No abstract

Orthodox frescoes founded by King Ladislaus II Jagiello (1386–1434) in the collegiate church in Wiślica have come down to us in a very poor condition. Covered by plaster as early as at the turn of the 17th century, they remained unknown until World War I, when, after a heavy bombardment, fragments of paintings reappeared from beneath white paint. A careless restoration brought about further damages, mostly on the surface of the paintings, and presently only about forty percent of the original murals is still visible in the presbytery of the church. Nevertheless, the general layout of the iconographic programme can be reconstructed based on the preserved fragments. Although the ceiling had to be rebuilt after the war, on the basis of its restorers’ testimonies it is possible to reconstruct the themes connected with Christ’s eternal glory in Heaven. Side walls were originally divided into five (or six) zones, while the semi-octagonal gothic apse into two zones. The upper parts of the side walls were covered with the images of the Church Fathers. Only the images of John Chrysostom and Basil of Caesarea survived on the S wall. Below, a row of prophets surrounded the whole presbytery. Their images are much better preserved. The figures of Isaiah, Solomon, Zechariah the Younger, Abdias (?), Micah, Amos, Elijah, Elisha, Habakkuk and Jonah are identifiable, mostly thanks to the scrolls with the texts of their prophecies. Their images were supplemented with the busts of Old Testament patriarchs shown in a clypei on the inner side of the triumphal arch; only four of them have survived (Melchizedek, Job?, Aaron and Hur).

The idea of mimesis in art theory has been neglected by Byzantine scholars. Reasons for this may lie in the fact that the understanding of the term in Byzantium was very complex and that it changed over time. In the Early Byzantine period and the so-called Macedonian Renaissance, a tendency to use tonal modelling, which was inherited from ancient Greco-Roman art, can still be observed. Starting in the late tenth century they give way to a more linear style. Simultaneously, a change in the understanding of mimesis in theological writings can also be observed. The aim of this paper is to introduce the problem of a mimetic approach in visual arts as a phenomenon in Byzantine culture.

nie dotyczy

The dispute over the place and function of images in the Eastern Orthodox Church (726-780 and 815-843), referred to as a controversy among scholars and as iconoclastic heresy among members of the Orthodox Church, constituted a turning point both in the political history of the Byzantine Empire and in the history of its art. It is therefore hardly surprising that this period has enjoyed a great popularity among scholars for nearly one hundred years. 1 However, a vast majority of the discussions associated with the artistic aspect of the discussed issue focus on the analysis of theological arguments used by both parties to the conflict, whereas the art created at that time is very often disregarded or mentioned perfunctorily. The reasons for this are complex and seem to stem as much from the scarcity of preserved artefacts as from the prejudices of the scholars, unwilling to associate the works of figurative art with Iconoclasm. 2