Early Christian Art Lecture Notes

Flashcards about Early Christian Art

Topics of Chapter 8

Style of late antiquity, Christian reappropriation of pagan iconography and structures, syncretism, catacombs and funerary art, popular Subjects of Late Antique Art Changing Depictions of Jesus Early Christian Church Architecture and Luxury Arts with ivory carvings.

The Sacrifice of Jesus

Jesus' sacrifice is a final necessary sacrifice and that sacrifice is reenacted in the Last Supper. The bread stands for his body, the wine stands for his blood.

Last Supper

Last Supper is sometimes also called Holy Communion or the Eucharist because Christ was conducting the Last Supper he asked people to continue to do this in his memory and so that's what the church continues to do.

Rejection of Greco Roman Pantheon

Christians rejected the Greco Roman pantheon in favor of monotheism.

Persecution of Christians

Christians refused to worship the emperor as an embodiment of the state. They keep to themselves often. They're not getting involved in any civic affairs engaged in more secretive kind of quiet networks because they're being persecuted so they're keeping things a little more to themselves and away from the public's eye.

Edict of Milan

Religious tolerance to all religions passed by Constantine and Licinius therefore ending the mistreatment and the persecution of the Christians.

Theodosius I

Establishes Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire and then about a decade later he bans pagan worship

Early Christian Art

Art that's created under Roman rule, late antiquity in the Roman world.

Early Christian Art timeline

Earliest preserved works with Christian subjects and these were not created in the time of Christ. Several centuries after Jesus's crucifixion.

Early Christian Art foundation

Forms a foundation of the art and architecture of the Middle Ages.

Dura Europos

Roman city on the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia, one of the most distant outposts of the Roman Empire right there to the eastern region

Dura Europos crosscurrents

It's considered a really powerful site where these powerful religious crosscurrents of late antiquity are meeting and mingling with one another. Shrines of polytheistic religions of the Mediterranean, of the Near East, of the Romans, and then the monotheistic religions of Judaism and Christianity

Dura Europos Synagogue

Private house with a central courtyard was converted into a synagogue

Interior of Dura Europos Synagogue

Wall filled with numerous wall paintings, stories from the Jewish stories in the Old Testament. Genesis, Exodus, Samuel, Kings, Esther, Ezekiel mainly the heroes of the Old Testament.

Figures of Dura Europos

Figures are frontal, they've been flattened out so they kind of come up right to the foreground of the pictorial space. There is not much depth here.

God appearance in Dura Europos

God himself cannot appear. However, God's hands emerged from the top of that frame

Christian community house

Private house that was converted into a Christian community house. Use it as a place of worship.

Adam and Eve image in Christian house

Adam and Eve reminds men of the fall of man and then the salvation through Christ

Meaning of Adam and Eve image

Reminds a new Christian that humanity fell from grace when the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God. The Good Shepherd Jesus Christ came to earth to carry his sheep to salvation and eternal life.

Late Antique Style

Stylized gestures, expressionless features, a lack of mass and volume that these figures are taking up, this kind of linear composition where they're kind of placed flat along the surface.

Topics of Chapter 8

Style of late antiquity, Christian reappropriation of pagan iconography and structures, syncretism, catacombs and funerary art, popular Subjects of Late Antique Art Changing Depictions of Jesus Early Christian Church Architecture and Luxury Arts with ivory carvings.

The Sacrifice of Jesus

Jesus' sacrifice is a final necessary sacrifice and that sacrifice is reenacted in the Last Supper. The bread stands for his body, the wine stands for his blood.

Last Supper

Last Supper is sometimes also called Holy Communion or the Eucharist because Christ was conducting the Last Supper he asked people to continue to do this in his memory and so that's what the church continues to do.

Rejection of Greco Roman Pantheon

Christians rejected the Greco Roman pantheon in favor of monotheism.

Persecution of Christians

Christians refused to worship the emperor as an embodiment of the state. They keep to themselves often. They're not getting involved in any civic affairs engaged in more secretive kind of quiet networks because they're being persecuted so they're keeping things a little more to themselves and away from the public's eye.

Edict of Milan

Religious tolerance to all religions passed by Constantine and Licinius therefore ending the mistreatment and the persecution of the Christians.

Theodosius I

Establishes Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire and then about a decade later he bans pagan worship

Early Christian Art

Art that's created under Roman rule, late antiquity in the Roman world.

Early Christian Art timeline

Earliest preserved works with Christian subjects and these were not created in the time of Christ. Several centuries after Jesus's crucifixion.

Early Christian Art foundation

Forms a foundation of the art and architecture of the Middle Ages.

Dura Europos

Roman city on the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia, one of the most distant outposts of the Roman Empire right there to the eastern region

Dura Europos crosscurrents

It's considered a really powerful site where these powerful religious crosscurrents of late antiquity are meeting and mingling with one another. Shrines of polytheistic religions of the Mediterranean, of the Near East, of the Romans, and then the monotheistic religions of Judaism and Christianity

Dura Europos Synagogue

Private house with a central courtyard was converted into a synagogue

Interior of Dura Europos Synagogue

Wall filled with numerous wall paintings, stories from the Jewish stories in the Old Testament. Genesis, Exodus, Samuel, Kings, Esther, Ezekiel mainly the heroes of the Old Testament.

Figures of Dura Europos

Figures are frontal, they've been flattened out so they kind of come up right to the foreground of the pictorial space. There is not much depth here.

God appearance in Dura Europos

God himself cannot appear. However, God's hands emerged from the top of that frame

Christian community house

Private house that was converted into a Christian community house. Use it as a place of worship.

Adam and Eve image in Christian house

Adam and Eve reminds men of the fall of man and then the salvation through Christ

Meaning of Adam and Eve image

Reminds a new Christian that humanity fell from grace when the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God. The Good Shepherd Jesus Christ came to earth to carry his sheep to salvation and eternal life.

Late Antique Style

Stylized gestures, expressionless features, a lack of mass and volume that these figures are taking up, this kind of linear composition where they're kind of placed flat along the surface.

Catacombs

Underground burial places, utilized by early Christians and others, featuring loculi (niches for bodies) and often adorned with early Christian art. Served as places of refuge and worship during times of persecution.

Syncretism in Early Christian Art

The assimilation and combination of different beliefs, images, and practices. Early Christian art often adopted and reinterpreted pagan symbols and motifs, such as the image of the Good Shepherd derived from classical pastoral imagery.

Orant Figure

A figure represented in a posture of prayer, with arms raised. This gesture was common in early Christian art and symbolized the soul's communication with God.

Good Shepherd

A common motif in Early Christian art, representing Jesus Christ as the protector and savior of his followers. Often depicted carrying a lamb on his shoulders, symbolizing care for his flock.

Early Christian Basilica

Adapted from Roman public buildings, early Christian basilicas served as churches. They typically featured a long nave, side aisles, an apse (where the altar was placed), and often a narthex (an entrance hall).