Iconography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Iconography is the study and interpretation of images in art. This includes both religious and secular images of all varieties.
Images have been used by many different religions including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity.
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Hinduism
Images of Hindu gods use a rich symbolism. Some figures are blue-skinned (the color of heaven) or may have multiple arms holding various symbols depicting aspects of the god (the drums of change, the flower of new life, the fire of destruction, etc.). The many heads, eyes, feet and arms do not have to be taken literally.
Among the best known of Hindu images is that of Shiva dancing in a ring of fire. In one hand he holds a drum with which he brings things into being; in another hand he holds a fire with which things are destroyed. This is a symbol of the Universe, in which there is constant simultaneous creation and destruction.
Another is the God Vishnu dreaming in the Sea of Eternity. As the mythologist Joseph Campbell wrote, "Vishnu, the God, sleeps, and the activity of his mind stuff creates dreams, and we are all his dream: the world is Vishnu's dream."
Christianity
There is no recognizably Christian art before the 3rd century. At that time the first Christian images, largely motifs borrowed from "pagan" Greco-Roman art of the time and given Christian significance, as well as Jewish motifs showing scenes from the Old Testament, begin to appear. Eventually Christian art began to lose its symbolic nature, and certain excesses and disputes about the nature and substance of images within Christianity began to arise. Questions concerning the prohibition in the scriptures of graven images later split the church into two groups, the Iconoclasts ("breakers" of icons) and the Iconodules (venerators of icons). After much debate at the 7th ecumenical council, held in Nicaea in 787, the iconodules, supported by the Empress, upheld the use of icons as an integral part of Christian tradition. It was said that the praise and veneration shown to the icon passes over to the archetype. Thus to kiss an icon of Christ was to show love towards Christ Jesus himself, not the wood and paint making up the physical substance of the icon. It was also declared that the prohibition in the Old Testament scriptures against the material depiction of the immaterial God was negated when God took on material flesh in the form of Jesus Christ. There is still substantial disagreement among various Christian denominations over the use of images. Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox Christians venerate them, though they do not use them to the same extent; Protestants use images only for educational and inspiration purposes, believing the commandment against making and worshipping images is still in force.
In Eastern Orthodox icons where a portraiture is intended, the emphasis on the spiritual aspects of the person are more important than the actual physical appearance of the person. Traditionally the Eastern Orthodox Christians believe the first icons of Christ and the Virgin Mary to have been painted by St Luke, but none of the many icons attributed to Luke is that old. While at one time Eastern Orthodox Monks often carried out the responsibility of painting icons, in later centuries lay painters, often in workshops, produced by far the majority. The interiors of Orthodox Churches are often completely covered in icons. icons are kissed, carried in procession, and venerated.
Symbolism in icons
In Eastern Orthodoxy, color has meaning as well as form. Gold represents the radiance of Heaven; red, the blood of martyrs. Blue is the color of purity, as is white. Often the symbolism is slightly different depending on the roots of the tradition, whether Russian, Greek, or Syrian. Symbols abound. Mountains in the background usually mean the scene took place outside while buildings and walls mean the event took place inside. St George and St Demetrios are shown slaying dragons, a symbol for sin and temptation. St Marina shows her fortitude and strength against sin by gripping the devil by his hair. The wings of angels (A symbol for messenger), the wheel on which St Catherine was tortured, and the axe, laid close to the roots in the icon of St John the forerunner are all examples of the symbolism found in icons.
Light is also an interesting part of icons. The figures in icons are painted in such a way that it seems light is coming from within. In addition a nimbus of light is shown around the heads of holy individuals while it is absent from those who are not Christians. This nimbus is similar to the halo of western art, except that it is never a ring floating above the head, but seems rather to be a sphere of light, a perfect circle no matter which way the head of the figure points.
As a general rule, the figures in icons are shown with serene, passionless faces, never smiling or angry. This stylized appearance is often mistaken for sadness, but it is intended to show their seriousness, and their freedom from the vicissitudes of emotion. Figures are almost always facing outward toward the viewer, though sometimes they may be looking at another figure in the icon. At the most, a 3/4s view of the face is seen, never a profile or back of the head.
