The image of the luminosity of the divine nature of Christ in the Western European temple decoration of the IV-VIII centuries.

Abstract

The main subject of this research is the tradition of visual representation of the luminosity of the divine nature in Western European Christian art of the IV–VIII centuries. The objects of study are fragments of monumental temple decorations containing images, both literal and symbolic, of this divine phenomenon, as well as written sources related to the interpretation of these images. The focus of the research is on the Western European artistic tradition of depicting the halo of Christ and its change during the period under review. The purpose of this work, which is the first part of the study, the chronological framework of which covers the period from the IV to the XIII centuries, was to compile a holistic view of the development of the iconographic tradition of representing the theme "I am the light of the world", the luminosity of the divine nature of Christ in the context of the study of the visual language of Western European medieval religious art of the IV–VIII centuries. The visual sources of this work are Christian churches that have preserved the monumental decoration of the IV–VIII centuries, which are located on the territory of Rome, Ravenna, Milan, Naples and surrounding areas. The methodology on which this research is based is represented by typological, iconographic and formal stylistic methods of analysis. The novelty of the present study is a detailed analysis and systematization of various visual representations of the luminosity of the divine nature of Christ, first of all, variants of the image of the halo and their transformation over time. Based on the studied sources, the author has compiled a certain classification picture, which allows forming a holistic view of the formation and development of the artistic tradition of representing this topic.