Byzantine art did grow from the art of Ancient Greece but with some significant differences. Since the main purpose of Byzantine art was the glorification of God and his son, Jesus, the classical artistic tradition of depicting nude figures was banned. Replacing the classical preoccupation with the human body, the focus became the elevation of the figures of the Father, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and the saints. Thus we get the most important form of Byzantine art, the icon. Used as an object or veneration (object of respect) in Orthodox churches and private homes, the icon has been called the prayer, hymn, and sermon in form and color.
Illuminated manuscripts which are manuscripts with decorations. The reason that they were called Illuminated Manuscripts is because the designers would often use gold leaf, or silver to paint the designs, therefore actually illuminating the page when it reflected natural or artificial light and the fact that the pages appeared literally to be "lit up" by the burnished gold. They were created by monks in monasteries for religious purposes , and some were produced for their own libraries, those books were commissioned by royalty, nobility, and others of high rank and wealthy citizens but eventually even ordinary people could purchase them. The very first illuminated manuscripts found are from A.D 400 - 600 during migration period, they were mostly Bibles, prayer books and religious storybooks. One of the most important elements of the Romanesque movement were illuminated manuscripts.
Carlos Sambrano Greek Architecture Greek architecture changed and influenced a lot of the architecture of today. The ancient Classical eras of Greece were undoubtedly one of the most beautiful, having left behind ideas, concepts, and art that created the foundation of what we call “western civilization”. However, the two previous millennia that lead to these ancient eras, as well as the other two millennia that succeeded them are all part of the history of Greece and have left just as rich a cultural footprint. Doric The Doric style is sturdy and its top is plain. This style was mostly used in mainland Greece and in southern Italy and Sicily.
Apse, diaconicon and prothesis parts of the church –which are considered as the required elements of eastern religious architecture- are covered with a wall which also more angled view to the church. (Jerphanion) The dome construction of St. Clement is made properly according to rule which used Ravenna previously: building on pendentives. In St. Clement, concave spherical triangles of masonry rising from the square corner and bending inward to form circular base of the dome. (Marien) Another feature of the church which is frequently faced characteristic of eastern religious architecture is the windows of the church. As it’s known, the windows were not large because of the pressure exerted by the dome on the walls.
The Classical period stretched from 600 BCE to 350 CE and centered in Greece and Rome. The philosophy and refinement of these societies has influenced the course of Western thought to the modern day. The artwork of this time has come to represent not just a structure and taste in design, but a way of life that remains a part of Western life. The civilization of Ancient Greece was centered on religious practice. In most Greek city-states the most powerful individual was the high priest or priestess of the city’s patron deity.
Among the artifacts to have survived are sculptures from the tomb of Mausolus and the Temple of Artemis in the British Museum in London. Still, the listing of seven of the most marvellous architectural and artistic human achievements continued beyond the Ancient Greek times to the Roman Empire, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and to the modern age. The Roman poet Martial and the Christian bishop Gregory of Tours had their versions. [5] Reflecting the rise of Christianity and the factor of time, nature and the hand of man overcoming Antipater's seven wonders, Roman and Christian sites began to figure on the list, including the Colosseum, Noah's Ark and Solomon's Temple. [5][7] In the 6th century, a list of seven wonders was compiled by St. Gregory of Tours: the list[8] included the Temple of Solomon, the Pharos of Alexandria and Noah's Ark (of which there has been no historical evidence that it ever existed),
Also visible in this cathedral are the very calculated and geometrical compound piers which, according to Pitt University, are types of piers that are composed not of single members but have shafts, half-columns, or pilaster strips attached to them. These piers, along with magnificent stone relics and reliefs, allowed for the common person to come into the cathedral and fully experience the wonderment of their God, even being illiterate; as many people were back in the 1000s. Many of these features are shared in the later, Gothic architectural style that started in the late 1200s. Gothic cathedrals share the same grandeur as
United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates University College of Humanities and Social Sciences Report about: Panting in Roman art * Introduction: Ancient Rome’s most important historian concerning the arts, recorded that nearly all the forms of art—sculpture, landscape, portrait painting, even genre painting — were advanced in Greek times, and in some cases, more advanced than in Rome. Though very little remains of Greek wall art and portraiture, certainly Greek sculpture and vase painting bears this out. These forms were not likely surpassed by Roman artists in fineness of design or execution. As another example of the lost "Golden Age", he singled out Peiraikos, whose artistry is surpassed by only a very few, He painted barbershops and shoemakers’ stalls, donkeys, vegetables, and such, and for that reason came to be called the 'painter of vulgar subjects'; yet these works are altogether delightful, and they were sold at higher prices than the greatest [paintings] of many other artists. The adjective "vulgar" is used here in its original meaning, which means "common".
The first gallery, the Whispering Gallery, just inside the dome, is renowned for its acoustics. The second gallery is the Stone Gallery and the third is the narrow Golden Gallery, encircling the lantern's base. The baroque interior is just as imposing as the exterior of the church. The mosaics on the ceiling were added in 1890 by William Richmond after Queen Victoria complained that there was not enough color in the cathedral. Several famous people are entombed in the cathedral's crypt.
They also had a political purpose as they were often built to celebrate civic power and pride, or offer thanksgiving to the patron god of a city for success in war. Ionic Doric The earliest monumental buildings in Greek architecture were the temples. Since these were solidly built and carefully maintained, they had to be replaced only if destroyed. There were two main orders of early Greek architecture, the Doric and the Ionic, and their lasting example tended to make Greek architecture conservative toward changes in design or in building technology. The Doric style, which originated around 400 BCE brought rise to a whole new type of building technique and style, and was used in mainland Greece and spread to the Greek colonies in Italy.