Reply To: Iconoclasm

[Laura Barber]

Although there are far more religious images depicted in Byzantine art, they are not exactly graven images. Similarly to last week’s Christian and Jewish art, the religious images are always drawn with/in some relation with God. They are not necessarily worshiped before God, but rather along with him. The Virgin Mary is a prime example of this practice. Virgin and Child With Saints And Angels Icon displays the Virgin and two saints in a holy, reverent fashion. This could be interpreted as a graven image, but the Virgin Mary, Saint George, and Saint Theodore all became revered because of their service/relation to God, and thus they are not being regarded as figures of worship above God. Virgin of Vladimir also portrays the Virgin Mary as a figure of worship, but the artwork was still not viewed as a graven image because “the imagery draws people closer to their faith.’ This sentiment can be applied to most religious art of the time, which explains the spike in artwork featuring religious figures such as David and the Virgin Mary during this time period.