Term Paper on "To Assess the Roles of Tradition Convention Changing Fashions and Originality in Byzantine Art"

Term Paper 10 pages (3261 words) Sources: 10 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Roles of Tradition, Convention, Changing Fashions and Byzantine Art

The time period that is referred to as the one from which Byzantine art sprang is the period in Eastern Rome from the 5th Century until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453.

Historical accounts relate that Robert of Clari, a French crusader said to have witnessed the pillage of the city in 1204in his description of Constantinople stated that:

Not since the world was made was there ever seen or won so great a treasure, or so noble or so rich, nor in the time of Alexander, nor in the time of Charlemagne, nor before, nor after, nor do I think myself that in the forty richest cities of the world had there been so much wealth as was found in Constantinople. For the Greeks say that two-thirds of the wealth of this world is in Constantinople and the other third scattered throughout the world."

It is related in the work of L. James that there was a very complex language of color used throughout the entirety of the Byzantine Empire with other traditions relating to iconography. Art was of the religious of imperial nature in what was an abstract imagery of religious and imperial figures and events. Byzantine art of characterized by abstract symbolic representations of emperors, saints, Mary, Jesus and other religious events. The Christian Church was tremendously upset and against iconography which was held by the Christian Church to violate the 2nd of the Ten Commandments, or the command not to worship graven images. For a period of time iconography was outlawed by the Council of Niceca but iconography soon returned to the Byzantine Empire.

I. Traditions and Conventions of Art

In the work entitled: "The Aesthetics of Sacred Space: Narrative, Metaphor and Motion in Ekphraseis of Church Buildings" published in the Dumbarton Papers No. 53 Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection (1999) the question is asked: "How can one represent any static three-dimensional object in a medium that unfolds in time?" And asks as well the question of: "How can one represent in words the totality of visual experience - the infinite varieties of color, space, depth, texture, light and shade - offered by even the simplest object?" (1999) The writer states that art in the Byzantine period was just as the language of that time which the descriptions "are mirrors that must in some way 'distort' their subjects. At the same time, by the very act of selecting, ordering and presenting material they can act as a sort of commentary on their subjects." Further related is that what distinguishes the words and phrases used to refer to the material appearance of buildings (often dismissed as 'rhetorical ornamentation) that refer to other, unseen, aspects becomes less important." (1999)

II. Semiotic Pattern in Byzantine Art

The work of Moss (1993) entitled: "A Culture Course Based on a Semiotic Pattern" published in the Russian Language Journal states that the point of the icon in Byzantine art was not "that the worshipper makes some connection between several scenes which remind him of a story, but that the icon of a saint is really connected in some mystical way to its prototype." (1993) In other words the Byzantine theology the icon and prototype while different in nature are in actuality "identical in person." The vertical dimension is more important that the horizontal therefore the frontal pose of the person of the icon is the assurance of "maximal contact between the worshipper and the image. " (Ibid) There is a division existing between "expression and content" explained in the work of Moss who states: "the relation between expression and content can be viewed as the only possible one or as arbitrary and convention. " (Ibid)

III. Art Under the Control of the Church and the State

While Byzantine art was of help in the preservation and transmittal of the "accumulated heritage of the Classical world..." Byzantine art, known to be of a conservative nature was dictated in both its themes and flavor by both Church and State evidenced in the religious and imperial imagery depicted in the art of the time period. Artistic creativity was not an issue in the Byzantine period. It was decreed of the Church Council of Nicaea in 787 that artists were not to be thought of as 'creators' but instead the decree stated that: "It is for painters to execute; it is for the clergy to ordain the subjects and govern the procedure." (Ibid) The sole function of art was to "...illustrate theological truths in an orthodox manner." (Ibid)

The work of Piotrowski (nd) entitled: "Representational Function of Daylight in the Katholikon of Hosios Loukas" states that "light related phenomena were essential to the symbolic functioning of Middle Byzantine churches like the Katholikon in the Monastery of Mosios Loukas. Yet because of the limitations of current dominant models of 'knowing' architecture and art, the symbolic use of light in such buildings remains practically un recognized." (Petrowski, nd) It is held by Petrowski that the phenomena of light in the representation of the divine prescience in the Byzantine churches caused the interior of the churches to resonate "with imagination in a way specific to the Byzantine constitution of religious ideas." (Petrowski, nd)

IV. Light, Shadows, & the Presence of the Saints

Petrowski states that Saint John of Damascus argued the even the shadows cast by religious icons were imbued with a special presence or power. Saint John is stated to have drawn an analogy between "looking directly into the light of sun through a dark glass and viewing the icon's representation of the divine, in both cases, a limited physical or symbolic transparency mediates irreconcilable differences." (Petrowski. Nd) In the church called Hosios Loukas the building's use of solid matter and daylight reinforces the method of thought that was proposed by Saint John as the interior of the church is illuminated and emanates from the walls and windows.

