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Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2015

Photismos and the early Byzantine aesthetic experience.

Résumé

The semantic quality of the sixth-century architectural design and interior decoration of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople substantiates an aesthetic of light that is closely associated with the divine essence and with religious values. Light acted on the one hand as a visual unifier, particularly in combination with the original non-figurative mosaics, their motifs and colours. On the other hand, the use and depiction of light exhibit a metaphysical idea of divine illumination. The purpose of the mosaic programme was to visualise the quest for divine wisdom in the Neoplatonic sense, contributing to the identity of the Great Church as the ‘House of Wisdom’. A close examination of the aesthetic experience of the sixth-century church of Hagia Sophia reveals the ways in which the material world, and works of art in particular were perceived in early Byzantium, and how spiritual reality and truth were defined and attained. For instance, the selective use of specific colours in Hagia Sophia suggests that physiological aspects of vision played a central role in terms of colour contrasts and for the clarity of vision, but also in terms of material signification. Contemporary literary and philosophical sources corroborate the performative nature of Hagia Sophia’s sacred interior. The ecclesiastical space was meant to provide an environment that inspired the contemplation of the divine paradigms and brought about a mystical experience, linking the perception of light with a spiritual and epistemological development. Other contemporary decorative programmes such as those in the church of Hagios Polyeuktos in Constantinople and the monastery of Saint Catherine in Sinai attest to similar patterns of visuality and of the underlying concepts of art and beauty. The main function of the material world and works of art clearly was normative and didactic, making accessible the inaccessibility of the divine. In this presentation I will take an interdisciplinary approach and discuss the artistic, literary and philosophical concepts that contribute to the metaphysical aesthetic of light in early Byzantium.
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Dates et versions

hal-02530795 , version 1 (03-04-2020)

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  • HAL Id : hal-02530795 , version 1

Citer

Nadine Schibille. Photismos and the early Byzantine aesthetic experience.. Religions et Sensorialité : Antiquité et Moyen Âge. Colloque International due LABEX RESMED, B. Caseau, Jun 2015, Paris, France. ⟨hal-02530795⟩
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