![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/studentlife\/files\/2012\/04\/Sophia.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n– \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Hagia Sophia – Chirst Mosaic \u00a0ca. 1260s (The most famous mosaic)<\/p>\n
– \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Hagia Sophia – Repentant Emperor late 9th<\/sup> century (My favorite mosaic!)<\/p>\n Ivory of Empress Ariadne ca. 5th<\/sup> century<\/p>\n San Vitale Mosaics, Ravenna \u2013 mid 6th<\/sup> century<\/p>\n Icon of Christ ca. 6th<\/sup> century (The oldest surviving icon of its kind)<\/p>\n David Plates ca. 630<\/p>\n Paris Psalter 10th<\/sup> century<\/p>\n (Please note that this list is only a glimpse into Byzantine art, and heavily skewed towards my personal favorites. I also don\u2019t own any of these images)<\/p>\n If the above works did not speak for themselves and you are still wondering how I became interested in Byzantine art, I can elaborate. The Paris Psalter was my gateway into Byzantine art. I won\u2019t go into excruciating specifics, but I was fascinated by its evidence of a seemingly random, hundred-year revival of classicism in Byzantine art. Dubbed the \u201cMacedonian Renaissance\u201d by a twentieth century scholar, the period witnessed a revived popularity of classical themes and motifs in Byzantine art and literature.<\/p>\n When I applied for a summer research grant to study the manuscript I was mostly interested in the relationship between its classical and Old Testament themes. Over the course of the summer, I came to see the manuscript as a sort of jumping off point for what has become a broader art historical interest of mine: problematization of the \u201crenaissance\u201d and classicism. I became fascinated by the Paris Psalter and its status as an object of the so-called \u201cMacedonian Renaissance.\u201d The Macedonian Renaissance is interesting because it represents a short and isolated period in which classicism briefly regained and then lost popularity. Unlike the Italian Renaissance, classicism did not triumphantly squash out earlier \u201cmedieval\u201d representational styles. What makes this interesting to a scholar of art history is that it can be used to call question to the privilege that is given to the reappearance of classicism and periods of \u201crenaissance\u201d throughout art. During the tenth century, the reappearance of Greco-Roman themes and motifs was not a manifestation of classical humanism\u2019s triumph over the \u201cdark ages.\u201d Instead, it was arguably a momentary popularization of themes that were only popular with a small cultural elite.<\/p>\n If all of that was confusing, don\u2019t worry \u2013 I am still trying to figure it all out for myself! I do hope that what you did get out of this was an introduction to all things Byzantium and a measure of understanding as to why I love Byzantine art so much.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When I tell people that I study Byzantine art they are usually kind of confused. It is understandable. Before I took a class on Byzantine art in the fall of my junior year I only had a very vague idea … Continue reading <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n