Before talking about the Byzantine art style, we must first discuss the coming into existence of the Byzantine Empire, its culture, and Byzantine Emperors.The Eastern Roman Empire is called the Byzantine Empire. In terms of views and religious expression, they started to exist just before the existence of the Christian era.Comparing medieval art and Christian art, unity and variety were commonly found in the Roman Empire, the forerunner of the Byzantine Empire. As a result, this was found in Byzantine society as well. The Byzantine style of art was influenced by Christian art and religious art.As Augustus and his successors tried to unite the war-torn Mediterranean, they emphasized the common Latin language, the currency, the ‘international’ army of the Roman legions, the urban network, law, and the Greco-Roman tradition of civic culture. The emperors anticipated that brisk and spontaneous commerce between the many provinces would strengthen the arteries of imperial culture. The emperor was at the top of that realm, and he was the man of knowledge who would protect the state from any misfortunes that fate had concealed.In terms of Aboriginal Art facts, we can say that the Aboriginal people of Australia have two modes of communication that they used in the past. Aside from the spoken word and music, there was also visual communication in the form of sketching and painting. The capacity to recall where food and water might be obtained at various times of the year was crucial for many people’s survival in the absence of written language. Maps of the nation depicting major sites were often painted by indigenous artisans.Even if they’ve never flown in an aircraft, people often adopt an aerial point of view. Until the ’70s, foreigners were mostly unaware of traditional culture. 149 mi (240 km) west of Alice Springs, Geoffrey Bardon was a teacher for 18 months at Papunya, a rural Aboriginal town. Tribal elders came together to determine what tales may be shared with the outside world in the form of paintings under the influence of the author. The elders viewed this as a means to tell their culture’s narrative while also generating revenue for their local communities and families. Communities around Australia were inspired by the success of Papunya and started making art as a result of this. These are some important features of Byzantine culture.Indigenous people have a unique gift for composition, color, and visual narrative, which brought the world’s attention to contemporary Aboriginal art. For them, art was an expression of their profound spiritual values and it was accessible to everyone. The ancient creation tales that inspire most of this art have a strong relationship to the land, and this is mirrored in the art itself. It is awe-inspiring in both its aesthetic and emotional impact. Contemporary art has become a vital bridge between indigenous cultures and western civilizations. Also, it serves as a bridge between the past and the present. Because of this, the preservation of indigenous culture has taken off. When it comes to many isolated villages, art has become an important way to earn money and build communal pride.Byzantine Arts FactsIf we study the Byzantine artworks or Byzantine style, we would realize that it is known for inculcating more abstract and universal aspects of art, rather than the more conventional and naturalistic ways of expression seen in classical art and classical sculptures, speaking from a primarily religious point of view. Let’s read some more characteristics of this art.In Byzantine art, the primary focus is often expressed in terms of religious images and religious subjects, a primary preoccupation, and, more particularly, the translation of rigorously regulated church doctrine into aesthetic language. As a result of these considerations, its architectural and artistic traditions became homogeneous and faceless, rather than varying according to personal preference. Art in the western world has never been able to match this level of subtlety and spirituality of expression.Going back to study in detail the art history of the Byzantine era, we would know that, as the Byzantine Empire grew and shrank throughout the ages, new ideas were more accessible, and this geography had an impact on art. Gifts from monarchs, diplomatic missions, religious missions, and souvenir-buying affluent travelers, as well as mobility of artists themselves, helped to disseminate ideas and art items between countries. Byzantium, for example, was greatly impacted by its increased interaction with western Europe in the early 13th century, just as it had been during the ninth century when the Byzantines were more prevalent in Italy.Of course, the Byzantine aesthetic concepts moved outwards from Sicily and Crete, wherein Byzantine iconography would go on to impact Italian Renaissance art from these extremities. With this in mind, Byzantine art also had a profound impact on Armenia, Georgia, and Russia. Finally, Byzantine painting continues to be a major heritage in Orthodox art.Venice used to be a major part of the Byzantine art economy. This is why it is the home to a vast amount of Byzantine art.Influence And Characteristics Of Byzantine ArtSince early Byzantine art, it has grown more expressive and innovative, even if many of the same topics have been used over and over again. No one specific person created Byzantine art so there is no father of Byzantine art.There are many allusions to secular art in Byzantine sources. Pagan topics with classical iconography were still being created in Byzantine art until the 10th century and beyond, despite the fact that the great majority of surviving artworks are religious in subject. It may be helpful to recall that the Byzantine Empire was Greek in many ways, and Hellenistic art, particularly the notion of realism, remained prevalent. The size of the empire also had an impact on the art of the period. From the sixth century onwards, the Coptic style began to gain traction in Alexandria, displacing the mostly Hellenistic form.As a result of this decision, half-tones are avoided and brighter colors are used, making the figures seem less lifelike. Also in Antioch, the ‘Orientalizing’ style was adopted, which was the assimilation of elements from Persian and central Asian art such as ribbons, the Tree of Life, and double-winged animals as well as the full-frontal portraits that occur in Syrian art. Art from these major cities would impact Constantinople, which became the focal center of an art industry that propagated its works, techniques, and ideas across the Empire as a result.Facts About Byzantine MosaicsIn later or early Byzantine art style, Byzantine painters used colorful stones, gold Byzantine mosaics, vivid wall paintings, finely carved ivory, and other precious metals, and their largest and most enduring legacy is unquestionably the icons that continue to adorn Christian churches around the globe. The threefold goal of Byzantine Christian medieval art was to adorn a structure, educate the uneducated on spiritually important topics, and bolster the faith of the religious subjects.Paintings and mosaics were used to decorate the