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Icon as Communion

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"Is it possible to teach Byzantine art? Can it be circumscribed within a set of artistic rules and principles that can be explained and demonstrated?" These are the questions with which George Kordis, Assistant Professor of Iconography at the University of Athens, begins his book. "Icon as Communion." This book is not an explicitly academic work, but instead an insight into the mind of an artist. It is a gathering of Kordis' thoughts, notes, and sketches, accompanied by his reflections on the holy art of Iconography.

Contents

 Introduction 1
 1. Role of Line in Byzantine Icon Painting 5
 The function of line in creating the inner rhythm of the icon 8
 The projector, or perspectival, function of line and the communion between icon and beholder 10
 2. The Features of Line Byzantine Icon Painting 13
 3. Sketches with Commentary  19
 Head in frontal pose 19
 Face in frontal pose 20
 Dynamic frontal pose 21
Dynamic frontal pose with vertical axes  22
 Dynamic frontal pose with covered axes 22
 On drawing hair and beards 27
 Head in the three-quarters stance 29
 Dimensions of the human form 34
 The stance in single-figure icons 34
 Human figure divided into eight sections  37
 A figure placed dynamically in pose of the inverted S 38
 The seated figure 40
 On drawing buildings and landscape 44
 4. On Composition in the Byzantine Tradition 47
 The theological significance of the church and the philosophy of composition in Byzantine 48
 On the origin of the artistic principles of Byzantine art 51
 The Byzantine Optical System 52
 The fundamental principles of composition in Byzantine art 53
 I. The abolition or superseding of artistic depth 53
 II. How composition if refined or purified 55
 III. The figure or composition moves out toward the beholder 57
 5. Icons: An Aesthetic Reading 63
 6. Drawings/Sketches 87
 About the Author 103

 

Paperback:
103 Pages
Publisher:
Holy Cross Orthodox Press
ISBN:
9781935317098
Product Dimensions:
7.5 x 9 x 0.3 inches
Publication Year:
2010