RELIGION AND THE SACRED ART

PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF SYMBOLISM IN THE ART OF MANUSCRIPTS PAINTING

St.George St. Mercury St. Serge Deesis

The Harrowing of Hell The Creation of Eve Title page of the Gospel (St. John) Title page of gospel (St. Mark)

IS THERE ANY INTELLECTUALISM OR INTELLIGENT PSYCHOLOGICAL MANIFESTATION IN THE EARLY ANATOLIAN ARMENIAN MANUSCRIPTS PAINTING?

tTHE RISE OF LAZARUS by the Anonymous Painter of Syanuq, Same era.

This miniature represents the miracle performed by Jesus Christ: The rise of Lazarus according to the Gospel of St. John. This early iconographic style of illuminated manuscripts painting is typical of an Armenian ethnic miniatures genre. The miniature is characterized by an aesthetical equilibrium centered in the middle of the painting. Its structure is balanced because its global composition focuses on the main activity of the painting which is depicted by the facial expressions of Lazarus accompanied by the elevation of his arms. The movement is accentuated and placed en relief by the juxtaposition of the position of the tomb intentionally placed in the center of the miniature. The crowd witnessing the miracle represents the apostles to the right and unidentified personages on the left. The sisters of Lazarus are placed in the foreground.

The painter tactfully set the stage for his composition by placing Lazarus in the center of the miniature facing Jesus Christ complemented by the facial expressions and hand gestures of the crowd witnessing the miracle. This is a very innovative adaptation of a religious theme, since the early Armenian manuscripts painters mainly focused on the event or the scene per se without paying attention to physiognomy and related bodily expressions. This artistic attribute was exclusively observed in later versions of the Byzantine paintings and never in the early ethnic Armenian painting art. It seems that an approach to a three dimensional artistic introduction is making its way to this miniature. We have our subject in the center of the action (Lazarus) surrounded by additional activities on a second level expressed by hand gestures and facial expressions, and finally on a third level we have the exteriorization of a collective reaction by the crowd.

SYMBOLISM IN EARLY CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS AND SACRED ARTS

Icon right: THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST by the anonymous painter of Syuniq.

The scenes in this painting are complex. The composition of this miniature is founded and constructed on the foundation and beliefs of the space-time relation dogma of the Medieval Armenian ethnic art. The style depicts and paints scenes in a logical chronological order. The technique accentuates continuous sequences of ideas and movements. Each phase of the painting follows the other in a synchronized order following a pattern of logical trans-changes from one idea to another. There is no distortion or interruption between the first scene depicted and placed at the very bottom of the painting and the superposed movement-idea on the upper level of the painting. This is another innovation and a unique feature in an early Armenian manuscript painting, similar in nature to the previous innovation we noticed in the painting of the Rise of Lazarus, where the painter focused for the first time and possibly not for the last time on the facial expressions, bodily movements, hands gestures and reaction of the crowd.

In this painting we do witness something parallel. As you might have already noticed, the beginning and the development of the action and its relation to the idea or concept takes place from the very lowest section and the bottom of the illustration upwards. In the lower section of the composition, Jesus Christ is placed in the tomb. Just above this level of the composition, the painter depicted sleeping Roman centurions who guarded the entrance of the tomb. In the higher section of the tri-level composition, the next scene takes place manifested and activated by the arrival of the women who came to the tomb to anoint the body . There is an interaction between the women and the angels. It appears that a discussion or a dialogue has been exchanged between the women and the heavily beings. It could be some sort of stories or account (s) of what might have happened to Jesus Christ, to his body or to any pertaining event unknown yet to the women. This is a very rare composition, hardly seen in other miniatures. The theme creates the setting. The setting sets the stage for the action. The action is stimulated by a religious belief. The movement from the lowest level to the upper level of the miniature follows a logical and chronological order. A certain degree of intellectual exercise manifests itself through a realization and comprehension of time-space. There is also a sense of abstract visualization in the thought process not in the artistic structure. Enough intellectual or quasi-intellectual symbolic manifestation to ascertain the fact, that after all early Armenian manuscripts paintings did not lack imagination, conceptual analysis of a theme to materialize through colors.

Icon left: THE PENTECOST by the Anonymous Painter of Syuniq. .

This miniature is painted according to "The Acts of the Apostles" (11:1 - 3). This miniature is quite unique because it depicts an Armenian church in the center of the painting. Rarely, we do see a church in a predominant central position if it is not directly related to the theme of the painting. Many miniatures did depict churches either in the background of a religious event or straight on the front, if the theme of the miniature and its events occurred around, outside or inside a church. There are several copies, adaptations and varied versions of this miniature. However, a small number of those versions included an Armenian church and placed a church right in the center of the painting.

Icon right: REVELATION OF ST. JOHN by the Anonymous Painter of Syuniq.

There is a continuous movement in this miniature represented through symbolism. A symbolism borrowed from the early Christian scriptures and an episode from the Revelation of St. John. In this miniature we see two personages: Jesus Christ and John facing each other, joined, united and separated by transparent clouds or flashes of stars. The brighter stars are intelligently and probably for religious reasons are placed between Jesus Christ and St. John. There is a reason for dispersing stars all over the miniatures. In Early Christianity (Armenian, Aramaic, Near Eastern, Nestorian, Coptic, Syriac, Orthodoxy, Anatolian, Agnostic, Maronite, etc.) stars meant churches. Stars are the symbol of places of worship. Crowned with crosses, stars become the ipso facto symbol of a church. According to The Revelation of St. John, Jesus Christ appeared or shall appear with a sickle in his right hand and a sword in his mouth. The Revelation also depicts Jesus Christ appearance with flashes of stars while Jesus Christ holding a large seal in his right hand. This metaphoric scenery did not confuse the painter of the manuscripts. From all the accounts and the various phases of Jesus Christ manifestations, the painter selected the most representative symbols, images and messages. For instance, the painter chose only one comprehensive image at two levels: Jesus Christ with a sickle surrounded by streams and flashes of stars. Thus connection the Revelation to the Church. A permanent, eternal and ever lasting connection and unity between Jesus Christ and the Holy Church symbolized and represented through the infinite and ever lasting movement s of the stars.