inside of the Byzantine church as a result. Artists of Byzantine art created mosaics with the help of many materials. Some of the materials that mosaics were made of are glass pieces, stone, and ceramic. However, even small Christian shrines, with their low ceilings and long side walls, were often covered with frescoes as a way to communicate their lessons to the audience. The focus was on the Bible’s most important events and characters, and even their placement became established. With a central dome depicting Jesus Christ with prophets on each side, and a barrel-shaped dome housing the evangelists, as well as a sanctuary depicting Virgin Mary with her baby son, these cathedrals were known as a place of worship.Many Byzantine churches include mosaics depicting religious themes on their walls and ceilings. The use of gold tiles to give a shimmering backdrop to the figurines of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the saints is one of its distinctive features. It follows the same rules as icons and paintings in terms of complete frontal perspective and absence of movement in the portraits.The Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (Istanbul) has the most famous mosaics, while the Daphni dome in Greece houses one of the most spectacular mosaic images of Jesus Christ that were used in Byzantine worship. In contrast to the customary expressionless depiction of Jesus Christ, this painting depicts him with an angry look on his face. It was created around 1100 AD. The mosaics of the Great Palace of Constantinople, which date back to the 6th century, are a fascinating blend of everyday life scenes (particularly hunting) and pagan gods and mythological creatures, emphasizing once again that pagan themes were not entirely supplanted by Christian ones in Byzantine art.In addition to depicting the emperors and their consorts in their function as the head of the Eastern Church, mosaic artisans also depicted kings and queens from other countries. Mosaics of the church of San Vitale in Ravenna are among the best-known in Italy and date back to the 540s. Emperor Justinian I (who is also called the father of Byzantine Art and also the creator of Byzantine art) and Empress Theodora are shown in two glistening panels, each surrounded by a retinue of courtiers. The work of Byzantine Mosaicists leveled up the beauty and long-lasting importance of Byzantine art.Influence Of Art In Byzantine ArchitectureTo discuss the Byzantine influence of style in architecture, we must discuss the contemporary relevance of the artistic expression, to be able to chalk out its influence in the past as well as in the present. Russian artist Maxim Sheshukov, the Romanian Ioan Pope, the American architect Andrew Gould, iconographer Peter Pearson, the Canadian sculptor Jonathan Pageau, and the Ukrainian Angelika Artemenko are some of the contemporary artists working in Byzantine styles and topics.A priest-monk known as Archimandrite Zenon Theodor was lauded for his 2008 paintings at Vienna’s historic St. Nicholas Cathedral, while Greek artist Fikos mixes his love of Byzantine frescoes and icons with his interest in contemporary street art, comic book strips, and graffiti. As a result, art historian Gregory Wolfe has dubbed Brooklyn-based Alfonse Borysewicz ‘one of the most influential religious painters since the French Catholic Georges Rouault.’ Roman or classical influence is prevalent, if we look up the Byzantine art history since the region was part of the eastern Roman Empire in its early stages. Byzantine aristocrats followed the Roman custom of collecting, valuing, and exhibiting ancient art in their private homes.Traditions like the classical era and traditional religious images have been reinvented for centuries in Byzantine art, but a closer look at particular pieces shows how the approach to painting has evolved through time. Like the contemporary film, Byzantine artists worked within the constraints of the practical end purpose of their work, to make decisions on what to include and exclude from those new inspirations that came along and, towards the conclusion of the era, to personalize their work like never before. Many of the greatest painters of the medieval era were also clergymen.Artists are not known to have been male or female, but it is probable that they worked with textiles or printed silks. Sculptors, ivory artisans, and enamelists were trained experts, but in other creative forms, the same artist might make manuscripts, icons, mosaics, and wall paintings. An artist’s refusal to sign his or her work before the 13th century may reflect the artist’s lack of social standing, or it may reflect a tendency for works to be created by a group of artists, or it may reflect a belief that adding a signature would detract from the work’s religious connotations.The emperors and monasteries, as well as numerous private persons, such as widows, were supporters of the arts from the Middle Ages. 843 AD marked the end of iconoclasm, the destruction of images and their adherents. Images were seen as useful not for worship, but as conduits through which the faithful might focus their prayers and somehow anchor the presence of the divine inside their everyday lives. This was the basis for a resurgence in religious art that followed.Instead of a didactic or narrative role as in the later Western Gothic revival, Byzantine art primarily served as an element in the execution of a religious ritual. As with the liturgy, there was a fixed iconography for how images should be arranged in churches: the large mosaic cycles were arranged around the Pantocrator (Christ in his function as king and judge), which was placed in the center of the main dome, and the Virgin and Child were placed in the apse. There was a designated venue for every major Christian event, from Christ’s birth, through to his crucifixion and resurrection. Hierarchical figures of saints, martyrs, and bishops were ranked below.A new period of activity, known as the Macedonian Renaissance, began after the conclusion of iconoclasm. At least 867 years passed between Basil I, who founded the Macedonian dynasty, becoming the first Greek emperor, and Constantinople’s tragic siege in 1204 when the city was devastated. In Constantinople’s Hagia Sophia, mosaics of epic proportions took up traditional themes and postures, sometimes with remarkable delicacy and finesse, across the Empire. Although Byzantium’s borders were steadily eroding away, Europe saw it as the beacon of civilization, an almost mythical city of gold. Roman Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos’s Macedonian court was filled with literature, knowledge, and complex etiquette. He sculpted and manually illuminated the manuscripts he composed.The Byzantine style became seductive to the rest of Europe, despite the Emperor’s continuous decline in authority. The art forms of the Byzantine period were accepted and celebrated even in countries opposed to Constantinople’s political and military interests.
Before talking about the Byzantine art style, we must first discuss the coming into existence of the Byzantine Empire, its culture, and Byzantine Emperors.
