Religion 242 - RUSSIAN SACRED ART

Same as RES 242. How can we explain the power and aura of the devotional object, political symbol, and art commodity known as “the Russian Icon”? Revered as sacred, vilified as reactionary, displaced and sold as masterpiece, this course examines the life and language of this art form, and its role in shaping Russia’s turbulent history. Situating the icon in the broader fields of religion, ritual, and visual studies, students will consider topics such as the production and reception of images; the notion of visual “presence”; visuality and spirituality; secularization, commodification, and the sacred; history, memory, and collective identities; religion and modern art; visual propaganda, culture wars, and contemporary protest movements. No prerequisites. Open to first-year students.