Roman and Early Christian Art

The Basilica Ulpia, built by Trajan, was perhaps the most important basilica in Rome. It featured shops and a courthouse and served as a center for justice and commerce. The Basilica Ulpia contained a large central nave with a rounded apse at each end that served as the judge's seat, and at one point likely had a highly decorated interior.  Marble columns created four side aisles (typical of the basilica structure), and there were clerestory windows that let in light and created a sense of importance and respect.

The Church of Santa Sabina, constructed between 422 and 432, is a perfect example of a typical Early Christian basilica. It has a simple brick exterior, contrasted by the elaborate marble interior. The church is lit by clerestory windows which bathe the interior in a heavenly light and evoke feelings of respect and awe. There are 24 columns inside, topped by Corinthian capitals that are spolia from earlier pagan buildings, and they support rounded arches. The nave of the building is flanked by single side aisles created by the columns and ends in a rounded apse. The inside of the church is decorated elaborately and features depictions of Christ as a shepherd, as well as laurel branches that symbolize God as a provider.

Early Christian art and architecture greatly resembled that of the Roman Empire. This is partly due to an ongoing sense of membership to the Roman Empire during this period of time, and the similarities between the Basilica Ulpia and the Church of Santa Sabina are examples of this. Both buildings were places of community gathering; the Basilica Ulpia served as a courthouse, while Santa Sabina provided a large place of worship for the growing Christian community. Both buildings have a similar structure and employ the use of clerestory windows to create an emotional effect with light. Christians modified and adapted the Roman style to fit their needs, and the Basilica Ulpia provided a model for many future churches. Roman art and portraiture was based on an idea of realism (and an oftentimes false sense of individualism), while Early Christian art was dominated by symbolism, for the meaning of the depiction was often more important than the physical appearance itself. Rather than being a mere visual representation of a subject, Christian art served as a way of telling the largely illiterate public about Jesus' life and teachings. Thus, this period of time involved a shift from an emphasis of mankind and human activities to a focus on the divine. This is shown in the architecture as well, for there was an increase in the construction of churches and baptisteries.

Pictures from the Parthenon

Athena Parthenos

Statue of the Athena Parthenos.

Athena was considered to be the founder and protector of Athens; the Parthenon was dedicated to her and served as her temple. The Athena Parthenos statue within the Parthenon is representative of the Greek ideals, and Athena was believed to have helped Athens emerge victorious in the battle with the Persians. She is massive, which shows importance, and she was made of ivory and gold, two extremely expensive materials. The Athena statue is an embodiment of the Athenian achievement: she holds Nike, the goddess of victory, in one hand, and the other hand grasps a shield.

Close-ups of shield.

Western Pediment

Eastern Pediment

The sculpture and relief work of the Parthenon, both representing the triumph of order over chaos, are evidence of the effects of the Persian sack (and subsequent Greek victory) on Greek art. The western pediment depicts the contest between Athena and Poseidon for the control of Athens, and the eastern pediment shows the birth of Athena. The figures of these pediments are classical; they are sculpted in the round and, though the pediments are triangular, the figures look neither awkward nor forced. They all flow together to create one united scene.

Ionic Order

Greek Pottery

This amphora is believed to have been created by the Berlin Painter, who is considered to be one of the most talented vase-painters of his time. He helped develop the Classic style of red-figure pottery, and he likely trained many younger painters as well. This tall vessel was probably used to hold or transport water, food, or wine.

One of the Berlin Painter's signatures was the abandonment of patterns and panels, and the figures on the amphora are in perfect harmony with the curvature of the vessel itself. The figure on the left is a musician playing a kithara, an instrument used for formal performances in festivals and contests that consists of seven strings and a wooden body. He is wearing a long, flowing garment, the lines of which create both tranquility and movement to the rhythm of the imagined music. The strain in his neck and his open mouth show the passion with which the kitharode is singing. The figure on the other side of the vase listens (or judges) the kitharode and extends his arm to the singer. Instead of using patterns and panels with intricate decoration, the Berlin Painter created a simple scene of two figures against a plain black background. Still, he managed to create a sense of emotion and passion with the two figures.

This amphora is an example of red-figure pottery. The red figures on a black background were created by applying a glaze to the negative space around the figures. When the vessel was placed in a kiln, the glazed areas turned black, which created a strong contrast between the foreground and background. This particular amphora stands out because of its striking simplicity compared to the others featured on the Met website.

