Icon and Devotion

“Icon and Devotion” presents a historical survey 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 from the mid-17th century on. The text shows how icons have held a special place in Russian consciousness because they represented idealized images of Holy Russia, and also looks closely at a range of issues, from the sacred meanings of icon images to how and why they were made. Wonder-working saints and the leaders of such religious schisms as the Old Believers appear in these pages, which are illustrated with miniture paintings, lithographs and engravings. By tracing the artistic vocabulary, techniques and working methods of icon painters, the text shows how icons have been an integral part of the history of Russian art, influenced by folk and mainstream currents alike. As well as articulating the specifically Russian religious piety they invoke, it analyzes the significance of icons in the cultural life of modern Russia in the context of popular prints and poster design.
This text should interest not only specialists in icons and the history of Russian art but also anyone with a general interest in Russian history and culture.

Author Biography

Oleg Tarasov is Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Cultural History of the Institute of Slavic Studies (Russian Academy of Sciences), Moscow. He is the author of Icon and Devotion (2002) and Framing Russian Art (2011), both published by Reaktion Books.