Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How did mosaics transform the interior walls of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
mosaic
Mosaic floor fragment from a synagogue or church, cut stone with mortar from Israel, late 5th–6th century ce; in the Jewish Museum, New York City.
At the church of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, mosaics fundamentally transformed the interior walls by shifting away from the use of inserted, framed panels toward a continuous decorative "skin" that covers the entire wall surface.1
This transformation involved several key changes:
- Integration with Architecture: The mosaics were designed to match the scale of the building's architectural components. The figures grew in size and effectively replaced the function of pilasters in articulating the room.1
- Wall Space Optimization: To provide more room for these expansive pictorial programs, the number and size of the windows were reduced.1
- Aesthetic Shift: The interior is dominated by a gold background, accented by the use of silver—a novelty in Italian mosaics of that period. While earlier 5th-century works often utilized a painterly, illusionistic style, the mosaics at Sant’Apollinare Nuovo feature more static figures with less depth, emphasizing a monumental integration of art and architecture.1