GuideToArtHistory

FamousArtistsArtStylesandPeriodsArtMediumsAncientArt

IntroductiontoAncientChristianArtByArtHistory.net

TheperiodofearlyChristianartbeganabouttheyear100andlasteduntiltheByzantinestyle,orroughlytheyear500.ThebeginningofthisperioddidnotseewidespreadworksofChristianart.Forone,Christiansfacedpersecutionandthiswouldcertainlyhaveplacedconstraintsuponartisticproduction.Also,earlyChristianswerepartofthelowerclassesofsocietysoartistswouldhavelackedopportunityforpatrons.EarlyChristiansmustalsohavebeenmindfulaboutrefrainingfromproducinggravenimageswhichtheybelievedsimilartopaganiconography.

Nevertheless,intimeChristianartistswouldcreatearecognizablemovementandtheirworkswouldsurviveindarkplaceslikeinthecatacombsbeneathRome.WhiletheseartistsoftenborrowedfromRomanmotifs,theychangedtheirunderlyingsymbolismtoreflectaChristianethic.Forinstance,theimageoftheshepherd,onceaRomanmotif,wastransformedintothegoodshepherdundertheChristianmantle.EarlyChristiansalsoadoptedthegrapevineandevenpeacocksasreflectedintheirearlyfrescoesand,indeed,themediumoffrescowasalsoborrowedfromtheRomans.Christianartistsalsoproducedmosaics,illuminatedtexts,andsculptureartisticformsthatwerepopularinthepaganworld.

Yet,earlyChristianartistsalsodevelopedtheirownmotifs.Theidentifyingimageofthefish,apopularimageeventoday,stemsfromthesefirstChristianartists.Hitherto,thefishhadnotbeenborrowedasanartisticmotiffromanyotherculture.Likewise,thedovebecameanearlysymbolofpeace.ArthistoriansbelievethatmanyoftheiconsborrowedfrompaganculturesearlyonallowedChristianartiststoremainfurtive.AdoptingthelambtorepresentChristalsoallowedtheirmessagetoremainhiddeninplainsight.

AsChristianitybecamemorewidespreadandaccepted,artistsbegantoturntonewconstructionsofchurchesthatreplacedhiddenmeetingplacesespeciallyaftertheEdictofMilanin313whichnamedChristianitytheofficialreligionoftheRomanEmpire.DuringtheperiodofearlyChristianart,thebasictenetforartistswastotransmitfaithandtoteachthewordofGod.Artwasnotproducedforbeautyssakealone.OnceimperialsponsorshipattendedChristianartists,worksbecamemoreelaborateandsumptuousworksweredisplayedwithinbasilicas,baptisteries,andmausoleums.

SurvivingexamplesofearlyChristianartincludemanybasreliefs,frescoes,wallslabs,

mosaics,andmetalworks.Historiansbelievetherewereprobablysignificantexamplesofpanelart,butthismediumwouldnothavesurvivedtheagingprocess.EarlyChristianartlaidthegroundworkfortheByzantineartperiodwhichwouldgrowoutoftheirtraditions.

SeeAlso:SistineChapelChartresCathedralNotreDameCathedral

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