BYZANTIUM AFTER BYZANTIUM LLP COMENIUS MULTILATERAL PROJECT 2008
BYZANTIUM AFTER BYZANTIUM LLP COMENIUS MULTILATERAL PROJECT (2008 -2010) “Virgil Madgearu” High School (coordinator) Iasi, Romania “Stenio” High School (partner) Termini Imerese, Italy “Fevzi Cakmak” High School (partner) Adiyaman, Turkey Realized with financial support of “LLP Comenius Programme"
THE ITALIAN BYZANTINE PAINTING
By Byzantine art it is meant the artistic production of the Byzantine Empire from the 4 th century to the fall of Constantinople in 1453. The term is also used to refer to the art of Eastern Orthodox states which were culturally influenced by the Byzantines ( such as Bulgaria, Serbia and Russia) and to the art of the Republic of Venice and the Kingdom of Sicily, which had close ties to the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine art spread in Constantinople differs from the Roman art for its solemn and intensely spiritual character. It depicts a heavenly world, detached from the land the daily life. The element that unifies the Byzantine painting in Italy, Romania and Turkey is its didactic function, that is to tell the stories of the Old and New Testament and to move the souls of believers to reflection. As to the Italian Byzantine painting, three were the periods of great splendour: Justinian (527 -565), Macedonian (867 -1057) and of the Palaeologus Emperors (1061 -1453). The Italian painting, influenced by the Islamic and Byzantine culture, is characterised by images complemented to the architectural structure of the churches and the preaching of the priests. The aulic and solemn painting, realised especially in mosaic cycles, reached its expressive fullness in the 6 th century. In the mosaic art decoration, mainly spread in Venice and in Palermo, a hieratic aspect dominates, entrusted to the steadiness of the figures and to the prevalence of gold and blue. After the iconoclastic period, there was a separation between art of court and folk art. Between the 9 th and the 10 th centuries painting became expression of the Byzantine religiosity and precise rules fixed themes of paintings and their location. In the 11 th century painting reached levels of high quality, while with the Palaeologi it showed a new freshness.
Italy entered in contact with the Byzantine culture when Ravenna became the seat of the Church of Constantinople. The expressive shape of the East enriched the late-imperial and Christian traditions of Italy. Both in the East and in the West the aim of sacred images is to reach the believers in a moral sense, but the way to represent them is different. In fact, in the West Christ is represented through images near everyday life such as the Good Shepherd. In the East, instead, Christ is represented through images of regality, such as the image of Pantocrator.
Icons and wall mosaics are expressive forms of Byzantine painting. For the Oriental culture the icon is the true image of heavenly reality, that is everlasting and unchanging. Eternity and immutability are represented through solemn, motionless figures.
Mosaics illustrate the Byzantine style through some peculiarities: stiff, flat figures, front view painted which seem abstract and distant; fixed eyes where no special feeling shines; absence of reality, light and shade; the golden background that creates an unreal atmosphere. Byzantine painters were not interested in portraying true images and real environments. In their opinion Christ, the Mother of God, the emperors and the dignitaries were symbols of the spiritual and temporal powers and they did not want to put them on the level of common people, so they were abstract, distant characters. Mosaics with their bright colours and plays of light created an evocative, unreal atmosphere. The most ancient mosaics have a blue background and figures of Apostles, prophets and the Good Shepherd represented with realism. Mosaics of this kind can be seen in the mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna (half of the 5 th century) and in the presbytery of St. Vitale’s church in Ravenna.
In the series oh Martyrs and Virgins painted in the church of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo the elements of Byzantine art are quite clear: repetitiveness of gestures, precious clothes, absolute frontage, steadiness of looks, monochrome of backgrounds ( almost ever in gold), vegetable elements used to decorate the ground. Some mosaics are nearer to the Roman tradition as they are rich in realistic subjects and the evangelic scenes are described as episodes of daily life (for example The last supper or Judas’s kiss).
Sant’Apollinare in Classe has the happiest mosaics in existence, dating from the 6 th and 7 th century. They represent St. Apollinare, Ravenna bishops, emperors, Old Testament figures, the Apostles, Christ and so on.
In the Orthodox Baptistry you can admire an extraordinary mosaic, dating from 450, with four altars holding up the cupola on which is represented the Baptism of Christ. On the altars are laid opened Gospel books.
The Arian Baptistry , built by the Ostrogothic ruler Theodoric at the end of the 5 th century, is similar to the Orthodox one, including the mosaic in the dome. . The Byzantines took Ravenna in 540, bringing Arian and barbarian rule to Italy. About ten years later Emperor Justinian gave the Arian Baptistry to the Orthodox (Catholic) community of the city, who turned it into a church called Santa Maria in Cosmedin. A series of frescoes and icons can be admired in Santa Maria in Trastevere.
