[Byzantine] influence might be traced along very many lines, but possibly it was the most striking in the various fields of art.

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3 years ago

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[Byzantine] influence might be traced along very many lines, but possibly it was the most striking in the various fields of art.

. . . [I]n architecture and painting the debt to Byzantium is enormous. Justinian was a great builder and his chief work was [Hagia] Sophia, "the fairest church in all the world," to quote a western medieval writer. . . . [Others say] it is "the most perfect and beautiful church ever yet erected by any Christian people." It served as a model for many medieval churches in Italy and southern France, and its influence can be traced to-day in almost every Christian country. Equally marked is the importance of Byzantine painting. In the first half of the last century a painter's hand-book, which dates from the eleventh century or earlier, was discovered in a Byzantine monastery. It contained practical rules for the artists and designs for representations of Biblical and sacred scenes.
What does this passage say about Byzantine architecture and art?
Byzantine works have influenced art and architecture throughout history.
Byzantine architecture was influential, but Byzantine art was less important.
Justinian had little interest in the art and focused his resources elsewhere.
Byzantine architecture had little influence on later medieval churches.

History