Iconography

Iconography usually refers to the design, creation, and interpretation of the symbolism within religious art. The word iconography literally means "image writing", and comes from the Greek εικον (image) and γραφειν (to write).

Icons are used by many different religions including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity.

Icons in the Judeo-Christian tradition

It is commonly thought that the Jews absolutely prohibit “Graven Images” as part of their tradition; this however is not entirely true. There are numerous instances within the scriptures that describe the manufacture and utilization of images within the context of religious use (The angels on the Ark of the Covenant, the silver snake Moses puts in a tree, etc). What is important to note is that none of these are worshiped as God. Since God is incorporeal and has no form he cannot be depicted.

With the rise of Christianity, however, it is believed that the immaterial God took flesh in the form of Jesus Christ, making it possible to depict in human form, the Son of God. It is on this basis that the old prescriptions against images were changed for the early Christians. Also, the concept of archetype was redefined by the early church fathers in order to better understand that when a person shows veneration toward an image, the intention is rather to honor the person depicted, not the substance of the icon. As St. Basil the Great says, “The honor shown the image passes over to the archetype”. He also illustrates the concept by saying, “If I point to a statue of Caesar and ask you ‘Who is that?’, your answer would properly be, ‘it is Caesar’. When you say such you do not mean that the stone itself is Caesar, but rather, the name and honor you ascribe to the statue passes over to the original, the archetype, Caesar himself.” So it is with an Icon.

In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, only flat images or bas relief images are used. They believe the first icons of Christ and the Virgin Mary to have been painted by St Luke. The Greeks, having a long, pagan tradition of statuary, found the sensual quality of three dimensional representations did more to glorify the human aspect of the flesh rather than the divine nature of the spirit and so prohibitions were created against statuary. The Romans, on the other hand, did not adopt these prohibitions and so we still have statuary among the Roman Catholics to this day. Because the Greeks rejected statuary, the Byzantine style of iconography was developed in which figures were stylized in a manner that emphasized their holiness rather than their humanity. Symbolism allowed the icon to present highly complex material in a very simple way, making it possible to educate even the illiterate in theology. The interiors of Orthodox Churches are often completely covered in icons.

Iconography flourished within the Christian world, but by the 7th century AD, certain factions arose within the church to challenge the use of Icons. The Iconoclasts actively destroyed icons wherever they found them replacing them with the only depiction allowed, the cross. The Iconodules, on the other hand argued that icons had always been used by Christians and should continue. Finally, 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. Today, Icons are still used extensively by the Eastern Orthodox and to a lesser extent by Roman Catholics. Icons are kissed, carried in procession, and venerated. Most Protestants see them only as religious art having no more purpose than to educate and inspire.

Symbolism in Icons

In Eastern Orthodoxy, very little room is made for artistic license when an Icon is created. While icons tend to look like the original person they are depicting, most everything else within the frame is symbolic. Christ, the saints, and the angels all have halos. Angels (and often St John the Forerunner) have wings because they are messengers. A certain amount of consistency is present as well, St. Nicholas always looks very similar, most Orthodox could easily tell you the names of the persons depicted at a glance because they are so recognizable. St George and St Demetrius 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. Color too plays an important roll. Gold represents the radiance of Heaven; red, the blood of martyrs(or divinity). Blue is the color of purity (or, often, humanity), as is white. Even background imagery gives us information. Mountains in the background usually mean the scene took place outside while buildings and walls mean the event took place inside. Letters are symbols too. Most icons incorporate some calligraphic text naming the person or event depicted. Even this is often presented in a stylized manner.

In Roman Catholic depictions, most of the symbolism survives, though there is far less consistency. Artistic license pervades allowing the painter free reign over the content of the picture. Examples of this style abound. And yet, despite the imagination and brilliance of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, it is still quite easy to identify the Saint depicted because of the symbolism.

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.)

Islamic view on iconography

Icon-making and drawing of people is strictly forbidden in Islam. Muslims view icons as idols, and strictly forbid the worship of an icon, or worship in front of it.

Scholarly and academic research

In academic disciplines such as art history, anthropology, sociology, media studies and cultural studies, "iconography" may refer to visual images or signs having strong significance to a particular culture. Discussing imagery as iconography in this way implies a critical "reading" of imagery that often attempts to explore social and cultural values.

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