Icon and Devotion: Sacred Spaces in Imperial Russia

by Oleg Tarasov

Icon and Devotion offers the first extensive presentation in English of the making and meaning of Russian icons. The craft of icon-making is set into the context of forms of worship that emerged in the Russian Orthodox Church in the mid-seventeenth century. Oleg Tarasov shows how icons have held a special place in Russian consciousness because they represented idealized images of Holy Russia. He also looks closely at how and why icons were made. Wonder-working saints and the leaders of such religious schisms as the Old Believers appear in these pages, which are illustrated with miniature paintings, lithographs and engravings never before published in the English-speaking world.

By tracing the artistic vocabulary, techniques and working methods of icon painters, Tarasov shows how icons have been integral to the history of Russian art, influenced by folk and mainstream currents alike. As well as articulating the specifically Russian piety they invoke, he analyzes the significance of icons in the cultural life of modern Russia in the context of popular prints and poster design.

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Johns · Rating 4 out of 5]

A scholarly book that takes time to read carefully. Presented herein is a translation made by an Englishman from the original Russian text. It will give any interested reader a sense of the importance of the Icon in Russian Christian worship over the last 300+ years. This is not an art book focusing on individual, notable works of art, rather it's a history of different creation styles and uses of icons in Russian life.