The Byzantine Empire, 330-1453 C.E., was centered in Constantinople (modern Istanbul) where religious and imperial themes were combined to reflect the “caesaropapism” of that culture. Byzantine art differs from earlier Greco-Roman art in that it is interested in depicting the unseen, spiritual world — the intangible world of heaven. Rather than the depth and naturalism of the classical world, Byzantine art portrayed flatness and mystery in shimmering gold. We will survey this world: from its beginning in Ravenna and Constantinople, through the development of central-planned cross-in-square churches in Greece, to ivory and gold luxury items, to St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, and on to 14th-century frescoes in Constantinople that influenced the Italian Renaissance. This is a lecture course.
