Durham E-Theses
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Durham E-Theses A Critical Study of Modern Orthodox Scholarly Criticism of Western Art GOGUADZE, TAMAR How to cite: GOGUADZE, TAMAR (2016) A Critical Study of Modern Orthodox Scholarly Criticism of Western Art, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/11557/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 A Critical Study of Modern Orthodox Christian Theological Criticism of Western Art Tamar Goguadze The present work seeks to explore the modern Orthodox Christian view of western art with a particular reference to western painting since the times of the Italian Renaissance to the present day. The fact that the phenomenon of western art is relatively new appears as a main challenge while attempting to examine the validity of modern views expressed in the name of the Orthodox tradition by references from patristic sources. Therefore the method of this thesis is to divide the concept of western art into its constituent components and find the patristic responses to each of them in the light of the Fathers’ appreciation of their contemporary art, literature and philosophy outside the church. As an interdisciplinary exploration of artistic creativity this work has its goal throughout to trace the positive aspects presented by the masterpieces of western art that can aid the Christian process of theosis as well as enhance the Orthodox theological contribution to the ecumenical dialogue between the East and West on the grounds of common aspects manifested in the phenomenon of human creativity. Drawing on categories of western aesthetics as well as Orthodox theology, this work is particularly interested in the nature of Orthodox arguments for and against artistic creativity per se and their relationship to the ‘Patristic mind’ of the Church rather than seeking the direct quotations of the Fathers over the subject in vain. The historical background of the modern disagreement over the issue will be taken into special consideration. Focusing on western art from an Orthodox perspective is fundamentally at odds with many conservative expectations of human creativity that are usually associated with iconography and liturgical art in Orthodox theology. Yet, the number and quality of works dedicated to explorations of iconography provides a sufficient material for enlightening both Orthodox and western readers on the mystical power of spiritual illumination generating from Orthodox icons as well as its artistic and historical analyses. The topic of this work – art outside the liturgical boundaries of the church – has been deliberately chosen. The central argument of this work is that human creativity in general has a divine origin since it has been inherited from the creative energy of God. The power of artistic influence cannot be doubted especially in a modern society that subconsciously seeks a liberation from the custody of the machinery of technical civilization. Therefore, the search for true and authentic goodness in sincere artistic manifestations of beauty and truth can find an important place in the Orthodox Christian consciousness without a need for its inclusion in worship. If taken seriously great masterpieces of western art offer an immense contribution to the theological study of spiritual senses and their relationship to the process of theosis. A Critical Study of Modern Orthodox Christian Theological Criticism of Western Art Volume One of Two Tamar Goguadze Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Theology and Religion Durham University 2016 TABLE OF CONTENTS Volume 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1 A History of Critical Study of Western Art in the 20th Century Orthodox Theological Scholarship Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 3 1.1. The crisis of national identity and the Slavophile movement in the 19th century Russia ................................................................................................................................ 7 1.2. Alexey Khomiakov: Russian identity and the Sobornost of the Church ................... 9 1.3. Orthodox spirituality versus creativity - case study: Nikolai Gogol ...................... 11 1.4. Western concept of aesthetics and a Russian literary response – Fyodor Dostoyevsky .................................................................................................................... 13 1.5. Vladimir Soloviev .................................................................................................... 15 1.6. The state of Russian art at the end of the 19th century: the four apologists of rediscovering the authentic style in Russia and in Greece .............................................. 17 1.6.1. Prince Eugene Trubetskoi ..................................................................................... 18 1.6.2. Father Pavel Florensky.......................................................................................... 20 1.6.3. Leonide Ouspensky ............................................................................................... 24 1.6.4. Photios Kontoglou................................................................................................. 26 1.7. More recent developments of Orthodox thought about the subject of western art .. 31 1.8. Vision of art in a broader context: continuing the line of patristic thought ............. 42 Summary ......................................................................................................................... 46 Chapter 2 A Christian Evaluation of the General Phenomenon of the Artist Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 48 2.1. The Orthodox Christian understanding of the concept of the iconographer ............ 48 2.2. The modern Orthodox responses to the western concept of the artist-creator ......... 55 2.3. The Byzantine sources on the appreciation of artistic talent.................................... 61 2.4. The social status of the artist in the ancient world ................................................... 64 2.5. The social status of the Renaissance artist ............................................................... 68 2.6. Artist in the modern world ....................................................................................... 74 2.7. Intention and unpredictability in the creative process.............................................. 81 iii 2.8. A general introduction to the artistic use of human imagination ............................. 85 2.9. Ancient Greek views on imagination ....................................................................... 86 2.10. The ascetic Christian approach to Phantasia .......................................................... 87 2.11. A positive Patristic outlook on imagination ........................................................... 89 2.12. Theology of artistic inspiration .............................................................................. 93 2.13. Discussions about the personal expression of the artist: The problem of subjectivity versus collective consciousness..................................................................100 2.14. Understanding the distinction between the two Selves of the artist: personal and creative ...........................................................................................................................103 2.15. Evaluation of Berdyaev’s theory of ‘Genius and Holy Man’ ...............................112 Summary ........................................................................................................................117 Chapter 3 A Theological Analysis of the Rationale of Artistic Presentation Introduction Orthodox Christian Objections to Western Artistic Interest in Naturalism ...................119 3.1. Theological context of mimesis in prehistoric painting ..........................................121 3.2. The significance of Greek thought in the development of later Christian understanding of art and aesthetics ................................................................................127 3.3. Three ancient philosophers on mimesis ..................................................................137 3.4. The role and appreciations of life-likeness in early Christian art ...........................141 3.5. A puritanical approach to artistic presence in the early Church .............................145 3.6. The positive outcomes of Byzantine Iconoclasm in the formation of the Church’s understanding of mimetic presentation ..........................................................................147