The 4 F's

 I was browsing some books about Byzantium prior to ordering recently, and came across this mnemonic which I must have used for an art history exam in some dim and distant past. I did a search of my previous posts and discovered that I haven't written about my mind-boggling visits to two of the exquisite Byzantine churches of Ravenna, Italy and an astoundingly beautiful mausoleum.

 Perhaps I was just discouraged by the failure of my photos and my words to capture the feeling of the awe and wonder - transcendance - created by the shimmering coloured and gold mosaics and exotic decorative architectural elements.

At any rate, as you're curious, the memory trick that captures the key stylistic elements of Byzantine art is 'formal, frontal, floating and flat'. Like this grouping to the left.

One of the things that I find so intriguing is that this mosaic is from the year 547 CE, at least four centuries later than the Hellenistic (c. 1 BC to c.1 C) wonder-work of Laocoon and his Sons. Somehow realistic portrayal of the human body has yielded to the spiritual and new conventions prevail.

photo credit: Wikipedia

I borrowed from Wikipedia;  their photo of the tortured Laocoon grouping is a bit better than the one I captured at the Vatican! I'm tempted to write a slightly whiney story about my deeply unmoving visit to the Vatican Museums. I'll call it Drive-By Shooting.

 

All whinging aside, another reason I may have put off writing this post about Ravenna's churches is the sheer amount of memory I've had to travel back through! This is a long time ago, folks. 

And there is so much to learn, I am realizing that not all Byzantine art is one. Not all Byzantine art is glass mosaic, gold leaf and stylized human forms living by the four F's. Different eras, influences, political realities and religious views produced many different forms of art. Despite the intimidating amount of scholarship I have just amassed,  I am just going to post photos taken in two awe-inspiring churches, and one incomparable mausoleum, in Ravenna, Italy in 2023. The photos haven't faded (remember those faded pink 1970s memories?) although to some extent my memory has. But we'll just begin mining those good websites, right?

To capture more information on the era and its style, I'm collecting some SmartHistory links - A Beginner's Guide , another site on the culture and style and a free ebook (astonishing concept) the SmartHistory Guide to Byzantine Art. It features a chapter on San Vitale. I note at the end of a chapter I'm browsing that there's a link to the video version of the discussion. I dare say there's lots of overlap between these links I'm so delighted to post. 

These photos are from a tour of San Apollinaire Nuovo , built 500 CE by Theodoric, King of the Ostrogoths as his palace chapel. These folk were Germanic Arian Christians who had invaded Italy in the late 400s and made Ravenna their capital.  

Later, Emperor Justinian sent his armies from Constantinople to take back the area from the Goths, and the church was rededicated in 560 CE    as an Orthodox Christian church. At that time, some of the murals were changed to remove references to Arian beliefs.

This short and scholarly Smarthistory video pretty much says everything of importance about the church. 

This  2023 Liturgical Arts Journal article popped up in my search. Sean Tribe does an outstanding job of highlighting each section of the mosaics and explaining who is represented; the photos are wonderfully clear. Some capture the entire length of the nave, taking me back to standing there, mouth agape, eyes skyward, trying to take in the processions of virgins and apostles. 

The shimmer of natural and (then) lamp light on the gold and coloured glass mosaics said what priests couldn't about the celestial domain and the pleasures of paradise. Honestly, my words fail. Do check out some of the sites I mention here - better photography and better words.

After clearing our palates with a guided walk through town (a stop at Dante's tomb in a busy side lane a minor distraction) we  toured the exquisite Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, built 436- 450. She was woman of the imperial family during the last days of Rome, then under seige by the Visigoths led by Alaric. An impressive woman, should you take the time to explore this link to an article in the Jan/Feb 2023 issue of the Smithsonian magazine. I hope the link stays active, it's a fascinating story.

The mausoleum, built of reused light-coloured Roman brick, is cruciform in shape with a central tower holding a dome, and blind arcades decorating the walls.

Our guide explained that the building has settled over the centuries, so it looks shorter than it was in the 5th century.  Hey, we all shrink.

I think it's quite beautiful, in a little green space with those gorgeous umbrella pines creating a pattern of light and shadow across its plain brown walls. Down an little path is the absolutely mind-boggling Basilica of SanVitale.

Once again, we have one of SmartHistory's outstanding videos with Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker, to tell it better than I. (And yes, I am a proud supporter.)

I could not stop taking photos; it's another world inside. What the mind could not take it, the camera captured for later reflection. It was a wonder in a day of wonders in Ravenna.

I have tried to find words to do justice to this visit, and cannot. So in order to get this story posted during my lifetime I once again refer you to the sources I've collected.

The mausoleum is dark and splendid, lit magically via windows glazed with thin sheets of alabaster.

Honestly, how do you follow that? But the piece de resistance of our day in Ravenna was San Vitale (completed 527) an octagonal meld of Roman and Byzantine style with stepped towers, flying buttresses, an octagonal dome and multiple windows. Inside "the largest and best preserved collection of Byzantine mosaics outside of  Istanbul." (Wikipedia)

Once again I'll let the photos, and links to others' words, tell you more.

The floor mosaics were exquisite - could have spent the day looking down, and gone away replete. 

But inevitably your eyes are drawn heavenward. This is a church after all.

The double tiers of columns soar in the light forming ambulatories on two levels (one for the ladies) around the church. The column capitals and the impost blocks they support are unique and beautiful, deeply carved and decorated with imagery, a total departure from the classical columns in the various orders that we expect to see in churches.

And the mosaics, well. Every flat surface - domes, arches, vaults, pendentives, walls - covered with  millions of the most exquisite and exotic sparking glass and gold mosaic tiles forming images of wonderful complexity and beauty and power.

This UNESCO World Heritage church is best known for the Justinian and Theodora panels.

Emperor Justinian made sure he was represesented as a divine ruler, among the clerics - close association between church and state. He's holding a basket containing the bread of the Eucharistic sacrifice. Notice the imperial couple's halos?

And his impressive wife Empress Theodora appears with her attendants holding the chalice for the Eucharist.

This Smarthistory video does a better job of explaining the significance of each bit of mosaic artistry. 

The awe-inspiring terra cotta hollow-tube contruction of the dome is marred by an 18th century remuddle (thanks for the word, Laura.)

Not a big fan of the Baroque at the best of times, I take umbrage at the histrionic distraction from the perfect Byzantine mystery and serenity created by this Baroque hot mess of heavenly glory.

As promised, some other voices and images - I wonder if they, too, struggled to say what these sanctuaries made them feel?

Liturgical Arts Journal including tactful reference to the Baroque frescoes.

Rick Steves video, because he's been everywhere man.

The Byzantium Blogger   yet another book recommendation

Wikipedia has a lot to say.

Final word:  if  you ever get a chance to visit Ravenna, just GO.