Age of Faith: 'I'm comin' out! I want the world to know~'
3:55 PM
The Age of Faith or the Christian Art revolves
around two things: architecture and the works of art inside those structures.
Of course when I say architecture in the Christian Art Era, I mean churches,
cathedrals, and basilicas. Duh :) haha. Before, I totally thought these three
were the same but I found out that they're different in terms of who the leader
there is. Churches have parish priests, cathedrals have bishops, while
basilicas have popes or archbishops.
One of the most relevant
things I learned here is the use of architectural
plans. These “blueprints” have three variations: (1) the Latin cross-plan,
(2) the central plan, and (3) the Greek cross-plan. They show the parts of a
church/cathedral/basilica which is mainly patterned to the Old St. Peter's
Basilica:- Nave – the center or the walkway of the priest
- Aisle – where people pass through to go to their seats
- Apse – where the altar is (semi-circular)
- Narthex – entrance
- Atrium – grounds; located before the entrance; courtyard
- Transept – separates the aisle from the altar
- Propylaeum – gate; entrance before the building proper
Byzantium is a memorable
town in this era because this is the site of the Christian emperor
Constantine’s capital, Constantinople. The figures in the Byzantine art appear
to be weightless because the artists
wanted to show this as a mark of religiosity. Also, symbolism started here to play a huge part in the whole era’s art
and also to the next ones that came.
One example is the “Justinian and
Attendants,” an apse mosaic in San Vitale Church located in Ravenna, Italy. The
mosaic pays tribute to Justinian’s victory over the Goths and proclaims him
ruler of Ravenna and the western half of the Roman Empire. His authority is
symbolized by the military and clerical representatives in his attendants. The
figures form a strong horizontal band that means unity. Although they are placed in groups, some slightly in front of
others, the heads present as points in single line. Thickly lidded eyes stare
outward. The heavily draped bodies have no evident substance, as if garments
hang on invisible frames, and the physical gestures of the men are unnatural.
Space is tentatively suggested by a grassy ground line, but the placement of
the figures on this line and within this space is uncertain. Notice how the
feet seem to hover rather than to support.
(from the book “Understanding Art
by Lois Fichner Rathus)
In Constantinople
(present-day Istanbul), Justinian had a church built and called it “Church of
the Holy Wisdom” or the Hagia Sophia. It is a beautiful structure that served
as an Eastern Orthodox church, an Islamic mosque, and also a museum. The most
striking aspects of this church are its overall dimensions and the size of its
dome (which is actually higher than the dome of the Pantheon from Rome). This
structure was made out of marble and was built together by the tandem Anthemius
and Isidorus.
Okay, so, remember when I
said that one variation of church architectural plans was the Greek cross-plan? St. Mark’s Cathedral
in Venice is one example of a structure that was built in this way. In this
plan, the “arms” of the cross are of equal length, and the focus of the
interior is a centrally placed dome that rises above the intersection of these
elements. The interior of St. Mark’s is likewise covered with gold and brightly
colored mosaics.
Unlike the other eras of art, this one had a hard time flourishing and letting itself & its artists known. It's because back then, the Christians experienced great persecution so they had to hide in underground burial places called "catacombs." Here, they hid their worshiping, their identities, and also their art. It's a good thing that they got the time to come out of their catacombs and share the wonders of their religion to the world of art and history.
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