I have never visited an eastern church, but I love Byzantine artwork (I don’t know if this is what you’re referring to, and if all eastern churches have it). I can see how it would feel “Heavenly”, just from the deep, rich colors alone. Although, I guess our Latin white statues could also be seen as “Heavenly”, ie: the color white = big, fluffy clouds.
We do; statues, paintings ect… ‘Icons’ as seen in Byzantine and other Eastern Art are forms of Sacred Art that went through a huge debate (the ‘Iconoclasm’ if I remember right) and due to the Muslim oppression after the fall of Byzantium their Theology (and Art style) stood still. Whereas in the West we never went through the huge debate on Icons and Sacred Art and wasn’t subject to oppression by a hostile regime (well, most of the West, the Iberian Pennisula, being Spain is slightly different), with the influx of Byzantine refugees and the kick-start of the Renaissance our Art style change and become more varied, hence we don’t have one type of ‘Icon’.
The Latin Rite history is three dimensional images – statuary. Unlike some of the Easterners who who work themselves into embarrassing frenzies screaming “latinization!, latinization!” whenever they locate a statue in an eastern church, I don’t think any Latin Riters would care if an icon hung in their church, so long as it was well written.
easternization! easternization!
I’d care. Personally, I don’t like the mimicry of the faux-1054 artistic style in which, for no good reason I can discern, they apparently just have to be painted, and frankly I don’t like the pretension of saying that an icon is “written.” Maybe Latin-rite sculptors should start saying that they dance their sculptures.
they practically stripped our church back in the 70s. Fortunately we just complete a total renovation and the statues are back! our new altar art is a combination of sculpture and painting.
The Mother of Perpetual Help is the most famous Byzantine Icon in use in the Roman Catholic Church. I’ve also seen old churches that is just statue after statue of saints. The West just emphasized more on 3D statues while the East evolved their theology around icons.
One would have to intentionally choose to be disagreeable to spiritually equate “painting” an icon with properly writing one once they realized there was a distinction even if they did not actually understand the distinction. It’s not simply a matter of “pretense” as you suggest. I have no idea what you mean with your overtly rude “faux-1054 artistic style” as proper icons take on a great many forms and variations based on a great many variables so I’ll simply ignore it and you.
Or stained glass window after stained glass window of saints and biblical figures.
