Russian Icons: Geometry and Signs

Dmitry Igorevich Antonov – Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor at RSUH, Director of the Center for Visual Studies of the Middle Ages and Modern Times at the Faculty of Cultural Studies of RSUH, Senior Researcher at the Laboratory of Theoretical Folkloristics at RANEPA. He is the author of the books "Halo and Cross: How to Read Russian Icons", "Kings and Pretenders: The Struggle of Ideas in Russia During the Time of Troubles", "Icons of the Soviet Era: Faces of Tradition" (co-authored with D. Yu. Doronin), "Anatomy of Hell: A Guide to Ancient Russian Visual Demonology" (co-authored with M. R. Maizul's), and "Demons and Sinners in Ancient Russian Iconography: Semiotics of the Image" (co-authored with M. R. Maizul's). What you have before you is not an ordinary encyclopedia of Russian icon painting. The main goal of this book is to provide readers with keys that will allow them to navigate the world of icons and murals. To understand the logic of the images and see the information hidden in the details. The author step by step shows how to "read" icons and how to delve into the interesting nuances hidden in each plot. The first chapter describes the geometric principles that allow icon painters to tell about space and the depicted objects. The following chapters discuss signs – subtle elements that make up any visual narrative, and the motifs that recur in different compositions. Finally, in the last chapter, the author examines unusual variations of certain plots. The book will be of interest to both those who want to gain general knowledge about Russian icon painting and those who are professionally engaged in the history of culture, art, and religion.