The Byzantine icon

This free course provides a quick overview of the Byzantine icon; its function, the spaces it occupies and the subjects it depicts. The course spans two weeks.In Week 1, you will explore what an icon is, its function and importance within the Byzantine culture, and Christian Orthodox religion. This course doesn't require extensive prior knowledge of Christianity, though you will need to study the context within which the Byzantine icon was developed and the purpose it served (and still serves). As such, the Bible is a vital source for understanding the subjects depicted on Byzantine icons. Once you're familiar with the concept of the Byzantine icon, in Week 2 you will learn how to ‘read’ an icon. Since the subjects depicted on icons rely on the narrative of the Bible, in Week 2 you will be taught some basic skills on how to approach and identify the subject matter of an icon.This course is a short journey into the rich world of Byzantine artistic production via its most illustrious representative – the icon.

• Week1Week 1: Introducing the Byzantine icon
• Introduction: the geography of the icon
• Learning outcomes
• 1 What is an icon?
• 2 Iconoclasm and the triumph of the icon
• 2.1 After iconoclasm
• 2.2 Virgin and Child
• 2.3 The Virgin Hodegetria
• 3 The functions of an icon
• 3.1 Sacred I: The Byzantine Church
• 3.2 Sacred II: Icons in church, liturgy and worship
• 3.2.1 First zone
• 3.2.2 Second zone
• 3.2.3 Third zone
• 3.3 Secular I: Icon in public and private spaces
• 3.4 Secular II: Icons in the market
• 3.5 Madre della Consolazione
• 4 The place of the icon in the development of art history
• 4.1 From Giorgio Vasari to Sir Steven Runciman
• 4.2 Icon and modern art
• 5 End-of-week questions
• Summary of Week 1
• Acknowledgements
• Week2Week 2: Examining the Byzantine icon
• Introduction
• 1 ‘Reading’ an icon: Byzantine iconography and Gospel narrative
• 2 The Betrayal
• 3 The Nativity of Christ
• 4 The Washing of the Feet
• 5 Identify the iconography
• Summary of Week 2
• Appendix 1
• Appendix 2
• References
• Acknowledgements