Reply To: Iconoclasm

[mbsimington]

Byzantine art was definitely in the midst of when iconoclasm and graven images became a public issue, as images of gods and religious figures are commonly used today (many cathedrals have statues of Mary, and many pray specifically at that statue’s feet). Iconoclasm is still done today, though not on the scale that it was during the time of Byzantine art. Many pieces from this period are no longer complete, as parts have been destroyed during times of iconoclasm. The beliefs in whether or not graven images were heretical or not were definitely polarized, and that can be seen in pieces that are quite literally half-destroyed, such as the Ivory Panel with Archangel.This dualistic behavior shows the influence religion had on the Byzantine society as a whole, which, as shown by the art, is a very heavy one. Despite these periods of iconoclasm, most of the remaining art from the time relates to religion, however pretty much all of them aren’t direct depictions of God, moreso angels and other important religious figures, and therefore lie right on the line of “is it a true graven image or not?” This line is the reasoning between the polarized opinions and periods of iconoclasm.