Byzantine art

Byzantine art is the name for the artistic products of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, as
well as the nations and states that inherited culturally from the empire. Though the empire itself
emerged from Rome's decline and lasted until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453,[1] many Eastern
Orthodox states in Eastern Europe, as well as to some degree the Muslim states of the eastern
Mediterranean, preserved many aspects of the empire's culture and art for centuries afterward.

A number of states contemporary with the Byzantine Empire were culturally influenced by it,
without actually being part of it (the "Byzantine commonwealth"). These included the Rus, as
well as some non-Orthodox states like the Republic of Venice, which separated from the
Byzantine empire in the 10th century, and the Kingdom of Sicily, which had close ties to the
Byzantine Empire and had also been a Byzantine possession until the 10th century with a large
Greek speaking population persisting into the 12th century. Other states having a Byzantine
artistic tradition had oscillated throughout the Middle Ages between being part of the Byzantine
empire and having periods of independence, such as Serbia and Bulgaria. After the fall of the
Byzantine capital of Constantinople in 1453, art produced by Eastern Orthodox Christians living
in the Ottoman Empire was often called "post-Byzantine." Certain artistic traditions that
originated in the Byzantine Empire, particularly in regard to icon painting and church
architecture, are maintained in Greece, Cyprus, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia and other
Eastern Orthodox countries to the present day.

Just as the Byzantine Empire represented the political continuation of the Roman Empire, (the term
"Byzantine" being a creation of later historians, the Byzantines considering themselves to be Romans),
Byzantine art developed out of the art of the Roman Empire, which was itself profoundly influenced by
ancient Greek art. Byzantine art never lost sight of this classical heritage. The Byzantine capital,
Constantinople, was adorned with a large number of classical sculptures, [2] although they eventually
became an object of some puzzlement for its inhabitants. [3] And indeed, the art produced during the
Byzantine Empire, although marked by periodic revivals of a classical aesthetic, was above all marked by
the development of a new aesthetic.
 Mosaic from San Vitale in Ravenna, showing the Emperor
Justinian and Bishop Maximian, surrounded by clerics and
soldiers.

Significant changes in Byzantine art coincided with the

reign of Justinian I (527565). Justinian devoted much of
his reign to reconquering Italy, North Africa and Spain.
He also laid the foundations of the imperial absolutism of
the Byzantine state, codifying its laws and imposing his
religious views on all his subjects by law.[25]

A significant component of Justinian's project of imperial

renovation was a massive building program, which was
described in a book, the Buildings, written by Justinian's
court historian, Procopius.[26] Justinian renovated, rebuilt,
or founded anew countless churches within
Constantinople, including Hagia Sophia,[27] which had
been destroyed during the Nika riots, the Church of the
Holy Apostles,[28] and the Church of Saints Sergius and
Bacchus.[29] Justinian also built a number of churches and
fortifications outside of the imperial capital, including
Saint Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai in Egypt,[30]
and the Basilica of St. John in Ephesus.

The Christus Ravenna Mosaic represents Jesus as an emperor. He is

dressed in a brown robe with gold to represent his majesty. The
artwork was made of coloured glass and gold. The artist chose to use
mosaic as it was very popular at that time. Gold was used in this
artwork to show Jesus' divinity and royalty. Jesus was illustrated with
a beard and long hair as this image of him became more popular
during this period. This made him look like a wise philosopher. A halo
was added to the mosaic to symbolise that Jesus Christ is a holy
figure in Christianity.
 In Christian iconography, Christ Pantocrator refers to a
specific depiction of Christ. Pantocrator or Pantokrator
(Greek: )[1] is, used in this context, a
translation of one of many names of God in Judaism.

When the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek as the

Septuagint, Pantokrator was used both for YHWH Sabaoth
"Lord of Hosts" and for El Shaddai "God Almighty." In the
New Testament, Pantokrator is used once by Paul (2 Cor
6:18) and nine times in the Book of Revelation: 1:8, 4:8,
11:17, 15:3, 16:7, 16:14, 19:6, 19:15, and 21:22. The
references to God and Christ in Revelation are at times
interchangeable, Pantokrator appears to be reserved for God
except, perhaps, in 1:8.

A Madonna (Italian: [madnna]) is a representation of

Mary, either alone or with her child Jesus. These images
are central icons for both the Catholic and Orthodox
churches.[1] The word is from Italian ma donna, meaning
'my lady'. The Madonna and Child type is very prevalent
in Christian iconography, divided into many traditional
subtypes especially in Eastern Orthodox iconography,
often known after the location of a notable icon of the
type, such as the Theotokos of Vladimir, Agiosoritissa,
Blachernitissa, etc., or descriptive of the depicted posture,
as in Hodegetria, Eleusa, etc.

The term Madonna in the sense of "picture or statue of the

Virgin Mary" enters English usage in the 17th century,
primarily in reference to works of the Italian Renaissance.
In an Eastern Orthodox context, such images are typically
known as Theotokos. "Madonna" may be generally used of
representations of Mary, with or without the infant Jesus,
is the focus and central figure of the image, possibly
flanked or surrounded by angels or saints. Other types of
Marian imagery have a narrative context, depicting scenes
from the Life of the Virgin, e.g. the Annunciation to Mary,
are not typically called "Madonna".