Academic literature on the topic 'Christian art and symbolism Modern period'

In a secularized society, on the base of the rapid development of technologization and globalization, we also observe an intensive "return" of the sacred. It "returns" with the growth of nostalgia for the personalism of social relationships. And this return is reflected, in particular, through the phenomena of contemporary art – some of them are filled with appropriate symbolism and emotional atmosphere. Undoubtedly, there is no historical period, which would be characterized by complete secularization and the absence of any sacredness. However, in the modern era, the uniqueness of the sacred is that it is not just a religious phenomenon. Because today's semantic space of the sacred is not only the idea of God, it is also about justice, identity, self-sacrifice and the search for answers. This is one of the main categories of value orientations, which relates to anthropological reality in all its diversity. In this article, the author analyzes the manifestations of the Christian worldview and sacred meanings in modern literature work: the means of their expression and symbolism. After all, the Bible in modern literature is used in a unique way. Definitely, there are still a number of important Christian literature works, but more and more often artists use biblical symbolism to embody their creative ideas without mentioning Christian saints or biblical quotations. The researcher examines a number of particularly popular fantasy novels of the early third millennium, in which the plotline is interwoven with elements of Christian sacredness and value categories, the meanings of their ideological guidelines. Cult literature works are also analyzed, where sacredness is hidden under other layers of meaning. In these works, the sacred is not immediately demonstrated, it may be seen in the value potential of the profane. The reverse side of Christian sacredness is also comprehended – on the basis of works of art about demons and Satan, the artistic and ideological purpose of these works is considered. All this is subordinated to the goal of understanding the influence of ideas about the sacred (and in general – the transcendent) in its modern cultural expression on the transformation of the aesthetic axiosphere. The research is at the interdisciplinary intersection of religious studies, philosophy of religion, culturology and aesthetics.

The paper explores the Christian-intoned philosophical aesthetics of the figurative arts during the silver age of Russian culture. In this period, which covers the second half of the nineteenth and the first two decades of the twentieth century, Russia's speculative thought, based on the Orthodox patristic and philosophical idealism, promoted the original religious philosophy, which highly valorized the importance of comprehensive gnoseology and ontology of "total-unity", true knowledge sought only through the absolute - an ideal which in itself synthesizes a real beauty, truth and goodness. That is why the Christian fine arts and aesthetics of this period in Russia were built only as an organic segment of a holistically interpreted philosophy of life, recapitulated by its essential principle - Christ. In order to systematize various aspirations, ideas and concepts of this artistic aesthetics, the paper singles out and explains three major themes that are intertwined. These are: the beauty (integral with goodness and truth), Christlike according to Dostoevsky, ideal-real according to Soloviev; theurgical creation, viewed both as artistic (free and transformative) and as an ascetic likeness to God; and the icon, which - through a philosophical-theological interpretation of an apophatic-kataphatic antinomy, reverse perspective and symbolism - integrates the issue of beauty and creativity into a common discourse, entering the Orthodox apologetic front before western art and culture, from the renaissance to the modern digital age.

