LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Byzantine Art: East Romans
built 627 days ago
The still formative stage of Byzantine art in the age of Justinian is reflected in the variety of mosaic styles. They range from the austere grandeur of the Transfiguration of Christ (c. 540) in the apse of the monastery church of Saint Catherine at Mount Sinai to the mid-6th-century processions of the martyrs in Sant’ Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy, which recall the endless rhythmic sequences of marching figures in the art of the ancient Near East.
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The illumination of manuscripts was another major genre of Byzantine art. The most commonly illustrated texts were religious, both scripture itself (particularly the Psalms) and devotional or theological texts (such as the Ladder of Divine Ascent of John Climacus or the homilies of Gregory of Nazianzus). Secular texts were ... illuminated: important examples include the Alexander Romance and the history of John Skylitzes.
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By studying the spiritual intensity of Byzantine art, one may be able to regain once more the awe of mystery of life and nature that surrounds humanity even in an overwhelming technological and material world of today. The fundamental questions of truth and meaning remain in spite of the great scientific and technological strides of history. Byzantine art and theology still present today within the Eastern Orthodox Church provides a model of synthesis of spiritual and visual realities... adding to the repertoire of the power of images to inspire and educate.
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The Byzantine painting above shows Christ's descent into limbo, which was the primary image for the Easter festival in the medieval Greek Orthodox Church. Christ takes Adam by the wrist and pulls him out of the tomb toward the kingdom of heaven. Abel, Eve, John the Baptist, King Solomon, and King David ... wait to be saved. The two kings are dressed in the jeweled crowns and embroidered cloaks of Byzantine emperors.
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