Sensual Religion - Religion and the Five Senses - Graham Harvey
5. Sight and the Byzantine Icon
Sensual Religion - Religion and the Five Senses - Graham Harvey
Angeliki Lymberopoulou [+]
The Open University
Angeliki Lymberopoulou is Senior Lecturer in Byzantine art and culture at The Open University. She is primarily interested in cross-cultural interaction between Byzantine East and Latin West as exemplified in the art of Crete during the island’s Venetian domination (1211-1669). Her research aims at revealing how the social and religious concerns of artists and patrons are reflected in the artistic production of the Cretan frescoes and icons and to what extent this production is indicative of and directly related to the trading industry in the island during this period.’
Description
This chapter addresses the sense of sight through case studies drawn from Byzantine art, the art of Orthodox Christianity. Vision is central to Orthodox worship, facilitated by images known as icons. By enabling the visualization of the invisible divine, the importance of icons is paramount in enhancing the faithful’s religious experience.