Early Byzantine and Christian Art - Essay Example

Byzantine art, which is found at the Walter Art Museum, is unique because it took an unorthodox set of circumstances for it to come into being. The most significant event that led to Byzantine art was when public Christian worship was permitted in ancient Rome and “the Byzantine period can be conceived as above all a religious art“ (Cormack, 2000, P.2). Once this public worship was permitted, artwork quickly followed, including visual interpretations of significant piece of literature. Also, much of this art can be found in the architecture, as some buildings from this period are still present and the artwork can be examined. Two significant sets of illustrations from this time period are Vergilius Vaticanus, which is an illustrated version of Virgil’s Aeneid, and Milan Iliad, which is an illustrated version of Homer’s Iliad. These paintings are important because of the links they share with ancient literature, as they help to interpret these stories, which have survived for centuries. Through these works of art, the viewer is able to not only see a work of art, but also an interpretation of two famous pieces of literature. Dido Makes a Sacrifice One painting that gives a certain interpretation to a piece of literature is called Dido Makes a Sacrifice and was painted to go along with Virgil’s Aeneid. This painting goes away from the passionate language that is used in the Virgil text and instead focuses on the importance of imperial sacrifice. This is because as the times change, so did the values of the people and therefore, the painters wished to accomplish something much different than Virgil. The painting itself features the emperor personified as a military leader and a powerful human being. One reason for this is that the emperor was viewed as the head of the Church as well, making him an important religious figure. There is also very little detail in the background of this painting, which gives the viewer the impression that nothing but the emperor matters. Virgil wished for this section of the text to show the passion that Dido had in her life, although this could be because Dido was depicted in a variety of different manner, like “an enchantress, like Calypso; a temptress, like Eve; a seducer, like Cleopatra, or a mere adventuress in wait for a marriageable and warlike widower highly desirable for a defenceless female in the midst of barbarous neighbors” (Pease, 1927, P. 246). It was meant to show fire and emotion, but this painting takes this emotion out of the section and, therefore, it could possibly change the reading that someone would take of the actual text. This painting instead focuses on the positive traits of the emperor, which is of little consequence to the actual text and this could lead to problems for the reader and the viewer. One such reason for this could be that the painting was created for someone with specific beliefs and those beliefs had to be incorporated into this painting in order to distract the reader from the actual text. This is a definite possibility, as it would explain why the dark colors and lack of definition were used in this particular painting. Virgil makes constant reference to a symbolic flame in this text, but the painting does not do this justice, almost ignoring the flame entirely. Dido was supposed to be the central figure in the text, but this painting only shows her as a background figure. Whoever created this painting wished to change the outcome of this text by making Dido into a less sympathetic figure and by making the imperial ruler seem more important than he actually was at this time. It is unknown who painted or commissioned this work, but it can be assumed that it was a noble of some sort who wished to portray the emperor in a sympathetic manner. Achilles Sacrificing to Zeus Achilles Sacrificing to Zeus, on the other hand, shows a much closer correlation between the text and the painting. This painting is found in the Milan Iliad and is meant to add a visual tradition to the actual text. The paintings in the Milan Iliad take into account the sequence of movement that is occurring within the text and attempt to add to it, rather than change its meaning. This particular painting does not feature a dark, undetailed background, but rather attempts to show the viewer exactly what is happening at this point in the text. By highlighting the background, the painter is able to show the viewer that there is much more going on at this point of the story than the event that is taking place before them. There is a background to this point in the story, just as there is one in the painting. Also, this painting depicts some sort of movement, rather than simply focusing on the power of an individual who does not matter in the story as the painting on The Aeneid was guilty of doing, as this painting shows “the typical extended cyclic narrative in which the creator divides a single episode into several stages, generating motion and fluidity from one scene to another. The individual images and the writing columns remain separate, sectioned off by thick frames” (Sloane, 2006, P. 32). All in all, this is a more valuable piece of art because it shows the scene that the author would have wanted, rather than what the painter believed should be shown. The painter and commissioner of this work are also unknown, but an educated guess would assume that it is someone with close ties to the literature. This painting is not attempting to glamourize anything, but it rather attempting to depict the literature in its truest form. Whenever an artist attempts to interpret a piece of literature, there are bound to be significant problems. For example, times change and the values that are present in society will change, which could cloud an artist’s judgment about a particular subject. Also, there are many situations where an artist is told what to paint and it not able to use his or her own artistic license on a project. In the case of these two pieces of art, the artists took much different paths to completing their paintings. The piece on The Aeneid went away from the meaning of the text and instead focused on imperialism, which is not what Virgil would have wanted. The piece on The Iliad, however, was much different as it took what the author was attempting to say and added to it so that the reader would have a better understanding of the text. Illustrations can add a great deal to a text if they are used properly, but can also completely change a text’s meaning if they are not. Works Cited Cormack, Robin. (2000). Byzantine Art. New York: Oxford University Press. Pease, Arthur Stanley. (Jan., 1927). “Some Aspects of the Character of Dido”. The Classical Journal. Vol. 22, No. 4, PP. 243-252. Sloane, Kelly. (2006). "Epic Illustrations: Vergil’s Aeneid in the Vergilius Vaticanus". University of Pennsylvania. Viewed 3 December 2007. http://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1012&context=uhf_2006 Read More