A Byzantine Web of Gothic Horror and Romanesque Decadence

Or I could be doing another art thread and trying to work "Byzantine", "Gothic", and "Romanesque" into the title. Back by demand from no one; this time it's art of the Middle Ages.

First up, we have a fine early Byzantine mosaic from the Hagia Sophia (the Church of the Holy Wisdom). It's a depiction of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, as seen in that defining monument of the city of Constantinople, constructed during the reign of the great Emperor Justinian I.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/equinoxe/VirginandChristinHagiaSophia.jpg
Mosaic of the Virgin and Christ in the Church of the Holy Wisdom

Next, we have a lovely example of Romanesque architecture from Germany, The Church of St. Michael in Hildesheim. It's an early Romanesque Church, built in the 11th century in the Ottonic style (named for the Holy Roman Emperor of the time).
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/equinoxe/St_Michaels_Church.jpg

And lastly, a work in the Gothic style by one of the premier artists of the Gothic period, Simone Martini. This is a depiction of several Christian saints of mediæval France. The first is King Louis IX, a famous crusader king and one held by Christendom of the time and in the following years as a model ruler. Beside him is Louis, Bishop of Toulouse, devoting his life to the Church and the poor, he died at the young age of 23.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/equinoxe/StLouisofFranceandStLouisofToulouse.jpg
St. Louis of France and St. Louis of Toulouse


Eventually, I'll work my way around to Art of Pleistocene Epoch. I think that thread will be entitled Sophisticated Caves for Sophisticated Cave People.

For more in this series, please visit the following threads:
I'm feeling Baroque
I'm in the mood for a Renaissance
Isn't it Romantic?
Impression, soleil levant
It's quite Classical at the Academies

ooohhh! look at all the big words!

killallhippies said:

ooohhh! look at all the big words!

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That's right, I get pretentious on bad days.

They're all bad days, in case you were wondering.

Equinoxe said:

That's right, I get pretentious on bad days.

They're all bad days, in case you were wondering.

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of course they are. life sucks. that's why it's good to not take it too seriously.

I'm heh...curious...wasn't much of europe done in Gothic style due to relgious backing of the Church?

killallhippies said:

of course they are. life sucks. that's why it's good to not take it too seriously.

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for some reason this post pisses me off.

killallhippies said:

of course they are. life sucks. that's why it's good to not take it too seriously.

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Not take it too seriously? Why that runs counter to the will of our Lord, which we take very seriously (what with the mediæval theme going on).

curious2c said:

I'm heh...curious...wasn't much of europe done in Gothic style due to relgious backing of the Church?

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I'm glad you asked, since I get to indulge; yes, the Church was a major backer of the Gothic style, as the Church was the major supporter and patron of the arts in the Middle Ages. However, there was secular support of the arts, even in earlier times before the rise of the Gothic style (the Carolingian Renaissance, as it sometimes called for instance) and it developed into a secular style with the International Gothic. Nevertheless, the Church was everywhere in mediæval Europe and the prime cultural mover.

Equinoxe said:

Or I could be doing another art thread and trying to work "Byzantine", "Gothic", and "Romanesque" into the title. Back by demand from no one; this time it's art of the Middle Ages.

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Greetings Equinoxe. Although I'm more familiar with music from the Middle Ages, it's Art was equally inspiring and genius.
Byzantine, definitely.

Raimondin said:

Greetings Equinoxe. Although I'm more familiar with music from the Middle Ages, it's Art was equally inspiring and genius.
Byzantine, definitely.

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Greetings.

I was going to include a suggested soundtrack of Gregorian and Byzantine Chant that I had posted in the Music Sharing Thread a while ago, but it seems that the files have since been deleted from that server.


On the subject of Byzantine art, here is an example of early Byzantine architecture, the Basilica di San Vitale in Italy, constructed during the reign of Justinian I (a prodigious builder of monuments to be sure).
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/equinoxe/BasilicaofSanVitale.jpg

And likewise, the aforementioned Hagia Sophia:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/equinoxe/HagiaSophia.jpg

Equinoxe said:

Not take it too seriously? Why that runs counter to the will of our Lord, which we take very seriously (what with the mediæval theme going on).

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one of the many reasons i would've been killed had a lived during that time period. also, the rigid class structure. that would totally suck.

