Re: Reading on Icons

Many thanks! This is an endlessly fascinating subject, with many types of answers. (As a complement to Prof. Gaster-Hulvat's fine suggestions, these three books are not focused on Russian icons.) My favorite book on icons is quite old: Leonid Ouspensky and Vladimir Lossky, The Meaning of Icons. There are several editions and reprints, the first in 1952 and, the most recent,  I think, by St. Vladimir Press. This book has excellent theological explanations of icons in general, and then a discussion of the theological meaning of various icon types (feasts, icons of the Mother of God, etc.) It is clearly written (more accurately translated) but profound. I've used the description of the Nativity Icon many times in class to illustrate how icons can reveal the theological meaning beneath the mere appearance of events. Another wonderful book is Henry Mcguire, The Icons of their Bodies: Saints and their Images in Byzantium (Princeton: Princeton U.P., 1996).  Finally, one of Prof. Gaster-Hulvat's authors: Robin Cormack, Writing in Gold: Byzantine Society and its Icons (Oxford and New York: Oxford U.P., 1985). These books are less oriented to art history strictly defined, and more towards a theory of icons as a way of representing the world in general or a particular world in one period and place. There has also been a fair amount of new writing on  the theory of icons published in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union. I look forward to hearing the thoughts of other colleagues! All the best! Dan Rowland, University of Kentucky

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Marie Gasper-Hulvat
Sent: Tuesday, January 08, 2013 9:16 PM
To: [email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Shera] Reading on Icons

Happy to share, David.  Here are a few options taken from my Survey of Russian Art syllabus.  They're mostly focused on Russian icons, although the Evseyeva text (the third in the list) includes a nice introductory chapter that gives an overview of icons in general.

*  Cormack, Robin, "The Icon:  Past, Present, and Future." P. 321-328 in Grierson, Roderick, ed.  Gates of Mystery:  The Art of Holy Russia.  Fort Worth, Texas:  InterCultura, 1993.
*  Lazarev, Viktor Nikitich.<http://newfirstsearch.oclc.org.proxy.brynmawr.edu/WebZ/FSQUERY?searchtype=hotauthors:format=BI:numrecs=10:dbname=WorldCat::termh1=Lazarev%5C%2C+Viktor+Nikitich%5C%2C:indexh1=pn%3D:termh2=1897-1976.:indexh2=pn%3D:operatorh1=AND:sessionid=fsapp10-57041-f1p660vw-eg4ywp:entitypagenum=9:0:next=html/records.html:bad=error/badsearch.html> Vzdornov, Gerol'd Ivanovich.<http://newfirstsearch.oclc.org.proxy.brynmawr.edu/WebZ/FSQUERY?searchtype=hotauthors:format=BI:numrecs=10:dbname=WorldCat::termh1=Vzdornov%5C%2C+Gerol%92d+Ivanovich.:indexh1=pn%3D:sessionid=fsapp10-57041-f1p660vw-eg4ywp:entitypagenum=9:0:next=html/records.html:bad=error/badsearch.html> McDarby, Nancy.<http://newfirstsearch.oclc.org.proxy.brynmawr.edu/WebZ/FSQUERY?searchtype=hotauthors:format=BI:numrecs=10:dbname=WorldCat::termh1=McDarby%5C%2C+Nancy.:indexh1=pn%3D:sessionid=fsapp10-57041-f1p660vw-eg4ywp:entitypagenum=9:0:next=html/records.html:bad=error/badsearch.html> The Russian icon:  from its origins to the sixteenth century.  Collegeville, Minn. : Liturgical Press, 1997.  "General Observations on Russian Iconography" p. 21-30.
*  Smirnova, Engelina.  "Mediaeval Russian Icons.  11th - 17th cent."  P. 119-164 in Evseyeva, Lilia, et al.  A history of icon painting : sources, traditions, present day.   Kate Cook, trans.  Moscow : "Grand-Holding" Publishers ; UK : Distributor of English ed. Orthodox Christian Books, 2005.
-Marie Gasper-Hulvat



On Tue, Jan 8, 2013 at 8:53 PM, David Powelstock <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
I'd love to hear these suggestions, too. Please post to the list!
Cheers,
David Powelstock

 * * * * * * * * * *
David Powelstock
Assoc. Prof. of Russian and Comparative Literature
Chair, Comparative Literature
Brandeis University
Waltham, MA 02453

On Tue, Jan 8, 2013 at 4:36 PM, Neuberger, Joan H <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
Does anyone have suggestions for articles or chapters that make good introductory readings on Orthodox icons?

Thanks very much,

Joan Neuberger
Department of History
The University of Texas at Austin


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