Background.Rosa, as the "Queen of Flowers" has always occupied a special place in the garden. The emergence of rose gardens is rooted in antiquity. Rose is a kind of “tuning fork” of eras. We can see how the symbolism of the flower was transformed, depending on the philosophy and cultural values of society. And this contributed to the various functions and aesthetic delivery of roses in gardens and parks of different eras. Despite the large number of works on roses, today there are no studies that can combine philosophy, cultural aspects of the era, the history of gardens and parks with symbols of the plant world (in particular roses) with the identification of a number of features and patterns.Objectives.The purpose of the article is to study the symbolism of rosesin landscape gardening art of different eras.Methods.The historical method helps to trace the stages of the transformation of the symbolism of roses in different historical periods. The inductive method allows you to move from the analysis of the symbolism of roses in each era to generalization, the identification of patterns, the connection of the cultural life of society with the participation of roses in it. Graph-analytical method reveals the features of creating various types of gardens with roses, taking into account trends in styles and time.Results.In the gardens of Ancient Greece, the theme of refined aesthetics, reflections on life and death dominated. It is no accident that in ancient times it was an attribute of the goddesses of love. In antiquity, she was a favorite flower of the goddess of beauty and love of Aphrodite (Venus). In connection with the legend of the goddess, there was a custom to draw or hang a white rose in the meeting rooms, as a reminder of the non-disclosure of the said information. It was also believed that roses weaken the effect of wine and therefore garlands of roses decorated feasts, festivities in honor of the god of winemaking Dionysus (Bacchus). The rose was called the gift of the gods. Wreaths of roses were decorated: statues of the gods during religious ceremonies, the bride during weddings. The custom of decorating the floor with rose petals, twisting columns of curly roses in the halls came to the ancient palace life from Ancient Egypt, from Queen Cleopatra, highlighted this flower more than others. In ancient Rome, rose gardens turned into huge plantations. Flowers from them were intended to decorate palace halls during feasts. In Rome, a religious theme was overshadowed by luxurious imperial greatness. It is interesting that in Rome, which constantly spreads its borders, a rose from a "female" flower turned into a "male" one. The soldiers, setting out on a campaign, put on pink wreaths instead of helmets, symbolizing morality and courage, and returning with victory, knocked out the image of a rose on shields. From roses weaved wreaths and garlands, received rose oil, incense and medicine. The banquet emperors needed so many roses, which were also delivered by ships from Egypt. Ironically, it is generally accepted that Nero's passion for roses contributed to the decline of Rome. After the fall of the Roman Empire, rose plantations were abandoned because Christianity first associated this flower with the licentiousness of Roman customs. In the Early Middle Ages, the main theme is the Christian religion and roses are located mainly in the monastery gardens, symbolizing divine love and mercy. Despite the huge number of civil wars, when the crops and gardens of neighbors were violently destroyed, the only place of peace and harmony remained the monastery gardens. They grew medicinal plants and flowers for religious ceremonies. During this period, the rose becomes an attribute of the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ and various saints, symbolizing the church as a whole. More deeply, the symbolism of the rose was revealed in Catholic life, when the rosary and a special prayer behind them were called the "rose garden". Now the rose has become the personification of mercy, forgiveness, martyrdom and divine love. In the late Middle Ages, in the era of chivalry, roses became part of the "cult of the beautiful lady." Rose becomes a symbol of love of a nobleman to the wife of his heart. Courtesy was of a socially symbolic nature, described in the novel of the Rose. The lady, like a rose, symbolized mystery, magnificent beauty and temptation. Thus, in the Late Middle Ages, the secular principle manifests itself on a par with the religious vision of the world. And in the Renaissance, the religious and secular component are in balance. The theme of secular pleasures and entertainments was transferred further to the Renaissance gardens. In secular gardens at palaces, villas and castles, it symbolized love, beauty, grace and perfection. In this case, various secret societies appear that choose a rose as an emblem, as a symbol of eternity and mystery. And if the cross in the emblem of the Rosicrucians symbolized Christianity, then the rose symbolized a mystical secret hidden from prying eyes. In modern times, secular life comes to the fore, and with it new ways of communication, for example, in the language of flowers, in particular roses. In the XVII–XVIII centuries. gardening art is becoming secular; sesame, the language of flowers, comes from Europe to the East. White rose symbolized a sigh, pink –an oath of love, tea –a courtship, and bright red –admiration for beauty and passionate love [2]. In aristocratic circles, the creation of lush rose gardens is in fashion. Roses are actively planted in urban and suburban gardens. In modern times, rose gardens carry the idea of aesthetic relaxation and enjoyment. Many new varieties were obtained in the 19th century, during the period of numerous botanical breeding experiments. At this time, gardening ceased to be the property of the elite of society and became publicly available. In the XX–XXI centuries. rosaries, as before, are popular. Many of them are located on the territory of ancient villas, palaces and other structures, continuing the tradition.

Among the topics of the Second Vatican Council were issues related to art. Pope Paul VI wanted contemporary art to open up to a new post-Conciliar era in the history of the Church. Artistic events and the works of modern art themselves, under the patronage of the Pope, in conservative environments, provoked discussions on contemporary religious art, and even the lack of consent for artists to depart from accepted canons of art. Perhaps the greatest opposition of conservatives was caused by the papal ferula, a centuries-old sign of the pope’s religious authority given by God. Paul VI ordered a new ferule from the sculptor Lello Scorzelli. Paul’s VI ferule is an example of a work of modern art, but the symbolism contained in it refers to the old tradition. The arrangement of the tormented, elongated body of Christ refers to medieval doloristic crucifixions – painful crosses. Christ on the ferule was crucified on the Tree of Life, which symbolically gives food to life for Christians. The form of a bent, not straight cross beam was also taken from the period of medieval art. It was a symbolic break with the statement that the pope’s authority came from God. At the same time, he symbolically stated the pope’s obedience to the mystery of the cross and his apostolic mission. Ferule St. Pope Paul VI in his apostolic mission used Popes: John Paul I, and the longest St. John Paul II.