Group Blog #2

http://prezi.com/a2tcqyl2ptld/egypt-project/

Individual Blog #3

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703384204575509823111367854.html?mod=WSJ_ArtsEnt_LifestyleArtEnt_4

This article discusses an artist named James Magee, who is considered to be the "America's greatest living unknown artist." Magee is extremely eccentric and unconventional: he creates art under several alter egos, including "Annabel Livermore," a painter. Under his real name, he creates pieces of wall art, which are so elaborate and heavy that any buyer would have to build a wall or industrial space to put them on. However, his most impressive and secretive project is The Hill, which has been under construction for more than 30 years and is still unfinished. It is a combination of architecture, sculpture, art and landscape, consisting of four 14-foot-high, flat-roofed buildings sitting atop two stone causeways. All materials are either stone or metal, and each building has fiberglass panels to let in light. The article describes the Hill:

The south, north and east buildings house a variety of sculpted shapes—vertical triptychs, altars, panels—all composed of industrial materials and filled with glass, cloth, metal, something that suggests an animal's flayed body, and various other detritus. The most spectacular installation is the horizontal floor sculpture in the east building. This vast piece is capped by a glass-and-metal cover that took four men 15 minutes to raise via a set of clanking pulleys. It looks like a lunar landscape designed by Corbusier and made of iron and steel objects, broken glass, ball bearings, beads, metal shavings, all arranged into shapes that remind us of things we know (a chair? a body? a road map? a destroyed city?) but have never seen before. It is a map of the imagination.
When the chapel doors are open, you look through them and out to framed desert vistas, the same scenes you can see as an encompassing panorama once you step away from the buildings. The untended cacti, agave, yucca and delicate desert flowers seem as deliberate as anything at Versailles.

I think this is SO COOL. The article's description of The Hill says that "Nondoctrinal religion, a pervading spirituality, defines the place and the experience of being there. Mr. Magee is the creator, the servant, the priest and—for the most part—the congregation." This definitely relates with our class discussion about the Horowitz article and the properties of architecture. From the description, the feelings evoked by the architecture seem to be awe, inspiration, and a sense of being dwarfed by the space (almost like the church that we visited). It really sounds like an amazing experience, and I wish that it was more open to the public.

For more info on The Hill, visit
http://www.mageehill.org/

Individual Blog #3

One of my favorite pieces from class this week is this funerary krater. Its design is typical of the Geometric period, which is characterized by the use of linear motifs such as spirals, diamonds, and cross-hatching.

In its time, this piece would have likely been used as a grave marker, and it was found just outside the Diplyon Gate at the ancient cemetery of Athens. The geometric style is seen all over the krater: in several bands that circle around the top and bottom, and in the background of the scene depicted. This repetition creates a sense of rhythm and unity throughout the piece.

The scene on the krater shows a detailed record of funerary practices of the Greeks, including cremation. On the top register, the body of the deceased is shown about to be cremated. The people around the deceased have their arms raised in a gesture of pain and sorrow. Their forms are extremely geometric-looking: their heads and torsos are triangles, their arms and legs are rectangular. There is no depth in this work; the geometric figures actually emphasize the flatness. The contrast between the crisp black designs and the lighter colored ceramic is also typical of the period, and it really makes the scene stand out. The simple colors also allow such an elaborate design to be easy to look at: it doesn't overwhelm the eye.

Group Blog #1

Having seen the outside of the Downtown Presbyterian Church for years, I never expected the inside to look the way it did! The building blends in well with the others around it, and the location and outer appearance give no hint about the elaborate inside decor. The church isn't extremely large, but inside, it feels massive. The high ceilings and huge windows, large furniture, and tall pillars absolutely dwarf a person inside. This creates a sense of importance and respect. Everyone in my group didn't expect the inside of a church to be so elaborately made to look like ancient Egypt, and we were all in awe of the amazing detail of the walls, stained glass windows, and painted ceiling. It almost felt like a museum, or like we were stepping into a whole other time and place. The sturdy wooden furniture really gives the impression of strength, which is expected in a church, and the dim lighting (although I'm sure it's not always lit like that) added to the feeling of reverence and foreignness while we were there.

The stained glass windows had yellow sand, bright green palm trees, and blue sections representing the Nile River. There were even representations of papyrus plants. The windows are meant to make the viewer feel like he or she is looking out into Ancient Egypt, and to me, they definitely added to the foreign feel of the church.

My absolute favorite part of the church was the trompe l'oeil near the altar. The walls were painted to look as if they were a patio looking out onto a hypostyle hall. The detailing on the columns stayed true to Egyptian style, and the trompe l'oeil was very well done. The rhythm of the repeated columns added to the vast feel of the room.

Overall, I wish I could have explored the church more thoroughly. The back room with a bit of the church's history was very interesting. It's nice to have a little part of Egypt in our city!