Egypt

Great Pyramid had a chamber that normal Pyramid don’t. They all solid.

Egyptian Column: (stone)

*Lotus Column:
Lotus
columns

Capitals

1. Palm Capital 2. Bell Capital 3. Bub Capital

Ancient Greece
Proportion ~ Ratio: relationship between size of different elements
Scale: size of elements in many ways

A. Geography
- South East – Europe
- No river delta, river major, flood area
- Share 1 language
- Mountain in different territory -> Independent city
- Temple separate city, on top hill, highest place, facing the sky
- Entertainment and public work: mountain side
- Urban resident: foothills, plains

B. Architecture
- Base on 2 elements: vertical (columns, walls, partitions), horizontal (floors, ceilings)
- Decorative focus: Front triangular ears on both sides (wings)
- Content based on beliefs and legends of gods and humans
- Observation position: from outside
- 3 typical columns capitals:

C. Interior
- Greek houses usually have 2-3 rooms, built around a square yard, made from stone, wood or clay.
- Large house: 2 floors, kitchen, bathroom, dining room, Andron for Men, Gynaeceum for Women
- Symposium: the event that can join in the Andron
 Stools
 Couches
 Chests
 Small tables
 Chairs
- Elegant Greek interior with marble columns, stucco ceilings, mosaic floors. Depicted in frescoes and marble
paintings.
- 7th BC – 4th BC, 5 main types: stools, benches, mirrors, small tables, small chairs
- Furniture: influenced by Egyptian furniture
- Common features: vertical axis, rectangular shape
ROME
A. THE RISING OF ROME
 Most of Rome art was copied from Greeks.
 The Romans became the heirs of Greek art although they also made important contributions of their own,
especially in the development of architecture.

B. Origins of Rome
 Under rule of Etruscan kings, Rome grew in size and importance
 End of 6th Century, the richest and largest city in Italy
 Roman wanted independence, 509 B.C drove out Etruscan and established republic.

C. Greek Influence
 Much of Roman art was copied from the Greeks.
 From early on, affluent Romans admired all types of Greek art.
 Large amounts of Greek art was brought to Rome, including some Greek artists.
 Romans considered heirs of Greek. art, though they made their own contributions, especially in
architecture.

D. Differences between Greek and Roman Sculpture

Many Roman sculptors came from Greece.
These artists worked in the altered traditional Greek style to fit Roman standards.
Greeks preferred idealistic portraits, where Romans preferred realistic portraits.
Romans wanted realism because most of their portraits were intended for private display.

E. Subject of Mural Paintings

Mural- A large painted directly on the wall
 Paintings of outdoor areas recreated onto the wall as if it, was really there
landscapes- a painting, photograph, or other works of art that shows natural scenery
 Pictures of buildings
 Paintings of people doing actions ~maiden gathering flowers

F. Subjects of Mural Paintings

Many examples of Roman architecture still survive today, unlike their paintings and sculptures.
The Romans designed and built many things to link and glorify their vast empire:
- Roads
- Harbors
- Aqueducts
- Sewer Systems
- Buildings for leisure and business
Romans wanted to become first great builders of the world.

G. Architecture
 Temples
- Were used by Romans to satisfy their own needs and tastes
 Maison Carree: Nimes, France
- Columns do not surround the structure, instead only used for the
Portico: a structure consisting of a roof supported by columns or piers, usually attached to a building as a porch
- Along the sides and back half columns are attached to create a decorative pattern
 1. Design of Temple Complex
 The Temple of Fortuna Primigenia was part of a large complex which had arches, terraces and more.
 Arches were used to span openings, and barrel vaults to roof large spaces.
- Barrel Vault – A series of round arches from front to back that form a tunnel.
 However, because of the ceilings, the walls remained windowless.

*Innovations Architecture

Aqueduct – a system that carried water from mountain streams into the cities by gravitational flow.

-> round arches were used to support the road that make it use less columns than Greek

Greek Rome

2. Design of the Baths

Every large Roman city contained baths.

Each contained similar features, included series of progressively cooler pools of water:

-The Calidarium - First and contained hot water

-The Tepidarium - Second and was a warm bath

- The Frigidarium - Last and had cool water

These different rooms were maintained by slave tended furnaces underneath the building.

*Innovations Architecture

Groin vault – two barrel vaults meet at right angles

Barrel Vault - a series of round arches from front to back that form a tunnel.
THE COLOSSEUM
Large area, Covers 6 acres and forms a complete oval 615 feet by 510 feet.

Over the centuries people carried off large masses of the stone to create new buildings until Pope Benedict
XIV put a stop to it

*Innovation in Material Concrete

The building material that was first used by the Romans and allowed for stability and strength in

large buildings

With the advent of concrete, the Romans had a versatile material that was used in the Temple of

Fortuna Primigenia

Rome was first civilization to use concrete to its best capacity.

Concrete and the arch allowed Romans to build on a much larger scale.
H. Public building and Structure
The Patheon – design as a temple to all the roman gods

Oculus: /latin for “eyes”/ opening in the ceiling of the pantheon

Niches: recessed in the wall

Coffers: Indented panels
Pilanter column: both a load bearing and a parely decorative element in classical

*Innovation in Structure
I. Restored view and plan of a typical Roman house of the Late Republic and early Empire

Fauces: lobby

Atrium: skylight

Impluvium: rainwater collected pool

Cubiculum: bedroom

Ala: connecting space ~ corridor

Tablinum: study or reception room

Triclinum: dinning room

Peristyle: garden

*Statues

Statues in Roman always wear clothes: they believe in real person and power (like shield)

Statues in Greek don’t: believe in the beauty of perfect body (from ratio of body, muscular,…)
EARLY CHRISTIAN & BYZANTINE ART
- Focus on Symbolic Representation

1. Early Christianity

Christianity began in the 1st century AD as a Jewish sect but quickly spread throughout the Greco-Roman
world. Although it was originally persecuted under the Roman empire, it would ultimately become the state
religion.