The article explores the development of Russian culture and education symbolism at the end of ХІХ in a question about Filioque. The prominent Russian thinker V. Solovyov considered that the unity of spirituality of Christian ideal faith was carried out in the unity of catholic and orthodox Christian churches. He doubted the question of division of Character of Vera perception. V. Solovyov notified the ideal of iconographic art, which was fundamental conception of development of Russian artistic culture and education. Semantic Christian character-kernel is an interpretation of our Hail Mary for us. The ideal of this character is incarnated in the divine beginning through the free exploit of man, adding the faith in Godman and God-flesh (Hail Mary) to the faith in God. This ideal was announced by F. Dostoevsky. The trinity of Christian ideal must have become the background for conscious spiritual development of Russia and all humanity. Essence of beauty symbolism is perceived in the actual available phenomena - nature and art. The conception of Sofia - Wisdoms of God character influenced the development of the Russian artistic culture and modern education. The character overflows in concepts: reasonable essence, Divine Bosom, Eternal femininity, Basis, law of life, reason, connection of God and created World. The character of Sofia is oriented to the Russian culture and education development, as a future and final phenomenon of Deity. As a founder of Russian Christian philosophy V. Solovyov defined subsequent motion of symbolism of Christian ideal in the synthesis of Orthodox, revivalist and comparative trends. We notice positive motion in Russian modern artistic education.

Purpose of the research is to analyse of the peculiarities of the symbolic meaning and specific use of phytomorphic ornamentation in Byzantine goldsmithery of the IV–IX centuries. Methodology.The research is applied historical-cultural and art critic approaches combined with comparative and presentational methods. Results.The results of the research prove the relationship between Eastern and Greco-Roman traditions of using floral ornamentation in Byzantine jewellery in the IV–IX centuries is highlighted. The traditions and application of floral ornamentation in Byzantine jewellery of the indicated period are identified. The system of transformation of plant motifs into meaningful symbols of spiritual truth embedded in Christianity is analysed. The stylistics, symbolic meaning and artistic peculiarities of plant ornaments applied in jewellery of the above period are investigated on the example of outstanding jewellery items. Jewellery items decorated with floral ornaments from the early Byzantine and iconoclastic periods from renowned museum collections worldwide are examined. The peculiarities of the sign symbolism of phytomorphic ornaments in the Byzantine jewellery of the IV–IX centuries are identified. Artistic technologies and terminology of the Byzantine goldsmith's period are characterized and specified. Scientific novelty. The sign symbolism of phytomorphic ornaments in the Byzantine goldsmith's art of the IV–IX centuries was investigated in a comprehensive way. The causes for the use of phytomorphic ornaments in jewellery items of that time as elements specifying Christian images at certain stages of their canonical formation have been revealed. The article proves the importance of the use of the sign symbolism of phytomorphic ornaments in Byzantine jewellery for further qualitative formation and perfection of Christian traditions. Practical significance. The material of this research can be reflected in the writing of academic disciplines related to artistic technologies in jewellery. As a source of inspiration they can be applied in the process of creating new jewellery collections of Christian themes.

Numerous images embedded in the painted decorations in early modern Central and Eastern European synagogues conveyed allegorical messages to the congregation. The symbolism was derived from biblical verses, stories, legends, and prayers, and sometimes different allegories were combined to develop coherent stories. In the present case study, which concerns a bird, seemingly a nocturnal raptor, depicted on the ceiling of the Unterlimpurg Synagogue, I explore the symbolism of this image in the contexts of liturgy, eschatology, and folklore. I undertake a comparative analysis of paintings in medieval and early modern illuminated manuscripts—both Christian and Jewish—and in synagogues in both Eastern and Central Europe. I argue that in some Hebrew illuminated manuscripts and synagogue paintings, nocturnal birds of prey may have been positive representations of the Jewish people, rather than simply a response to their negative image in Christian literature and art, but also a symbol of redemption. In the Unterlimpurg Synagogue, the night bird of prey, combined with other symbolic elements, represented a complex allegoric picture of redemption, possibly implying the image of King David and the kabbalistic nighttime prayer Tikkun Ḥaẓot. This case study demonstrates the way in which early modern synagogue painters created allegoric paintings that captured contemporary religious and mystical ideas and liturgical developments.

