Ancient Portraiture

Early Christian and Byzantine portraiture represent both a continuation and a break from the past. Portraiture is a form of art that has gone on for a very, very long time, and is obviously subject to change. With each generation or civilization the way they paint changes, but in some times there are similar characteristics. In ancient Egypt, people painted funeral portraits, or Fayum portraits, and put it on a mummy's face as a death mask. Just as styles of art change, they can be influenced by other factors. For example, these Fayum portraits were made in Egypt, but were influenced by Rome. They were mostly created during the time that Rome occupied Egypt. There was a certain area in Egypt that produced more Fayum portraits than other, and that is because this area was highly populated with Greeks. Though these portraits are obviously Egyptian with some Egyptian characteristics, one can tell that they are greatly influenced by the close by Romans and Greeks. Many things can have an influence on art; including time, other people, or environmental changes. In this case, Early Christian and Byzantine portraiture does represent both past and present styles; just as any other civilization's paintings will continue to reflect some of their ancient styles of art.

Sources:

"The Mysterious Fayum Portraits." Hellenica, Information about Greece and Cyprus, Michael Lahanas. Web. 12 Mar. 2010. http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Arts/Fajum.htm>.

"Fayum Mummy Portraits." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 12 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fayum_mummy_portraits>.

Photographs from:

Photograph. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Meister_von_San_Vitale_in_Ravenna_003.jpg>.