And a great work of Norman-Romanesque architecture in France, the Bayeux Cathedral:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/equinoxe/Bayeux_Cathedral.jpg

The Bayeux Cathedral is of course well-known for an artwork it contained, perhaps the most famous "tapestry" in the world. Which, as it turns out, isn't technically a tapestry at all, but rather an embroidered work, the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the Norman Conquest of England, showing the lead up to war, the Battle of Hastings, and the consolidation of Norman power.

Here are a few scenes from the work:
A scene of the Navy
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/equinoxe/NavalSceneintheBayeuxTapestry.jpg

The famed Norman Cavalry I believe
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/equinoxe/CavalryintheBayeuxTapestry.jpg

A few sculptures by an Italian artist of the Gothic period, depictions of the Madonna and Child:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/equinoxe/MadonnaandChild.jpg
Madonna and Child

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/equinoxe/MadonnadelLatte.jpg
Madonna del Latte

As you can see, they have less of the revived Hellenistic focus on realism that so defines the sculpture of the Renaissance, the faces for one are very rounded and the characters are more artificial in style.

Equinoxe said:

Or I could be doing another art thread and trying to work "Byzantine", "Gothic", and "Romanesque" into the title. Back by demand from no one; this time it's art of the Middle Ages.

First up, we have a fine early Byzantine mosaic from the Hagia Sophia (the Church of the Holy Wisdom). It's a depiction of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, as seen in that defining monument of the city of Constantinople, constructed during the reign of the great Emperor Justinian I.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/equinoxe/VirginandChristinHagiaSophia.jpg
Mosaic of the Virgin and Christ in the Church of the Holy Wisdom

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It's even more stunning in person, as is all of Hagia Sophia. Truly a magical, mystical place, even with all of the interior scaffolding. The Sultanahmet (aka "Blue") Mosque across the square is more pristine (not surprising, as it's over 1,000 years newer), but Hagia Sophia will always be my favorite building in Istanbul. I have about a dozen pictures of that very mosaic from my two trips to the city. You can get mere inches away from some of the other mosaics up in the mezzanine, which gave me a new appreciation for the painstaking work that went into their creation.

Oh, and the mosaic also depicts the emperors Constantine (offering the city of Constantinople on our right) and Justinian (offering Hagia Sophia, on our left).

I should share some of my Istanbul pics sometime. It's truly one of the most awe-inspiring cities in the world.

For now, though, I'll just share two:

an interior shot of Hagia Sophia:

http://tortle.com/lit3/best%20istanbul%20-%2077.jpg

and a view of the Blue Mosque, directly across Sultanahmet square (tangential to the thread topic at best, but...) :

http://tortle.com/lit3/best%20istanbul%20-%2088.jpg

tortoise said:

It's even more stunning in person, as is all of Hagia Sophia. Truly a magical, mystical place, even with all of the interior scaffolding. The Sultanahmet (aka "Blue") Mosque across the square is more pristine (not surprising, as it's over 1,000 years newer), but Hagia Sophia will always be my favorite building in Istanbul. I have about a dozen pictures of that very mosaic from my two trips to the city. You can get mere inches away from some of the other mosaics up in the mezzanine, which gave me a new appreciation for the painstaking work that went into their creation.

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The Blue Mosque is potentially my favourite building in Istanbul, although I have never, unfortunately, been to the city. Eventually, I shall have to visit the city and view everything -- after that I may have a firm favourite, I don't know. I have a great fondness for the architectural styles of the Near East though (which will not especially be covered in this thread per my present plan).

tortoise said:

Oh, and the mosaic also depicts the emperors Constantine (offering the city of Constantinople on our right) and Justinian (offering Hagia Sophia, on our left).

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Yes! You are indeed correct, I should have made note of that in the post.

tortoise said:

I should share some of my Istanbul pics sometime. It's truly one of the most awe-inspiring cities in the world.

For now, though, I'll just share two:

an interior shot of Hagia Sophia:

and a view of the Blue Mosque, directly across Sultanahmet square (tangential to the thread topic at best, but...) :

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Thank you! Tangential perhaps, but nevertheless, still worth sharing; of course, how could I object?


