Byzantine Art

[McatholicN]

I’ve been interested recently in Byzantine icons/art. Could someone give some good resources to learn about this style, or any other Christian art styles, for that matter.

Thanks!

 

[ConstantineTG]

Icons aren’t really “art styles” in the sense. Its not so much artistic expression but more religious expression. Its an expression of prayer, faith and teaching.

I don’t know how good this site is but I am planning to give it a read sometime in the future…
iconsexplained.com/

 

[Aelred_Minor]

I can’t give you a good resource, but I can give a wikipedia article!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_in_Roman_Catholicism

You’re welcome.

 

[Phillip_Rolfes]

oltv.tv has a wonderful series on icons/iconography and their place in the liturgical life of the Church (filmed and edited by yours truly!). The series was given by the professor of iconology at St. Vladimir’s Theological Seminary, Prof. Richard Schneider. It is actually quite a wonderful series; Prof. Schneider’s insights are truly amazing.

Also, check out St. John of Damascus’ treatise “On the Divine Images” available from St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press as part of their Popular Patristics Series.

Vladimir Lossky and Leonid Ouspensky wrote books separately and jointly on icons and iconography. Although these books are ill-favored by Prof. Schneider they do still contain some insight into the theology of icons. Again, check out SVS Press for their works, or do an Amazon search.

 

[azerty]

these books are ill-favored by Prof. Schneider .

why that ?

 

[Phillip_Rolfes]

why that ?

They are the ones who coined the notion of icons as being “windows into heaven,” which Prof. Schneider says is simply bad iconology and completely un-Patristic. Icons, according to Schneider, are a liturgical art, and as such require our participation in the mysteries that they portray. They are not something that we can just gaze at passively, but require a real activity and effort on our part. Check out the videos by him available from Orientale Lumen Television. There he explains it much better than I could.

 

[azerty]

They are the ones who coined the notion of icons as being “windows into heaven,” which Prof. Schneider says is simply bad iconology and completely un-Patristic. Icons, according to Schneider, are a liturgical art, and as such require our participation in the mysteries that they portray. They are not something that we can just gaze at passively, but require a real activity and effort on our part. Check out the videos by him available from Orientale Lumen Television. There he explains it much better than I could.

Of course they require participation. I don’t know how saying they are windows to heaven contradicts this.
Icons can be very well explained in a platonician way with the notion of analogy and anagogy (analogy allowing anagogy ie ascenscion of the intellect) but my english is too horrible.

Don’t orthodox believe that icons and signs like the Name of Jesus are full of divine energies ? The fact that is God present in all sacramentals doesn’t mean they will give grace to everybody. You need faith for that and participation. They are not magic items.

As Hilarion Alfeyev writes , all christian symbols have an exterior face or aspect which is material and an interior face which is God himself and to support this, he quotes St John of Cronstatd who thought God was present in icons, in the cross, in holy water etc.
(This means in a metaphysical language that the holy symbol “participates” to its divine Archetype and thus makes it present because there is an ontological link between them.)
Unfortonately his book “Le Nom Grand et Glorieux” hasn’t been translated in english yet.

 

[Diakonia]

If the OP is still reading the thread, you might want to check out this old thread scary icons.

It starts out a bit on the bizarre side, but about a dozen posts in, it has some great links - one of which is, I think, one that somebody suggested above (iconsexplained.com). One of the modern iconographers that they link in the thread is a young guy (David Mastroberte) who was just ordained as an ACROD presbyter yesterday Him and his Dad are both iconographers.

 

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