Byzantine Art

Byzantine art was influenced by the Roman empire and Greek culture. Ranging from sculpture to writing to architecture and back, Byzantine art builds it's status from mainly religion and royalty.
Many believe their architecture to be outstanding, mostly Christian churches such as the Hagia Sophia and Sant' Apollinare. All these churches look quite plan on the outside, with simply to complex domes, pendetives, and other geometric shapes. A dome is a circular base that usually sat upon a square, while a pendentive is a second, larger dome, with curved triangles connected to form rings and arches. Another church, by the name of San Vitale, followed the pattern of simplicity with the exterior, yet the blueprints would show different than the "normal" lay out. Instead of the circular shape, it has two concentric octagons, yet while this seems complex, the inner churches were much more of an awe-inspiring view.

Believing that the inside was more vital, for that was there praying, mass, and other Christian assemblies, the interior of the churches were highly decorative to show honor, praise, and faith. Many mosaics were used to polishes the walls of the church. A mosaic is a picture design made of tiny pieces (called tesserae) of colored stone, glass, paper, or pleasant material adhered to a surface. All of these art forms, whether mosaic, painting, or any other medium, portrayed the Christian beliefs, icons, or stories of the faiths past. Some mosaics would show rulers making offerings to Jesus, others told of tales that created such beliefs. The one below is called John II Comnenus, and his wife, Irene, with Madonna and child. This is in the Hagia Sophia.
Another featured form of art was stained glass to shine magnificently vivid colors through windows from the light of God. I enjoy stained glass the most, for you may view it differently at different times with various amounts of light each time. Although it may be the same pattern, picture, it may change viewing, more than you would imagine. At church I stare at the stained glass each mass, thinking differently toward one window at 7am mass than 10 pm mass. It just shows how many variables there truly are in art. This picture to the right portrays Christ going through the last supper, offering his body and blood for the world's salvation.