The Exarchic Monastery of Santa Maria in Grottaferrata, founded in 1004 by St. Nilus and St. Bartholomew, is the last of the many Byzantine-Greek cult in use in Sicily, Southern Italy and Rome. It preserves the Byzantine rite and the tradition of Basilian monks. Very little remains of the ancient splendour: the mosaic and the painting of the thriumphal arch.
In 754 the Council of Hieria (under Constantine) proscribed the manufacture of icons representing Christ. This inaugurated the ICONOCLASTIC PERIOD, lasted until 843, in which there was a diaspora of artists from Constantinople to Western Europe. The meeting of Byzantine culture and Western culture originated a new Byzantine art, interested in narration. In the Macedonian period there was a revival of interest in the depiction of subjects from classical mythology and the use of a classical style to depict religious subjects. From 867 to 1057 the Byzantine art had a second period of splendour. In the 11 th and 12 th centuries echoes of the Byzantine art can be found in Sicily, in the Cathedral in Cefalù (1148 -1165), in the Palatine Chapel and in the Church of Martorana in Palermo (1148), in Monreale Cathedral and in the Basilica of St. Mark in Venice.
The cathedral of Cefalù The Presbyterium mosaic is the only one area that was completed. Roger II brought masters in the technique of mosaic from Constantinople. They adapted their traditional Byzantine decorative art to an architectural structure that was of North-European origin. The dominant figures in the decorative scheme are the Christ Pantocrator (with the right hand raised in benediction and the left hand carrying the Gospel of John) and the Virgin Mary ( with her hands raised in prophesy and flanked by four Archangels). They are clothed in blue on a background of golden tiles. It is considered the finest Byzantine mosaic in Italy.
The palatine chapel The Palatine Chapel in the Royal Palace in Palermo was commissioned by Roger II of Sicily in 1080. The mosaics of this chapel are of unique elegance for the proportions and the draperies of the figures, for the colours and luminance. Some mosaics in the chapel illustrate scenes from the Acts of the Apostles, others are more narrative and illustrative and represent Oriental flora and fauna. The chapel combines various styles: the Norman architecture and door décor, the Arabic arches and scripts adorning the roof, the Byzantine dome and mosaics.
THE CHURCH OF MARTORANA The church of Martorana founded by the Greek admiral, George of Antiochia, is famous for its spectacular interior. It is dominated by mosaics executed by Byzantine craftsmen and similar to the ones in the Palatine Chapel and in Cefalù Cathedral. In the mosaics King Roger II is shown in Byzantine dress being crowned by God himself (not by the Pope as in the Western Christian tradition). The nave dome is occupied by the image of Christ Pantocrator surrounded by the Archangels.
MONREALE CATHEDRAL Monreale became a temporary ecclesiastical centre after the occupation of Palermo by the Arabs in 831 which forced the Bishop of Palermo to leave Palermo. . Built by order of King William II, the cathedral is 102 metres long and 40 metres wide and is divided into a nave and twin aisles by 18 columns. The walls of the nave transept and apses are entirely decorated with mosaics on a glided background. The mosaic decorations are the work of Byzantine and Venetian craftsmen, executed between the end of the 12 th century and the beginning of the 13 th century and depicting a cycle of scenes from the Old and the New Testament. The figures in the apse arranged according to a hierarchical order: the huge figure of Christ Pantocrator in the apsidal vault dominates the Virgin and the Child, flanked by Angels and Apostles, in the middle, and the figures of saints beneath. The Christ Pantocrator is represented in a similar way to the Christ Pantocrator in Cefalù Cathedral.
ST. MARK ‘S BASILICA is one of the best examples of Byzantine art. The main façade is divided into five huge doorways. Over the portals there is a terrace with a balustrade and above there are five arches decorated with mosaics and topped by the Evangelists. Above the central arch the so-called “ Angel Staircase” leads up to the Patron Saint, St. Mark. The most remarkable mosaic decorating the portals is the one which depicts the transaction of St. Mark’s body from Alexandria of Egypt to the Basilica. In the vault there is a mosaic of Christ Pantocrator. On the right aisle there are St. Peter’s Chapel and the Madonna Nicopeia, a venerated Byzantine icon. Behind the iconostasis, the HIGH ALTAR contains St. Mark’s relics. Above the High Altar there is a canopy on columns decorated with relieves. In the altarpiece the famous GOLDEN PALL is a masterpiece of Byzantine craftsmen. The upper order of the interior is entirely covered with bright mosaics containing gold, bronze and a great variety of stones.
Conclusion The Palaeologus Dynasty, begun with Michael VIII Palaeologus in 1259, was the last golden age of the Byzantine art, partly because of the increasing cultural exchanges between Byzantine and Italian artists. Byzantine artists developed a new interest in landscapes and pastoral scenes, and the traditional mosaic work gradually gave way to cycles of narrative frescoes. The icons became a favourite medium for artistic expression and were characterized by a less austere attitude, a new appreciation for purely decorative painting and a meticulous attention to details. Therefore the art of this period is popularly known as ”Palaeologan Mannerism”.
- Slides: 20