RELG205

Luminous. This is how Byzantine Art is rendered in our public imagination. From glittering mosaics and soaring spaces to gold-leafed manuscripts and richly patterned vestments, few periods in the history of art conjure notions of opulence as powerfully. But there's much more to the art and architecture of Byzantium, whose influence is felt to this day. Extending over vast territories and three continents at its peak, the Byzantine empire endured for over twelve centuries. This class is an introduction to the rich array of art forms that flourished in Byzantium and theological ideas that animated them, the ways in which Byzantine art and religion disseminated and integrated with local forms and cultures throughout the Mediterranean world and beyond, and the influence of Byzantine art on later art and artists – up to and including our present day. No prerequisites.