Subtle Bodies Representing Angels in Byzantium |
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| Author:
| Peers, Glenn |
| Series title: | Transformation of the Classical Heritage Ser. |
| ISBN: | 978-0-520-22405-6 |
| Publication Date: | Feb 2001 |
| Publisher: | University of California Press
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| Book Format: | Hardback |
| List Price: | AUD $104.95 |
Book Description:
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Throughout the course of Byzantine history, Christian doctrine taught that angels have a powerful place in cosmology. It also taught that angels were immaterial, bodiless, invisible beings. But if that were the case, how could they be visualized and depicted in icons and other works of art? This book describes the strategies used by Byzantine artists to represent the incorporeal forms of angels and the rationalizations in defense of their representations mustered by theologians in...
More DescriptionThroughout the course of Byzantine history, Christian doctrine taught that angels have a powerful place in cosmology. It also taught that angels were immaterial, bodiless, invisible beings. But if that were the case, how could they be visualized and depicted in icons and other works of art? This book describes the strategies used by Byzantine artists to represent the incorporeal forms of angels and the rationalizations in defense of their representations mustered by theologians in the face of iconoclastic opposition. Glenn Peers demonstrates that these problems of representation provide a unique window on Late Antique thought in general.