Justinian is in a vertical position in the center, in his majestic purple dress, firmly holding the bread bowl of the Eucharist, illuminated by the light of his own haloed silhouette. Without much expression to express, he presents to the former Aryan city, a symbolic representation of the body of Christ. The figures alongside Justinian are modeled with the same likeness, an elongated anatomy that seems to float in the vastness of an eternal space that is not held under the captivity of the lurking present. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay To Justinian's right, his army is permanently affixed to the mosaic, welding state support to the religious practices of the Byzantine Empire and the Church. Nestled directly behind and to the left and right side of the emperor, located in pure white robes, are members of the clergy. One member holds a gospel book bejeweled with royal insignia. Bishop Maximimus holds a jewel-encrusted cross, representing the crucifixion of Christ. The mosaic is carefully crafted with tiny pieces of glass tilted based on the natural light emitted from above. These measurements allowed the reflection of solar rays on the chapel windows and on the mosaic. Across the street, on a panel that mimics Justinian's, is that of his wife, Theodora. Art historians argue that her authority was that of co-ruler, despite her scaly past. Theodora is reborn, again under the salvation of the Divine. Studded with a parade of colorful jewels, centered in its own mosaic which is subject to its enduring depiction of the Eucharistic procession. She solemnly faces the viewer from the south wall of the apse, in the same largely draped stylized lines as that of her husband. Long lost is the glorification of the physical form of man, found so often in early Roman architecture and Greek high relief sculpture. The artfully rendered human physique has fascinated the conscious psyche of humanity for many millennia. The ancient Egyptians anticipated the earlier spectacle in antiquity, with their depictions of pharaohs locked in eternal ruling-class bravado. In the portrait-statue of Menkaure and Khamerernebty, (Gizah, Egypt) a frontal sculpture of wife and husband is set up in a timeless two-dimensional space. Please note: this is just a sample. Get a customized document from our expert writers now. Get a Custom EssayThe bodies of the Greywacke speak to the world in powerful, hardly naturalistic images. Instead of the naturalism we will later see in the Roman contrapposto, the viewer is left with stagnant, rigid captures of a time forever gone. This attention to the tradition of double-dimensional creations continues with the rise of the Greek Empire in the thriving seat of Athens. Although the idea of subject movement begins to emerge in numerous high relief sculptures before Late Antique Rome and the Byzantine fortress succession, one can see from the viewer's subjective inclination that the impression of space as one to one ingeniously remains the same.
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