The paper is an attempt to define the term “Vilnius modernism”, its earliest manifestations in various, and even contradictory, formulas. The sources of modern art in Vilnius after the end of the Great War, artistic, historical and ideological contexts of the dynamically changing phenomenon of Vilnius modernism – from late symbolism, through neoclassicism, to strictly avant-garde art –are indicated. Both theoretical declarations/ manifestoes as well as works of art and their interpretations at that time are taken into account.

Historians of medieval art and letters have failed satisfactorily to explain the gruesome images of death occurring at the end of that period. The explanation offered here is that the images are a form of symbolism based on body metaphors. By means of the decomposing bodies, the artists and poets symbolized the disintegration of medieval institutions and the transition to the early modern period in Europe. This view of symbolism depends on the work of Mary Douglas who has shown that the human body is the first, most natural symbol for describing social groups and institutions. A corollary of this argument is that the relationship between the vividness and fear of death and the collapse of institutions is reciprocal.

This article works to identify an intersection of the Catholic and Buddhist pictorial traditions with regard to the symbolism of the journey to the spiritual world. In both Christian and Buddhist traditions, the river/ ocean is a popular symbol that designates the border between this world and the other world. A work of western-inspired Japanese folding screens known as Yōjin Sōgakuzu (Europeans Playing Music) is an outstanding example that makes use of the symbolism of the river to allude to one’s pilgrimage to the other world in the guise of a secular waterfront scene. The folding screens were painted in the seventeenth century by Japanese artists who were affiliated with the art studio founded by the Jesuits. An investigation of European sources of the painting will show how the painters modified the famous Catholic iconography of “The Ship of the Church” to match the taste of the Japanese patrons of the time. Further, comparisons with other Japanese paintings that similarly deal with the theme of the river will show that such secular scenes of waterfront leisure could demonstrate to the Japanese audience the life in the world beyond, as well as a journey to that world they anticipated.

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Glasgow, 2008.
Ph.D. submitted to the Department of Theology and Religious Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Glasgow, 2008. Includes bibliographical references. Print version also available.

This study concerns the concept of sacred architectural imitation, using the Platonic notion of mimesis which then later finds expression in the medieval idea of imitatio. In Religious as well as in artistic and architectural forms of expression, the notion of imitation is indeed a very central and complex issue. At the heart of this concept is the question of meaning, or, more precisely, the transference or translation of meaning; from original to copy, from prototype to reproduction.
In order to better illustrate and understand the principles guiding the notion of medieval sacred architectural imitation I have chosen to focus on five specific instances surrounding the replication of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, arguably the most revered landmark in Christendom.
A close examination of the relationships which exist between model and copy will bring to the fore the dynamics which govern the process of mimesis by which meaning is reproduced in the architectural replicas.
From this comparative analysis will emerge a more universal picture of the medieval concept of religious imitation. Indeed, if anything, a preliminary survey of the great many imitations of the Holy Sepulcher spread throughout Europe reveals to the observer a surprising trend, namely a consistency of inconsistencies in their effort to "copy".
The present study will demonstrate that these seeming inconsistencies within the application of the mimetic process nevertheless reveal a somewhat unexpected structure.
From the pattern of these inconsistencies will emerge a clearer picture of the principles governing the transfer of sacred meaning via the method of imitatio during the Middle Ages.

Focusing on Cyrene and Serima art workshops under the tutelage of Paterson and Groeber, respectively, the study acknowledges the foundational importance of Christian art (from the late 1930s up to the 1960s) in the rise of prominent first generation artists in Zimbabwe such as Mukomberanwa, Ndandarika, Khumalo, Songo, Sambo and many others. It rejects perceptions of African modernism as inauthentic imitations of artistic innovations that originated with European art. While accepting that there was a deliberate fusion of traditional art into mission mainstream education to produce Christian art forms with a strong Africanised identity, the study reveals missionaries’ conservatism and restrictions on artistic freedom. It, therefore, locates the formation of modern art in Zimbabwe largely within a broader spectrum of Africans’ encounter with colonialism or western culture which induced artists to invent new artistic expressions reflecting their own emergent political and socio-economic circumstances. The novelty and outright rejection of missionary impact are, therefore, alien to the natural synthesis that informed artistic modernism in Zimbabwe.
Art History, Visual Arts and Musicology
M.A. (Art History)

