Classical Period & Medieval Art Notes

Egyptian Art

  • Purpose: Egyptian paintings aim to make the deceased's afterlife place pleasant; themes include journey to the underworld and introducing the deceased to the gods by protective deities.
  • Nature: Primarily religious in nature.

Greek Art

  • Influence: immense impact on sculpture and architecture; Western classical tradition; Roman art largely derived from Greek models; Greco-Buddhist art from Alexander's conquests; inspired Renaissance humanist aesthetics; classical tradition dominated Western art well into the 19th century.
  • Notable Greek works/terms:
    • Black-figure olpe (wine vessel) by the Amasis Painter, depicting Herakles and Athena, 540 BC
    • 7th-century BC plate with sphinx from Rhodes
    • Temple of Apollo ruins, 4th-century BC
    • Ancient Theatre at Delphi, seating 5{,}000 spectators, 35 rows
    • Aphrodite of Knidos by Praxiteles (4th-century BC), often called Venus Pudica, with statue height over 2 m
    • Bronze statue (Poseidon or Zeus), ca. 460 BC, over 2 m tall
    • Wall painting: Symposium scene in the Tomb of the Diver at Paestum, ca. 480 BC
    • Pitsa Panels, ca. 530 BC

Roman Art

  • Definition: Visual arts of Ancient Rome and the Roman Empire; includes architecture, painting, sculpture, and mosaic.
  • Attitudes: Sculpture was highly valued; painting also esteemed; main innovation in painting was the development of landscapes and perspective.
  • Notable:
    • Mummy portraits (remarkably realistic, varied quality)
    • Glass technique: gold glass (gold leaf fixed between two fused glass layers)
    • Architecture: Arch of Constantine (c. 315 AD); Trajan's Column; Aqueduct of Segovia; Roman theatre in Mérida
    • Coinage: common coins of the Roman Empire and their denominations/sizes

Byzantine Art

  • Definition: Art of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire and its cultural heirs; religious and imperial subjects; monumental works often merged.
  • Key features: Religious subjects in monumental form; interior church decoration (e.g., Hagia Sophia) and imperial portraiture.
  • Notable:
    • Hagia Sophia: epitome of Byzantine architecture; massiveness of the dome
    • Deesis mosaic (court or late imperial mosaic programs)
    • Court of Empress Theodora mosaic (c. 547 AD)

Romanesque Art

  • Timeframe: Europe from approximately 1000 AD to the rise of Gothic in the 13th century; heavily influenced by Byzantine art and Insular (British Isles) decoration.
  • Character: Coherent, innovative stylistic synthesis; strong decorative energy drawn from cross-cultural influences.

Gothic Art

  • Basic characteristics: Symbolic, with architecture aimed at height and light; churches symbolize the transcendence of the soul.
  • Purpose: Emphasis on spiritual ascent through verticality and luminous interiors.