Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

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Are we good? I think we're good.  Okay well ladies and gents welcome to the first and final episode of procrastination podcasts where you will listen to me spill the tea about a topic that I've always wanted to talk about: which is about art, not just any art: Byzantine Icons

If I had to boil down the purpose of art into one single idea, I would say that art is the need of the individual to express themselves through physical means. My science teacher used to tell me that a picture is worth a thousand words, and you know what, you can talk about so many different facets of a piece of art such as the historical context, to the paint used, and extending to the ethnic significance of the culture at the time. The central idea that is being looked at art in this podcast relative to the ancient world is looking about how art had a lasting effect on the Byzantine empire. As you are listening to this podcast, I ask you to be keeping in mind the thesis to ponder and develop your own questions and thoughts relative to this topic, “Why were icons such a significant part of the Byzantine empire in the 7th century?”

It wasn’t till the growth of Christianity in the eastern wing in the Roman empire did the existence of icons grow. Constantine’s rule shifted the cultural focus from western Rome to eastern Rome. And this shift gave the Byzantine culture the attention, money, and political resources to grow as a civilization, which obviously packaged the growth and development of their art. Events such as the legalization of Christianity by the Edict of Milan and the baptism of Constantine helped solidify the presence of Christianity to build a platform for the further existence of icons.

schub22