Saturday, February 23, 2008

Week 8 Blog: Question 4, Early Christian and Byzantine Art

Why did the role of sculpture diminish during the Early Christian period? Why did sculpture become physically smaller?

5 comments:

Shiz - Artist said...

During the Early Christian period, sculpture was no longer looked at as classical ideas of beauty. Since the Christian ideas were not allowed, making the sculptures of worship smaller.
ivory altarpieces, diptychs where made.

KingKennethTheThird said...

It was a period when the Mediterranean world changed dramatically. It saw the triumph of Christianity over Paganism. Those who study the art of Early Christianity/Late Antiquity find it one of the most exciting periods in all history as many of the ideas and institutions important to the Western, Latin, middle ages and the Eastern, Greek, middle ages, were formed in this period.

othispunk said...

sculpture had a diminished role because of the biblical prohibition of graven images

othispunk said...

Instead of life- size statuary, small-scale sculptures were made: portable ivory altarpieces

Rigeaud Elizee said...

It was feared that images and sculpters would lead to idolitry and to prevent that from happening a ban was put on graven images.