The Human Model in the Byzantine Art

In art, the essential way of expressing human expressions is the representation of the human body.For the Byzantine art, the defining note is the abstract note, often using more symbolic approaches.Byzantine art has created the image of the spiritualized man by reinterpreting the anatomical elements.Composed of two essential elements, spirit and matter, the body is called to serve the spirit, destined for incorruptibility, immortality and transfiguration.As a temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6: 19), the body considered sinful is entirely covered with ample clothing, a plastic way for Byzantine painters to convey the message only through the means of faces and gestures.