Using a new methodological approach, called epiconography, the present paper examines the most significant monuments produced in Rome during the Gregorian reform: the mosaics of S. Clemente and S. Maria in Trastevere. This approach situates the works within the realm of the historical and cultural contexts of their production, and attempts to resolve the divide between ‘visible’ and ‘legible’, figure and text, which has been present for so long in art historical studies. The two mosaics are exemplars of a practice of ‘visual composition’ that followed the rules of medieval rhetoric in order to emphasise an ecclesiastical message. This strategy was typical during the Gregorian reform, since S. Clemente was composed under the direct influence of the initial ideals that gave impetus to this ecclesiastical reform, while S. Maria in Trastevere constitutes the apex of "Gregorian art", showing the triumph of the reformed Church. In both mosaics, the scripts guide the viewer using the type of letters, the placing of texts and images, and their colours, depending on the position of the viewer within the architectural space of the church. Gregorian art demonstrates the reinterpretation of traditional models of decoration to create new schemata, closer to the contemporary message of the Church. Reformers created a visual rhetoric based on the display of closely connected scripts and images, which systematised knowledge for the benefit of the beholder.
The Word in the Image: an Epiconographic Analysis of Reformed Mosaics in Rome (Twelfth-century)
RICCIONI, Stefano
2011-01-01
Abstract
Using a new methodological approach, called epiconography, the present paper examines the most significant monuments produced in Rome during the Gregorian reform: the mosaics of S. Clemente and S. Maria in Trastevere. This approach situates the works within the realm of the historical and cultural contexts of their production, and attempts to resolve the divide between ‘visible’ and ‘legible’, figure and text, which has been present for so long in art historical studies. The two mosaics are exemplars of a practice of ‘visual composition’ that followed the rules of medieval rhetoric in order to emphasise an ecclesiastical message. This strategy was typical during the Gregorian reform, since S. Clemente was composed under the direct influence of the initial ideals that gave impetus to this ecclesiastical reform, while S. Maria in Trastevere constitutes the apex of "Gregorian art", showing the triumph of the reformed Church. In both mosaics, the scripts guide the viewer using the type of letters, the placing of texts and images, and their colours, depending on the position of the viewer within the architectural space of the church. Gregorian art demonstrates the reinterpretation of traditional models of decoration to create new schemata, closer to the contemporary message of the Church. Reformers created a visual rhetoric based on the display of closely connected scripts and images, which systematised knowledge for the benefit of the beholder.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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