires.