Vis 121 - Lecture notes PDF

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Vatican 16th century Chapel occupied by single altar Object that is at the feet of altar is the fragments of a broken marble statue of a pagan divinity Different tradition of church building- western christian, eastern greek byzyntine, later medieval tradition romanesque gothic Great church of holy wisdom ,hagia sophia in the city of constantinople, capital of greek speakin gbyzytine empire. Very prominent central motif of dome as architectural form and symbolic image of the heaven god resides. Forms the capstone to te experience of the churc on the interior an is extremely dramatic inits form. This is a great achievemtn of early byznatine archicture which leads to tradition of dome churhces. Based upon achievment of romans in their role as engineers and architecture innivators. Chirsitna archietecture fundamentally indebted... Pantheon. Dedicated to the pagan group of divinities. Cathedral of reims. Statues represent narative subejcts from the early narrative of christs’ life. The achievment of this particular example in the liberation of the sculpture form its architectural setting. The way in which is was embedded in architecture. Church becomes part of chirstian imaginary. Becomes a symbolic ofrm both in the form of basilica and dome byzantine church.narrative that lines the walls of balsica provide holy text that drive home the message that the church as an instituon is the repository of god’s word. The two of the are equal. Form of visualization of the instiution of its purpose. True for the apse of the church. Mosaic from the 6th century in revenna northern italy dedicated to saint apollonary who is represented in this image with his standing there in the iddle of the lower zone with his arms stretched outwards. This iamge is an interesting comboniation of levels of thinking that move from the natursl owrl to the symbolidc world. Saint is standing underneath a cross surrounded by a circular frame set against a stary sky wihy portrait of christ in the center. The saint is making a gesture outwawrds. Hes analgizing himself, creating with his body the form of the cross. He is surrounded by a landscapre populated by other creatures- sheep. The sheep is a very evocative symbol for chirtsians befcuse it was a victim of sacrafice. There are six sheep on one side and six on the other. They ar emeant to represent the apostles. There are three sheep looking up at the cors.s all of this is a symbolic representation of the narrative of the transfiguration of christ whihc is a story about how he takes 3 of hhis apostles up to a mountain tabor and shows themthat he is infact a divinity by appearingin a radiance. Basicially we are not looking at this scene as a one to one explanation of the sorry from the gospels by transformed into a symbolic lanh=guage whihc indicartes that this is not actually happenin above thesaint but it represtns what th saint is thinking about at this time. He is paying attention to the significance of the story of the gospels. This ia a layer of complxity to narative that is indicaitve of medieval chrisitins dedication inn explaining religious theolgoy, the natur eof god and his relationshi pof humanity adnviewers. It as an image of the contents of his mind. The physical and mental portrait of the saint

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Relationship between christ adn christian narrative, this desire to take the story and bring it inside an dpart of your spiritual and pschological constituion culminates in the late middle ages in the actualy bodily transofrmation like st. francis. That his bod yreceives the wounds that are inflcited upon francis as a way of comprehending what went oon. The notion of experience is at the heart of these christian recreations by artists to grab this connection between the world adn the world above.

Transformation in text ○ Book form (codex)---> prime motivator of change= christianity ○ Today= digital revolution. PDF Icon ○ Christian icon= moving from ○ one realm from another. Empowered images. Power of linkage between ourselves and the person represented ○ Today= moving between content online Dismember saints’ bodies ○ Distributed in form of relics because they are capable of transmitting some type of power to the world ○ People wanted to come into contact with them through physical proximity ○ Developed idea that a relic was capable of transmitting it’s holy power to an object such as a clock that touched it. Clock would then become a holy relic First christian emperor constantine ○ Died 337 AD ○ Responsible for adopting religion ○ Changed capital of empire eastward from Rome to Constantinople (istanbul) ○ Constantine finds the city of Constantinople in 324 on preexisting town called byzantium (?), so we call the christian roman empire Byzantine empire ○ Lasts entirety of empire until 1453 when it’s conquered by turks and renamed istanbul ○ Why did Constantine have to recognize christianity as a religion? ■ In earlier times, christians in roman empire were persecuted and martyred ■ The religion itself was persecuted by roman government because one of the duties of the roman citizen was to consider the emperor a god and worship the emperor as a god and christians could not do this. Therefore they were considered as treason ■ Constantine lifts this conflict by recognizing christianity as a legit institution in the roman empire Display in front of church. Early 12th century in france. Image of prophet Jeremiah who is a writer of the new testament. Book in form of scroll. His body is distorted by the narrowness of the space. Prime example of classical civilization. Image of human form with natural proportions.

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Juxtaposition with roman statue by Polykleitos. He defines classical as a standard. Hallmark of his style was naturalism. He attempts to capture that in sculpted image. He also takes the various parts of the body and submits them in an abstract way derived from the relationship of the length of the bones of the body and how he thinks they should be, mathematically based. Gives the figure more than a natural form, but an idealization as well. ○ Persistence of classical antiquity ○ Classical= greek and roman style. Intensive naturalism with abstract nature derived from a theory of proportion ○ Classical revival Roman empire linguistic division ○ Western= (italy to the west)= Latin ○ Eastern= greek ○ Constantine transitions to predominantly greek speaking Byzantine emerges from barbaric invasions ○ Disrupts boundaries of empires and fragments into various states ○ Goths, Franks- tribes that come in and establish themselves in territory ■ Franks occupied France ○ Empire in 3rd-5th century begins to break apart ○ Western empire disappears ○ Eastern roman empire survives- byzantine (egypt, turkey, syria, greece, balkans) Charles the great- Charlemagne around the year 800 crowns himself emperor of the franks and established a second empire in the territory of france. Establishes western roman empire with the support of the head of the Roman church. The pope designates charlemagne as emperor and makes him the equivalent of the successors of constantine. And with this, a new political configuration is established which mirrors the eastern/western divide previously mentions. We now have a latin empire that lasts from 800 to the 20th century. Eventually becomes 2 western empires- Austro-Hungarian and German empire. Disappears after WW1. New state in west as competitor with eastern/byzantine empire. 3 moments of church architecture that defines framework of medieval culture ○ Basilica- the first architectural form that christians developed for themselves for their rituals when they become a public religion w the acceptance of constantine in the early 4th century. Constantine responsible for designing and building the first christian churches which served as a foundation for the christian tradition. St. Peters church significant. Leaders became designated as Bishops. Bishops= the head official of a christian community largely within the context of a city. Every major city has a bishop. Church organizes itself around his office. First bishop of Rome- first leader of roman congregation- was peter who became directly from a congregation of christ. Martyred in Rome in 1st century AD in the vatican and his tomb is in the church that is built in his honor- St. Peters. Peter is considered the first pope. Before the christian religion was allowed to practice publically, they met in private houses/assembly halls throughout the 1st-3rd century.

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Michelangelo and Bernini and begin to build these great assemble halls and chooses the form of basilica. First built was st. Peters. ■ Basilica main purpose for mass ■ Constantine took pre existing roman format- longitudinal hall- and gave it christian functionality ■ Old st. peters has a simpler form, a longitudinal hall with rows of columns that move from one short side to another. nave and aisles ■ Altar- a table serves as the main focal element of the longitudinal space. All the walls are straight and rectangular apse- curved wall standing behind the altar. ■ Constantine builds this church for 2 purposes ● christian mass- the reenactment of the last supper where jesus consecrated bread and wine which he blessed and said this is my body, this is my blood. Christians perform this ritual as an imitation of this event. They used to do it in private houses but constantine built these assembly halls ● Transepte creates an environment around altar of space so ppl can collect here as well so they don’t have to stay at nave and aisles. Serves the second purpose- to commemorate the memory of peter. The altar marks the spot where constantine believed peter’s tomb was located. So the altar is linked to the tomb as a symbol of the presence of the body of the saint. Altar marks christ through mass and of peter who is located there. They created passageway to tomb of peter and look at it ■ Ulpia ■ Basilica is architectural formula that constantine applies the christians. First identity of christian church. ■ Connotation of the presence of an individual that you would want to encounter in this space. Esp presence of Christ. Christ is made material in the celebration in mass- bread and wine and images ■ The earliest christian decorations was in the apse of the church over the altar. 6th century, showing christ in glory and gold robes hovering over pathway of clouds. ● Drawn from the image of the secular first roman emperor Augustus. Mimics his pose. ■ Basilica stresses the physical presence of the ruler or saint Byzantium domed hall Gothic architecture

Relief icon- not simply a flat painting, but a sculpted surface- pushing the figure outwards from behind, bending the surface of the metal (gold). Material world occupies an

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ambiguous place in christianity. Sometimes it’s praised but other times it’s denigrated. Constant tug of war between the appreciation for the material and the denigration. Classical tradition- spear bearer 5th century BC vs 12 century AD prophet Jeremiah. Prophets are a group of writers and thinkers in jewish tradition whose writing has been incorporated into the old testament because of their visionary attitude that they spoke in symbolic terms about what was going to happen to the world. They provide an unusually rich resource for christians bc a lot of their words christians use to interpret it to serve as a foundation for the appearance of christ on earth. Proof texts of the inevitability of christ on earth and the fulfillment of the religious tradition of christian gods. Jeremiah is embedded into the right side of a column of the entrance of a christian church. He’s locked into place in pillar that supports the upper structure of the church which in a sense is what the prophets do. The old prophet’s scripture supports the truth of the new. In the oman statue by Polykleitos, he’s not embedded in anything, he’s freely motivated to move around the world as we are. Metaphor for the autonomy of the individual 3 moments of church architecture that defines framework of medieval culture. ○ Constantine- 4th century hallmark of tradition is the Basilica- a rectangular box with the interior divided into aisles and naves by rows of columns so that you’re compelled to move through it from the entrance to the apse which marks the place of the altar where the rituals of the church take place. One of the places where the roman emperor would use this type of architecture to make appearances to his court. This is a specific architectural type was not religious in the roman empire but conveyed specific meaning of meeting. Pagans in ancient athens used pantheon. The columns are on the outside. Building contains small central room which would have only been open to the priests and special visitors bc it contained images of gods. As opposed to the basilica, the building that pagans built function more on the outside for visitors to visit altars. They wouldn’t enter it. The basilica’s function was interior. The reverse of the religious buildings pagans would use. This is the type that Constantine chooses in his buildings in Rome and it becomes one of the templates for christian architecture from this point forward. Architectural metaphor- About your encounter with the material god. God as material form- bread and wine at altar as well as image of god placed in apse. Image beckoning you as the emperor would. Altar in the case of St. Peters serves a second purpose- tomb of st. peter. Eurcarest. Old and new testaments on the walls of the church. Tradition for this goes back to roman antiquity. Romans were very fond of creating public monuments so that they could be displayed in the center of the city of rome for everyone to see the great deeds of romans, i.e. Column of Trajan: decorated with sculptors in spiral band that go from bottom to top telling the stories of the emperors victories over the barbarian tribe the Dacians. ROoted in latin culture. Lecture hall ○ Byzantium early 6th century under emperor Justinian- creation of early byzantine culture under justinian from 527-565. When justinian was in office he had a lot of north africa and it was pretty big. Greek speaking. Greek christianity comes to call itself the right way or Orthodox. Greek christian tradition= orthodox. Very

philosophical in their understanding of religion. Constantinople becomes most important city in the mediterranean. Justinian is given the opportunity to build a new church in the city of constantinople. This church as opposed to st. peters still stands today and survived turkish conquest. Hagia Sophia. Hagia= holy or saint. Sophia= wisdom. The church is not dedicated to a saint or a martyr or christ, but to an abstract concept of wisdom. Built in the 4th century as a basilica dedicated to holy wisdom. Under justinian there was a riot and burnt town the church. Justinian came back to power even more forcefully and rebuilt this church as the most important church in constantinople. Rebuilt on a magnificent scale. One of the reasons that it survived is because its architecture was so stunning, the turks did not have the heart to tear it down. So they converted it into a mosque by adding the 4 minarets. Throughout the modern period it functioned as a muslim place of worship and then deconsecrated in the 20th century as a museum. The dome is incredible feature of building. It serves as a capstone for the whole experience of the architecture. Included multiple apses so the whole thing has a billowing quality on the inside. Dome is supported by 4 pillars in corners of church. Anchored in the geometry of the dome but it is very complicated because of the elaboration of walls. Gives it a very dynamic quality on the inside. You really have to move around the church instead of moving from one place to another that the basilica suggest. The use of windows and light creates an illuminessence zone at the base of the dome making it appear to hover. All of this created an experience that is not focused on a single point of reference but a constantly changing circularity as the sun in the sky changed. What was the point of this architecture? Not about encountering. Idea that the architectural forms are symbolic. THe dome is an image of the heavens. The overarcing place where god resigns and stands above the world. Pavement of st sophia survived as well. Sections of marble that contained striations of gray and white that created a sense of the wavy surface that you were walking on- walking on water like how jesus walked on water in the gospels. Peter doubted it and he started to fall in the water and christ saved him. Immediately the byzantines understood this to be the ocean and the pillars the earth. Relied upon form like the great dome to convey the significance of the heavens. In the apse of the church there are 3 windows that suggest the trinity. THe architecture became representational not through figures but in its abstractness. This is a diagram of the totality of it all from the heavens to the earth ocean cosmos. Basilica is place of encounter while this is a cosmological diagram governed by god above by which you insert yourself. Eventually put images to make it clear what these things stood for. Architectural type that becomes the standard in byzantine tradition from the 6th century onwards. Dophnine in athens. Put image on god in dome. Becomes standard. Dome serves as residence for picture of god at the very apex. Highest thing overlooking everything that surrounds him including the congregation below. He looks judgmental. Eyes looking to the side, he's a severe judge but it also

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merciful and overlooks. He’s eternal and exists outside of time. Church moves downwards and outwards in figures of narrative to include us. Cosmos ○ End of the middle ages, in the middle of the 12th century Catherdral of Chart in Paris. Gothic architecture. This is a reformulation of the basilica form. Leader of a monastery an abbot called Suger. He thought it was a representation of God’s representation in heaven and material light spurred the mind and the spirit to think about and connect with the divine light that was god above. Transcendance Takes basilica and infuses it with light with stained class. Suger wrote a book explaining what he was doing. Founded in honor of Denis. This monastery was directly connected with the french king. It became one of the churches where many of the kings were buried- political significance. This is a reason why Suger’s innovations were momentous because they were located at the conjunction of religion and politics. He invented gothic architecture. Longitudinal hall like the basilica. Transformed it. Figured out a way through the judicious use of arches to raise a stone roof over the stone wall of the church so that the interior has a more unified look. Rising and developing nature of building and contemplate magnificent ceilings/vaults. Engineering revolution. Most pressing problem was heaviness of ceiling made out of stone- make it narrower, make walls really thick and solid so that they can carry the weight of the ceilings. But then they developed a new solution which was to create a buttressing system on the outside of the church- elements placed at a right angle at the church building to constitute to the support that are taking the weight of the ceiling down to the ground. Put the on outside so they could open up the walls of the church and make them really thin and add windows to emphasize the symbolism of light. He wrote a book explaining why light was so important. Based his stuff on a commentator called Denis (Dionysus) in the early christian period. The text talks about the relationship between the material and the spiritual world. Argued that material plays a critical role in leading us to contemplate and understand god. He thought this was St. Denis but it wasn’t. Plato thinks about the world in terms of the relationship between material and immaterial forms. He influenced other thinkers- Neoplatonic. Flying buttresses placed on inside of church. 100 yrs after su...