Many of the Roman emperors from Justinian onward were
great builders. Byzantine architecture, seen especially in the churches, became
a leading form of art. Its most striking feature is the dome, which replaces
the flat, wooden roof used in the basilican Churches of Italy. The exterior
of a Byzantine church is plain and unimposing, but the interior is adorned on a
magnificent scale. The eyes of the worshiper are dazzled by the walls faced
with marble slabs of variegated colors, by the columns of polished marble,
jasper, and porphyry, and by the brilliant mosaic pictures of gilded glass. The
entire impression is one of richness and splendor. Byzantine artists, though
mediocre painters and sculptors, excelled in all kinds of decorative work. [*]
Their carvings in wood, ivory, and metal, together with their embroideries,
enamels, and miniatures, enjoyed a high reputation throughout medieval Europe.
[* ELLOPOS note:] This view has changed since long ago, and Byzantine artists are considered superb and unique.
INFLUENCE OF BYZANTINE ART
Byzantine art, from the sixth century to the present time,
has exerted a wide influence. Sicily, southern Italy, Rome, Ravenna, and Venice
contain many examples of Byzantine churches. Italian painting in the Middle
Ages seems to have been derived directly from the mosaic pictures of the
artists of Constantinople. Russia received not only its religion but also its
art from Constantinople. The great Russian churches of Moscow and Petrograd
follow Byzantine models. Even the Arabs, in spite of their hostility to
Christianity, borrowed Byzantine artists and profited by their services. The
Mohammedan mosques of Damascus, Cairo, and Cordova, both in methods of
construction and in details of ornamentation, reproduce Byzantine styles.
