Early Christian Art
Hidden Arts
Early Christian art ranged from 100-500 AD. At this time Christians were being persecuted for not worshipping the gods and goddesses including the emporer. During the Renaissance, artists had much more freedom of expression, Christian artists had to hide what they were wanting to express. These artists had to basically use symbols in their art, only those who were familiar with the gospel would know what the pictures truly meant. The majority of the art made in this period exists in catacombs, any other art that was made was lost.
In some pieces, the artists blurred the line between Christ and the Roman god Apollo. An example of this is Christ as the Sun. It shows Christ in a way that non-Christians would see Apollo. Pieces like this are similar those made during the Renaissance because there is more to them than meets the eye, there are always numerous meanings to paintings made during the Renaissance era. In Early Christian era, before Emperor Constantine put an end to persecution, the artists had to hide what they believed and expressed behind what was acceptable in their society.
Toleration of Christianity
In 313 AD, the Roman Emperor Constantine declared toleration of all religions. Now, Chrisitans could express themselves more freely and did not have to hide themselves. Emperor Constantine wanted numerous churches built, the style that was chosen was modeled after the basilica. A basilica is a long rectangular hall that, in Rome, was typically used as a public gathering place. There can be no better set up for a church meant for large gatherings of worship.
These are a few examples of the basilicas that were made throughout this period. On the left, St. Peter's Basilica, in it's finished state. On the right, is the Basilica of Santi Quattro. The artists who constructed these buildings focused greatly on detail and the beauty of the interior.
What's the Difference?
The main difference between Early Christian art and Renaissance art is the depiction of people, in Early Christian, they don't seem to put as much detail into making the people look more realistic, and in Renaissance art, there is a lot of work put into the details of people's faces. The artists of the Early Christian period were more focused on simply portraying their religious beliefs, not so much on the beauty of their paintings. On the left is a sample of Early Christian art, on the right is a sample of Renaissance art.
