Roman Art

2 Pages 466 Words

The Emperor Constantine made Christianity legal when he himself converted. One of the famous stories about Constantine is of his vision from God on the night before the battle of the Milvian Bridge. According to the legend, Constantine saw the symbol of Jesus Christ’s power in the clouds and a message written in Latin, which read “In this sign thou shalt conquer.” Immediately, Constantine ordered artisans to place the sign of Christ on his soldier’s shields. The effect of the legalization on the development of the Early Christian church was considerable. The church was thrilled to have Constantine convert; it was a milestone, the emperor of a nation thousands of years old and deeply rooted in their own beliefs one day legalizing and adopting this new religion. This represented the link between the Early Christian church and the state.
Art of the time was affected too; there was more of a focus on content than representation. The portrait of Constantine, from the Basilica of Constantine, a huge statue thirty feet high is a good example of content over representation. This was becoming more and more the norm. His eyes were gigantic, (abstract like), and looking upward. His nose is oversized and they use linear lines to identify his hair.




Churches started to flourish and Christianity, they were being built in homes. The Basilica of Maxantius was built for Constantine. There was a clear focus at the end of the long axis, toward the alter. The churches were mostly rectangular or “T” shaped. The outside of these buildings were made to look minimalist, a quality attributing the poverty of Christ. The inside of the churches were not decorated for the same reason, but eventually became highly ornamented. The Basilica at Trier was part of Constantine’s palace; the long flat walls on the outside are plain, except for the arches.
Christianity was starting to adopt a classical Roman sense, but the external re...