Slides for Jan. 16th lecture on Late Roman, Early Christian and Early Byzantine Art.

The Classical Legacy: Winter 2003
Late Roman, Early Christian and Byzantine Art:

Some concepts and issues discussed:
1) Shifts in Roman art of the Empire era due to the influence of other artistic traditions: rejection of Greek idealism, development of abstraction (rejection of the illusion of the corporeality and space, simplified contour and conceptual assembling of parts, frontality, bilateral symmetry and other conventions of the broadest aspects, willingness to embrace apparent conflicts and contradictions.
a) Ancient Near East:  dualism ? the irreconcilable opposites ?Christian dualism of spirit and flesh;  mysticism;  the concept of the “sun-king” for the image of Christian Emperors; distrust of plastic form , of naturalism/realism, of appearance of the physical world, of illusionism, of the representation of sacred figures.  Appropriation of the decorative patterns and animal motifs.
b) Celtic north: the power of the “primitive” abstraction, mystical deities, decorative patterns and animal styles.

2) Persistence and revival of classicism in Christian art:  appropriation of Greek letters for Christian symbols ?combination of I and X (capital letter of Jesus and Christ),P and X (first two letters of Christ); fish (initials of Greek words “Jesus Christ, son of god, savior” spells “fish” in Greek) ? allude to Christ’s baptism in water;  Good Shepherd ?appropriation of the Calf-bearer and Hermes Kristophorus, as well as Orpheus, the use of grape vine (patterns) to allude to Dionysus and wine as Christ’s blood, etc.
3) Early Byzantine:  influence of Near Eastern tradition and the classical tradition.
Coptic facial and figure types,  rejection of the corporeality in the figure and space it occupies.  Appropriation of basilican and circular form for church architecture, mosaic ? its surface brilliance ?the earthly paradise,
 

 Slides
      Thomas Couture:  Romans of the Decadence. 19th century French painting.

1) Statue of a Young Athlete, Greek, 4th c. B.C.
2) Augustus of Primaporta, Roman. Ca. 20 B.C.
3) Portrait of Julius Caeser, Roman. 40 ? 14 B.C.
4) Roman with ancestral Busts, 23 B.C. ?A.D.14
5) Ara Pacis, 13 ? 9 B.C. Roman
6) The Tetrachs, c. A.D.305  Late Roman
7) Wall Painting, Pompeii c. A.D.75  Roman
8) Triumph of Neptune and Amphritrite, c. A.D. 3rd c. Late Roman
9) Bust of Caligula. A.D. 37 ?41. Roman
10) Colossal Head of Constantine, c. A.D. 313.  Late Roman
11)  Sarcophagus. C. A.D. 165 ?170  Roman
12)  Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus. A.D. 4th c.  Early Christian
13) Catacomb of St. Priscilla, wall painting. Late 3rd c.  Early Christian
14) Love scene in tile from Roman villa, 4th c.  Late Roman
15) Arch of Constantine, (312-15)  Medallions (117 ? 38 BC)  Late Roman
16) Sarcophagus: Christ the Teacher.  4th c. Early Christian
17) The Calf Bearer, Archaic Greek.
18) Herme Kristophorus, Archaic Greek.
17) Good Shepherd Sarcophogus. Late 4th c.  Early Christian
18) Horus making an offering.  Egyptian (prototype of the Christian Orant (suppliant) figure.
19) Ceiling Painting, Vineyard Harvest, Rome, S. Costanza. Ca. 350  Early Christian
20)  Chalice of Antioch, 350-500. Early Christian
21) Vatican Virgil, 4 ?5th c.  Late Roman
22) Vienna Genesis,  5th c.   Early Christian

 Art of Egypto-Roman (Coptic) and other Near Eastern traditions:
23) Portrait of a Boy, Egypto-Roman painting. A.D. 2nd c.
24)  Coptic textile panel (from Egypt).  5th c.
25) Virgin and Child Enthroned, Coptic painting. Ca. 5th c.
26) Coptic Tapestry panel. 4th c.
27) Coptic textile, front of vestement, c. 5th A.D.
28) Persian Torque, 5th B.C.  (animal style)
29) Qur’an ?Kufic script, Arabic, 11 ?12 th C.

Northern European: Celtic and Viking Art:
30) Map of Celtic World, 2nd. B.C.
31) Sheela Na-Gig, fertility goddess; Celtic sculpture.
32) Celtic Deities, 1st B.C.
33) Dis Pater, Celtic sculpture, 2 ? 3rd c. A.D.
34) Celtic Torque, 2nd c. A.D.
35) Purse lid, Viking, 625 ?33 A.D.
36) Animal head, Viking. Ca. 825 A.D.
 35)  Early Christian Funerary Stele, 5th c. A.D.
36) Middle Ages Book of Kells, 8th c. A.D.
37)  Early Christian Church:  Old St. Peter’s Basilica, c. 333 ?390 A.D.

Byzantine Art:
36) San Vitale of Ravenna, 525 ? 40 A.D.
37) Hagia Sophia, Istanbul. 532 ? 537 A.D.
38) Interior of Hagia Sophia, 532 ?535  A.D.
39) Interior of Orthodox Baptistery, Ravenna. 449 ? 52.
37) Diptych wing, Priestess of Bacchus.  Ca. 390-400
38) Diptych wing, The Archangel Michael, early 6th c.
39) Mosaic: Emperor Justinian and Retinue, 526 ? 47, San Vitale, Ravenna.
40) Mosaic: Empress Theodore and her Court, 526-47.  San Vitale, Ravenna
41) Mosaic: Good Shepherd, Ca. 425 ? 50. Ravenna
42) Mosaic: Transfiguration of Christ. St. Catherines, Mount Sinai, Egypt. Early 6th century.