Byzantine art

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/byzantine-art

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary centers?Constantinople, Ravenna, Thessaloniki, and later spread throughout Eastern Europe
2. What is the time period?Approximately 4th century CE to the mid-15th century CE, with continued influence
3. Why did Byzantine artists use gold leaf?Artists used gold leaf to make their pictures shine like heavenly light. It helped show the divine world to people.
4. How were mosaics made in Byzantine art?Mosaics are made by cutting tiny pieces of glass, stone, and shell called tesserae. These pieces are glued together to create bright, shining pictures.

Byzantine Commonwealth: A term for states culturally influenced by the Byzantine Empire without necessarily being part of it.
Tesserae: Small cubes of colored glass, stone, or other material used in mosaics.
Iconoclasm: A historical period in the Byzantine Empire where the destruction of religious images was practiced.