Page 91 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 12(2) (2024)

by myriads of angels arranged in crowns. At its siderations of post-Byzantine art within the con-
summit, the Lamb of God carries the standard text of its theological significance.
15
of the Resurrection’ (Ferranti 2015, 25). Jacques Lacarrière (1925–2005) articulat-
These instances exemplify a significant shift ed a transformative understanding of Byzan-
in scholarly perspectives. The mid-19th century tine art in his renowned work L’Eté grec. He ac-
marked the inception of a structured discourse knowledged ‘to have truly felt the meaning and
surrounding Byzantine art in France. Scholars the life of this art only during his final visit.’
began to engage with frescoes from a predomi- Lacarrière’s reflections suggest an initiatory ex-
nantly technical standpoint, culminating in in- perience, as he admitted that his previous igno-
fluential works such as the Guide to Painting by rance ‘about Orthodox hagiography, Byzantine
Didron, which referenced the painter Denys de history, painting techniques’ made him ‘experi-
Fourna. This trajectory ultimately led to Charles ence a sort of dizziness at the sight of these hun-
Diehl’s publication Manual of Byzantine Art dreds of saints, anchorites, bishops, of martyrs 91
(Diehl 1910) and Gabriel Millet’s Researches on populating the walls of Athos.’ His avant-garde
the Iconography of the Gospel (Millet 1916). Ben- approach, which prioritized meaning, appeared
edictine Abbot and musicologist Neyrat (1825–
1913) noted the intrinsic merit of the frescoes, as- to diverge from the aesthetic emphasis of Jean
serting that ‘the figures possess a very great and Blot; instead, Lacarrière deems that ‘frescoes
noble character.’ Nevertheless, he felt compelled and icons’ respond ‘to a double function, narra-
to draw parallels with ‘the ancient frescoes of tive and aretological: showing the history of the
Orcagna and Giotto, and occasionally with se- world according to tradition of the unction Or-
16
lect works of Albert Dürer’ (Neyrat 1884, 99). thodox East and demonstrate, by recounting the
This reference to Western art highlights a criti- lives, deeds, miracles and martyrdoms of these
cal juncture in which the engagement with other exemplary figures, the permanence of their faith,
17
cultures was often framed within a comparative and the transcendence of profane time’ (Lacar-
context that frequently undermined the value of rière 1975, 83).
the encountered civilizations. Jean Biès (1933–2014) followed in Lacar- Perceptions of a ‘Journey to the Past’ in Some Viatical Stories at Mount Athos
Literate travellers of the 20th century, such rière’s footsteps along this initiatory journey.
as Jean Blot, often rejected the fresco-monks’ in- The revised and corrected edition of his semi-
clination to refresh their paintings. This rejec- nal work (1963), published in 1997, introduced
tion stemmed from a belief that such practices a sub-chapter entitled ‘Theology of the Icon,’
did not align with their Western bourgeois val- which echoed Lacarrière’s insights: ‘This formu-
ues, which elevate the artist to a pedestal and dis- la pre-existed in the 1963 edition … (Biès 1963,
18
miss art characterized by naivety and anonymi- 69) and ‘there is not only an aesthetic of the icon;
ty. This art, inherently didactic, is distinguished 17 ‘trop de choses sur l’hagiographie orthodoxe, l’histoire
by its humility and popularity. In contemporary byzantine, les techniques de la peinture » lui fit « éprou-
society, particularly in the second decade of the ver une sorte de vertige à la vue de ces centaines de saints,
21st century, Ferrante Ferranti has revitalized d’anachorètes, d’évêques, de martyrs peuplant les murs
de l’Athos [...] d’importance secondaire’, valorisant les
these discussions by reframing the aesthetic con- ‘fresques et les icônes’ dans une perspective répondant ‘à
une double fonction, narrative et arétologique : montrer
15 ‘...une colline est portée entre le trône de Gloire ou siege l’histoire du monde selon la tradition de l’Orient ortho-
Dieu le Père et les ruines d’une cité , par des myriades d’an- doxe et démontrer, en racontant la vie, les actes, les mir-
ges disposés en couronnes. À son sommet, l’agneau de Dieu acles et les martyres de ces figures exemplaires, la perma-
porte l’étendard de la Résurrection.’ nence de leur foi, l’abolition du temps profane.’
16 ‘...les figures ont un très grand et très noble caractère.[...] 18 But the word ‘philosophie’ (philosophy) was
aux anciennes fresques d’Orcagna et du Giotto, parfois à used at that time, instead of ‘theologie’ (theol-
certaines têtes d’Albert Dürer.’ ogy).