Iliana Zarra
All Articles by Iliana Zarra
Associate Professor of the History of Art, University of Patra
The Christian Icon of the Nineteenth Century from the Point of View of the Art Historian
The subject of this work is the study of a group of portable icons from the nineteenth century from the point of view of a Historian of Modern Greek Art. The paper argues that historians of art who do not approach the particular aesthetic properties of the icon as a means of giving an existential form to divinity or sanctity refuse to open a dialogue with theologians. And even though the international discourse around the history of art insists on expressing the ‘complaint’ that the reading of religious sentiment is now satisfied by the prolific production of objects of veneration without any special artistic merit,1 perhaps we should ask ourselves whether the artistic deficiency in question is because we are overlooking the fact that the relationship between the believer/viewer and the icon is not limited to passive observation. On the contrary, it is something that derives from participation in the experience of worship as a whole. As a result, the icon will not allow us to see it in its fullness if we do not respect its integrity.
Introduction
The subject of this work is the study of a group of portable icons from the nineteenth century from the point of view of a historian of modern Greek art. With this in mind, it might be pertinent to present, very briefly, a number of elements relevant to the content and the periodiza- tion of the discipline of the history of art in general and, more particu- larly, the history of modern Greek art.
If we accept the starting point of this academic field as being the time of the proclamation of Christianity as the official religion by Constantine the Great, then it would include art from the Middle Ages until today.2
1.Martin Warnke in Hans Belting – Wolfgang Kemp et al. Kunstgeschichte: Eine Einführung, 45.
2.So that the concept of art in reality flows from the heart of the Christian icon. See Hans Belting, ‘Iconic Presence. Images in Religious Traditions’, Material Religion e Journal of Objects, Art and Belief, (2012) vol. 12, 236. For the temporal boundaries of the History of Art see more in Heinrich Dilly and Martin Warnke in Kunstgeschichte, Eine Einführung ed. Hans Belting, Wolfgang Kemp et al. Berlin 1993.