Byzantine Art

Mostly religious in function, but preserving the classicism of Greco-Roman art, Byzantine buildings and art objects communicate the purity and certainties of the public face of early Christian art. Focusing on the art of Constantinople between 330 and 1453, this book probes the underlying motives and attitudes of the society which produced such rich and delicate art forms. It examines the stages this art went through as the city progressed from being the Christian center of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its crisis during attack from the new religion of Islam, to its revived medieval splendor and then, after the Latin capture of 1204 and the Byzantine reoccupation after 1261, to its arrival at a period of cultural reconciliation with East and West.

The coverage of this book focuses on the art of Constantinople from 330 to 1453 and the stages this went through in reaction to historical circumstances as the city progressed from the Christian centre of the Eastern Roman Empire, to the crisis of attack from the new religion of Islam, to revived medieval splendour and then, after the Latin capture of 1204 and the reoccupation by Byzantine after 1261, to a period of cultural reconciliation with east and west. The book shows how changes in society led to changes in art by focusing on particular cases and objects.

Robin Cormack is Professor in the History of Art in the University of London, and Deputy Director of the Courtauld Institute of Art. Previous books are Writing in Gold and Painting the Soul (Runciman Award 1998). He was Royal Academy consultant for the exhibitions from 'Byzantium to El Greco' and the 'Art of Holy Russia'. He lives in Cambridge.

The coverage of this book focuses on the art of Constantinople from 330 to 1453 and the stages this went through in reaction to historical circumstances as the city progressed from the Christian centre of the Eastern Roman Empire, to the crisis of attack from the new religion of Islam, to revived medieval splendour and then, after the Latin capture of 1204 and the reoccupation by Byzantine after 1261, to a period of cultural reconciliation with east and west. The book shows how changes in society led to changes in art by focusing on particular cases and objects.