For 250 years Christians suffered from sporadic persecutions for their refusal to worship the Roman
emperor, considered treasonous and punishable by execution.

Some feel, they needed some place to meet secretly.

a. Catacombs

The catacombs are ancient underground cemeteries, used by the Christian and the Jewish communities,
above all of Rome.

Christians started using these underground burial tunnels to bury their dead and to practice their religion
in secret

Christians did not want to cremate their dead (as done by the Romans) due to their belief in bodily
resurrection

b. Christian Symbolism

Unable to profess their faith openly, the Christians made use of symbols, which they depicted on the walls
of the catacombs and carved them on the marble-slabs which sealed the tombs.

Fresco - A method of painting on plaster. Pigments are applied to thin layers of wet plaster so that they will
be absorbed and the painting becomes part of the wall.

PURPOSE: Early Christian art was created to inspire & teach their faith, Symbolic (religious) content was the
aim rather than depicting beauty. It was a way to disguise the teachings of their faith from the Roman
authorities

FISH: A common symbol was the fish. Sometimes it depicts men who have been caught by Christ and his
apostles.

ANCHOR: A common symbol in the catacombs is a boat anchor. It expresses the firm expectation of eternal
life. The anchor was also used as a disguised cross in a day when the cross itself was seldom used for fear of
persecution.
The Good Shepherd with a lamb or goat around his shoulders represents Christ and the soul which He has
saved. Also a symbol of Christ and his apostles and Christ's compassion.

c. Constantine

In 313 AD, in a dream the night before an important battle, Constantine claimed he had a sign from the God
of the Christians. Constantine won this battle and thereafter, showed his gratitude to the Christian God by
legalizing their religion thus ending the persecution of Christians.

Constantine was the first Roman ruler to become a follower of the Christian religion.

This new freedom of worship helped spread Christianity into many regions of Europe.

d. Early Christian/Byzantine Architecture

Along with the new freedom to practice Christianity came a period of church building due to the demand
for public places for Christian worship.

The old temples of the Roman gods were too small to hold large congregations. Also the Christians did not
want to worship in pagan temples.

The early Christian and Byzantine builders copied the floor plan design of the large Roman assembly hall:
the BASILICA along with many new advancements

BASILICA: An ancient Roman floor plan for a style of large building that-was used as a meeting place and
law court. Consisting of a long nave, apse open floor plan and high ceilings
Most Byzantine architecture was also plain on the exterior. The interiors were richly decorated in mosaics
and frescoes.

Most Famous Byzantine Basilica

- Hagia Sophia -Holy Wisdom" - Phân tích (Byzantine -> Ilamic)
- Constantinople (lstanbul, Turkey)
- Built by the Emperor Justinian (very generous to the church)
- Was once the largest church in the world
- Became a mosque after the fall of Constantinople to the Turkish Muslims (the addition of
minarets attests to this buildings religious change)
Other Byzantine Church Floor Plans

San Vitale (525-547) octagonal central floor plan church built in Ravenna, Italy

Greek Cross Central Plan

Central Plan with a Rotunda

- In order to create a transcendental environment, the dome could not be heavy as seen in typical
vault techniques
- Architects solved this by creating pendentives on top of piers
- This construction allowed for thinner walls housing many windows to light the interior
- It also created the illusion of a lighter weight.
- Light = symbol of divine wisdom
- Pendentive: A concave, triangular piece of masonry which provided the
transition from a square area to the circular base on covering dome.
- Although they appear to be hanging (pendant) from the dome, they in fact support it
2. Byzantine Art

Since the Christian focus was on salvation- for 3 glorious after life, interest in realistically representing
objects disappeared

Byzantine artists and had to follow a strict set of rules about subject matter, content and form.

Very religious - nudes were forbidden and even clothed bodies showed ignorance of anatomy

Mosaics and Fresco paintings

Art became the servant of the church-theologians believed church members would come to appreciate
divine beauty through lavish mosaics and paintings

Symbolic representation became very important

Roman frescos

Compare the way ancient Roman artists depicted the human form with the Byzantine figure stylization.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES?

a. Byzantine Style Features

 Iconic subject mater
 Figures appear flat and fairly abstract
 Little or no shading
 Large, dark eyes stare directly at the viewer
 Oval shaped faces
 Faces appear expressionless and generally not exact portraits
 Religious figures often depicted with halo of light
Mosaic - A picture of design made of tiny pieces of colored stone, glass, or tie adhered to surface. It is
typically decorative work for walls, vaults, ceilings or floors, the pieces are set in plaster or concrete and
usually on a slight angle to reflect the light

 Little suggestion of space as figures only overlap to show depth yet all are the same height
 Clothing: flat & linear (seems to be hung on hangers rather than
covering 3-D bodies)
 Figures have hanging feet that do not appear to touch the ground (tippy-toed)
 Bodies are elongated
 Stiff
 Stylized
Justinian and Attendants (547 A.D) s found in the San Vitale Church in Ravenna, Italy. It includes the
Emperor Justinian with the archbishop, deacons, soldiers and attendants. Those bodies of most
importance overlap those of lesser importance

The figures are stiff and stylized, including: full frontal viewpoints, elongation of the figure, and
stylization of faces with large eyes and almond shape faces, and decorative costumes.

 Strong use of symbolism- bread of Eucharist. Halo to show that Justinian is Gods holy representative
on earth and therefore holy himself.