The evolution of the decorative motifs in the design of Byzantine illuminated initial letters -A view in ecclesiastical codices of the National Library of Greece from ninth to fifteenth century-

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 한국기초조형학회
· 수록지 정보 : 기초조형학연구 / 17권 / 3호 / 271 ~ 288페이지
· 저자명 : 아르기로 카소타키-가토풀루

초록

The decoration of the initial letters of Byzantine manuscripts expresses a particular Medieval Greek calligraphy aesthetic inspired by Christian spirituality. The article investigates the continuity of the Greek philosophical principles of beauty and spirituality, combined with the evolution of decorative Byzantine calligraphy during medieval times. The designs of Byzantine decorative initial letters follow the basic artistic principles and rules of Christian art in Byzantium. The decoration of byzantine initials visualize the religious meaning and messages of the text of codices in a free and creative way that widens the boundaries of Christian doctrine without abolishing them. Thus it facilitates a deeper understanding of the different relationship between beauty and spirituality. The first part of this article briefly presents the overall theological context of the aesthetic principles of Byzantine painting and decorative art, the influences from the ancient Greek and Eastern artistic traditions through the historical and cultural changes of the medieval religious and doctrinal conflicts, the themes, the symbolisms, the shapes and colors chosen by the imagination of the calligrapher to shape and decorate each original letter in the text of a Byzantine codex. In the second part of the article, specific features of Byzantine decorative initial letters’ motifs are interpreted as examples indicating the evolution of spiritual inwardness and the delight that derives from a decorated Greek linguistic symbol at the beginning of the narrative of the strict theological word within the text. As decorated initials gave remarkable artistic value in the Byzantine codices, they are evaluated as independent works of art and carriers of artistic trends and influences of their era. The present research is limited to an indicative description about the evolution of aesthetic forms of the initial letters in a Byzantine text, during the historical period from the end of Iconoclasm (9th century) until the end of the Byzantine era (15th century), presenting selectively illuminated initials samples from ecclesiastical Byzantine codes of the National Library of Greece.

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