A.R. Littlewood in the work entitled: "The Symbolism of the Apple: An Example of Kazantzakis' Debt to Byzantine Erotic Imagery" states that the image of eroticism used in the apple and other fruits is "essentially a Greek literary phenomenon, of seemingly endless facets that can be traced from Heriod to the present day." (1986) Littlewood states that imagery is of primary importance to Kazanzakis noting the use of imagery approximately sixty times in the Odyssey and even more so in his novels.

Evolution is stated by Thomas G. Whitney in the work entitled: "Evolution of Melody in Middle Byzantine Music" to have undergone several shifts. Stated is that the evolution of melodic lines in the chorales of J.S. Bach were analyzed through use of the computer program 'Simple Language for Analyzing Music' (SLAM) and findings state that there are "statistically significant differences in the melodies for different times periods within the Middle Byzantine period." (Whitney, 1986)

Writers of the Byzantine era used what is called ekphrasies which is a rhetorical usage that is able to more fully provide an accurate account than to attempt to convey the perception the object worked on those viewing it. In this manner of relating the "speaker first and foremost appeal to the listener's imagination, often through the use of generalized images that were more likely to correspond to the prior experience of the audience." This type of "vivid language" was believed to be thought-provoking for the listener to bring the listener into a visualization of the scene in the story being told or written, or indeed to cause the listener to "feel as if in the presence of the scene."

The ekphraseis is "by definition an account of anything - form a battle to a person to a season - that has the quality of vividness necessary to make an audience 'see'." (1999) Ekphraseis of the work of art has traditionally ignored "the static, spatial nature of the painting of mosaic, and to recount the events depicted as if they were unfolding in time, while imbuing the scene with human interest by expressing the describer's emotional involvement." (1999) Stated to be the feature that is "most striking" of the ekphraseis is:

the exploitation of the capacity of the words to evoke the absent, to express the intelligible meanings implicit in the material sights. If we treat the ekphraseis as texts, the distinction between the passages that refer to the tangible aspects of the building and those that refer to the intangible disappears. The fact that this lack of distinction was an important feature of the Byzantine conception of the "aesthetic" is suggested by the extension of the term "aijsqhtik " in later Greek to include the intelligible in addition to the sensible. By constantly juxtaposing the intelligible and the sensible these ekphraseis unlock the inherent significance of the buildings they describe." (1999)

V. Changing Fashions & Originality in Byzantine Art

Henry Maguire related in the work entitled: "The Iconography of Symeon with the Christ Child in Byzantine Art" that it is acknowledged… READ MORE

How to Reference "To Assess the Roles of Tradition Convention Changing Fashions and Originality in Byzantine Art" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

Art History Essay

Art History

Certainly, after proceeding into the course, I see the world with a radically different perspective than when you began your art studies. I now look much more deeply… read more

Essay 4 pages (1299 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Art / Painting / Sculpture

---

Fashion Photography Advertising in High End Women's Magazines Term Paper

Fashion Photography Advertising in High- End Women's Magazines

Typology:

Fashion Photography in the Form of Advertising, for High-End Women's Magazines

Table of Illustrations

Literature survey: Origins / history / theory… read more

Term Paper 14 pages (4689 words) Sources: 10 Topic: Fashion / Designers / Beauty

---

Fashion and Technology Exhibition Assignment Essay

Fashion and Technology Exhibition

Exhibition Assignment

The fashion and technology exhibition at fit museum

Since conception, technology has grown tremendously. It has continued to influence every sector of the world,… read more

Essay 4 pages (1172 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Fashion / Designers / Beauty

---

Art in South America and the Pacific Term Paper

Art in South America and the Pacific

Aboriginal Creation Myths and Art

The Aborigines have existed for approximately 40,000 years in parts of Australia. They boast one of the most… read more

Term Paper 5 pages (1645 words) Sources: 5 Topic: Art / Painting / Sculpture

---

Art Development of Artistic Concepts Essay

Art Dev

Development of Artistic Concepts and Skills Across Grade Levels

The concept of sings, symbolism, and style in artworks is something that requires advanced critical thinking skills to fully… read more

Essay 4 pages (1014 words) Sources: 3 Topic: Art / Painting / Sculpture

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>