WALL-PAINTINGS OF THE LATE 9th-10th CENTURY IN MACEDONIA: PROBLEMS OF STYLISTIC DEVELOPMENT AND DATING

The article surveys the surviving 9th-10th century monumental painting in Macedonia. Basing on previous research, the author makes an attempt to specify the dating of some ensembles, to compare them to other coeval works of art and to single out some major tendencies in the stylistic developments in the region. The starting point is provided by the three ensembles in and around Thessaloniki of ca. 900: the mosaics of St Sophia, the wall paintings in the apse of Rotunda and far less skillful wall-paintings in the church of St Andrew in Peristera (870/871). The expressive linear style prevailing in these ensembles was further developed in Macedonia throughout the 10th century. This is testified by the murals of the first layer in the churches of St Stephen and the Taxiarchs in Kastoria, both with disputable dating. The author supports their dating to the third quarter of the 10th century. Other trends, oriented towards the art of Constantinople, also penetrated to Macedonia in the 10th century both in connection with the building activities of the Bulgar tsars and church hierarchs, as well as in connection with the rise of Mount Athos monasteries. These tendencies are represented by the fresco of the Holy Fifteen martyrs of Tiberiopolis in the homonymous church in Strumica (second quarter - middle of the 10th century) and some fragments of wall-paintings in the chapel under the church of St John of the Iveron monastery (last third of the 10th century).

Automated summary

This article surveys the surviving monumental paintings from the 9th to 10th centuries in Macedonia, with a focus on dating, stylistic comparisons, and major tendencies in the region. The expressive linear style prevalent in these ensembles was further developed throughout the 10th century, influenced by trends from Constantinople and the rise of Mount Athos monasteries.