And on the topic of Byzantine artwork and mosaics in particular, here we have a few from Ravenna, from the Basilica di San Vitale, depicting the Roman Emperor and Empress who built it.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/equinoxe/MosaicofJustinian.jpg
Here we have a Mosaic of Emperor Justinian, the Emperor whose armies under Belisarius reconquered Rome and Italy, taking the Eternal City back from the 'barbarians'. In this mosaic we see the man described by Procopius in his Secret History thusly:
For he was at once villainous and amenable; as people say colloquially, a moron. He was never truthful with anyone, but always guileful in what he said and did, yet easily hoodwinked by any who wanted to deceive him. His nature was an unnatural mixture of folly and wickedness.

Yet, he was praised in life for his conquests and for his reformations of the law code of the Roman (Byzantine) Empire, his revisions of Roman law form the basis upon which Western law today stands.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/equinoxe/MosaicofTheodora.jpg
An in this Mosaic of Empress Theodora we see his wife, a remarkable woman; the daughter of a bear trainer and circus performer, she was an actress and courtesan, until caught the eye of the Emperor -- who changed the laws of the Empire to marry her, a woman of inferior birth. She was a champion of many causes, working for the rights of many of the poor and outcast, helping to advance the rights of women in the Empire, and in the process often providing a resolution and strength for the Emperor in harsh times -- such as the Nika riots.

Each mosaic is made after the ancient fashion so popular in Greece and Rome, an elaborate collection of individually coloured stones, pieces of glass, or shards of pottery forming a beautiful whole.

Some works in miniature and manuscript illumination:

First, we have a piece of Gothic miniature, by a French artist, Jacquemart de Hesdin, titled The Fool:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/equinoxe/TheFool.jpg

Here, we have a bit of manuscript illumination by an Armenian artist, T'oros Roslin, falling within the Byzantine sphere of influence artistically:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/equinoxe/CanonTablesfromtheZeytunGospels.jpg
From the Canon Tables of the Zeyt'un Gospels

Sorry, whenever anyone says gothic I immediately think hot goth chicks.

human_male said:

Sorry, whenever anyone says gothic I immediately think hot goth chicks.

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Well, in this case, "Gothic" tends to be more like this:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/equinoxe/TheVirginoftheAnnunciation.jpg
The Virgin of the Annunciation

This is the work of a Spanish artist, Luis Borrassa, in the Gothic style, of a biblical scene:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/equinoxe/StPeterisWalkingontheWater.jpg
St. Peter is Walking on the Water

And here is an example of Romanesque architecture, but this time from Poland, the Church of St. Andrew in Krakow:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/equinoxe/StAndreasinKrakow.jpg

Equinoxe said:

A few sculptures by an Italian artist of the Gothic period, depictions of the Madonna and Child:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/equinoxe/MadonnaandChild.jpg
Madonna and Child

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/equinoxe/MadonnadelLatte.jpg
Madonna del Latte

As you can see, they have less of the revived Hellenistic focus on realism that so defines the sculpture of the Renaissance, the faces for one are very rounded and the characters are more artificial in style.

Click to expand...

I've been getting into sculptures recently because of the book I'm reading--In The Shadow of Young Girls In Flower by Proust--so I'm enjoying this especially. Give us more, please.

Adrenaline said:

I've been getting into sculptures recently because of the book I'm reading--In The Shadow of Young Girls In Flower by Proust--so I'm enjoying this especially. Give us more, please.

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More sculpture in particular? I'll have to see what I have available (these threads really do require a bit of preparation!)

Here are a few works of another Gothic sculptor, Giovanni Pisano (incidentally, to my knowledge not related to the previously mentioned Nino Pisano).

Firstly, a sculpture of Plato:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/equinoxe/Plato.jpg

And another Madonna and Child (a very popular topic, as you can imagine):
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/equinoxe/GiovanniPisanoMadonnaandChild.jpg

Have you any concept of how much I love you?

A well-known Orthodox Icon, the The Theotokos of Vladimir was given as a gift by the Patriarch of Constantinople to the Grand Prince of Kiev.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/equinoxe/Vladimirskaya.jpg

Another Byzantine-styled Icon, the Madonna of Don:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/equinoxe/MadonnaofDonIcon.jpg

And another Gothic work, a work of sculpture by Evrard d'Orleans:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/equinoxe/TroisProphtesportantdesphylactres.jpg
Trois Prophètes portant des phylactères