Page 41 - Uros Todorovic Byzantine Painting Contemporary Eyes

Chapter I
ing, function as significant stations within the composition. Even the faces of angels in the upper section of the composition communicate a personal relationship with the dra- ma at hand. Thus, if we focus exclusively on the flow of the lines and the expression of the faces within this composition, we see that the touching heads, of Christ and Virgin, emit their intimate sense of drama through the linear connection of Christ’s left arm and the contour of St John’s back.
This distinctly narrative function of the main contours, as well as the iconic frontali- ty, can be observed in the same theme rendered by El Greco – shown in image 22. In the same work we also observe that the Virgin’s left hand, which holds Christ’s body, and Christ’s left hand, which is held in reverence by Mary Magdalene, are inter-crossing in the same way as in the scene of Lamentation at Nerezi. Just like at Nerezi, in El Greco’s work Christ’s body is rendered almost as if it is envisaged within a theatrical stage – strictly in relation to the observer. It is important to note that this particular criterion of the structure of the composition has its oldest roots in Egyptian relief and painting.
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Although, in 1204, the Byzantine Empire was effectively defeated, a number of Greek states had formed on the outskirts of the Latin occupied territories.16 These, still Greek controlled regions, such as the state of Nicaea,17 the town of Arte of the Epirus Despotate, the city of Mistra of the Morea Despotate, and the city of Trebizond in its own region, attracted the artists who fled from the occupied Constantinople. The migration of artists was also directed to the neighbouring Serbia and Bulgaria, as well as to South Italy. Thus, with Constantinople being no longer the centre of artistic activity, the high level of skill which was achieved during the previous centuries in the capital of the Byzantine world was gradually passed on to the wider Balkans – and this has undoubtedly influenced the development of distinct trends and schools in the subsequent centuries.18
The persistence of linearity is one of the main characteristics of the 13th century Byz- antine painting in the Balkans. As it can be seen in image 23, the painter of the Crucifix- ion at Studenica in Serbia displays a very soft approach to form, propagating therein a delicate blend of classical stature and the subtle humanistic expressiveness of the faces.
16 The fall of Constantinople into the hands of the Crusaders (1204) had subsequently caused a curiously positive effect in the field of visual art. This was particularly the case with Byzantine panel icons, of which throughout the Lat- in rule (1204–1261) a number of significant examples has been produced.
17 Also spelled: Nicea.
18 For example, the Morava school of Serbian painting (14th and 15th century) was greatly influenced by the Byzan- tine painting of the preceding centuries.
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