The concluding chapter weighs Rimmer's recognition or historical status at the time of his death and now. His first biography, written by someone who did not know him –Truman H. Bartlett – has had a disproportionate impact on how he is seen, even today. That is, his sheer originality – attested to by students as well as contemporaries – has been largely overlooked or misunderstood. The fact that he critiqued neoclassicism has been lost. So has his strong spiritual orientation and his emphasis, in teaching and in his own work, on imagination and self-expression. Despite his attachment to subject matter as a Romantic, he can be seen as a forerunner of modernism – in purely formal terms – in his fragmented statues. These precede, by a decade, similar work by Auguste Rodin. His personal symbolism is also prescient in being evocative of the production of the later Symbolists. Fortunately, Rimmer had loyal students and friends who tried to keep his memory alive after his death. Their efforts resulted in three of his plaster-cast sculptures being cast in bronze, and a selection of his drawings exhibited at the famous 1913 International Exhibition of Modern Art (the Armory Show) in New York. He also had two paintings in the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition.But the fact that Rimmer did not explain his seemingly aberrant creations, and Bartlett did not understand him, has had a detrimental impact on his reputation. His importance for the period and today lies in his insistence on working solely from imagination which was a radical idea at the time. According to his thinking, the artist’s contribution in creating a work of art should be self-expression.

This essay discusses how biblical texts that may reflect events of the ninth pre-Christian century may be used to reconstruct select ‘real’ events of that century. Using several examples, it reflects on method, namely, the problems that these texts present to the modern historian of ancient Israel. The modern historian of ancient history should approach the texts dealing with the ninth century in the same way he or she would approach earlier or later periods. This essay considers two types of texts: those that explicitly mark themselves as primarily didactic, and those that are marked as symbolic. The texts from the first group are from the Psalms, while Jonah, Job, and Ruth comprise the second group. There may be other sources beyond Kings that need to be considered for reconstructing the history of the ninth century, including Chronicles and the Pentateuch. Different Mesopotamian sources mention kings of Israel and Judah, usually in the context of the offering of tribute.

‘Hillfort’ is a term of convenience. It is widely recognized that the monuments in question are not restricted topographically to hills, and that their role may not have been primarily, and certainly not exclusively, for military defence. Nor are they restricted chronologically to the Iron Age, though during that period they are particularly prominent. The term came into general currency following the publication in 1931 of Christopher Hawkes’ paper, simply entitled ‘Hillforts’, in Antiquity, which also established their predominantly Iron Age date in Britain. Prior to that, Christison (1898) in Scotland had discussed ‘fortifications’, and Hadrian Allcroft (1908) for England had classified ‘earthwork’, both extending their studies into the Medieval period. But ‘hillfort’ for all its limitations has remained in general usage in Britain. Chronologically, this study is concerned with the ‘long Iron Age’; that is, including the post-Roman Iron Age in northern Britain especially, and with later Bronze Age antecedents. Geographically it is concerned with regional groups throughout Britain, but with further reference to Ireland, and in the wider context of relevant sites and developments in continental Europe. The key element of the sites under consideration is enclosure, physically or conceptually demarcating an area to which access is restricted or controlled. This may be achieved by rampart and ditch, stockade or fence, or by the incorporation of topographical and natural features such as cliff-edge or marsh. The scale of enclosing works may range from a relatively modest barrier to massive earthworks that reshape the landscape, and in structural morphology, from single palisade or bank to multiple lines, variously disposed. Topographically they may be located around hilltop contours, on cliffedge, ridge, or promontory, on spurs or hill slopes, in wetlands or spanning river bends, or across variable terrain. In area enclosed they may range from well under a hectare to 20 ha and more, with the territorial or terrain oppida of the late pre-Roman Iron Age attaining 300 ha or more. From size alone, therefore, we may infer a great diversity in the practical, social, and symbolic purposes that they may have served. At the smaller end of the scale, the distinction between hillforts and other enclosed settlements is sometimes a matter of subjective assessment, but otherwise their size and scale suggests that they were community sites, serving a social unit larger than a single family or household.