"The Art of Eternity": a three-part BBC documentary with Andrew Graham-Dixon
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On the Sunday that follows (or falls on) October 11th, the Orthodox Church commemorates “the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council,” which took place at Nicea in 787. The issue addressed at Nicea II was the heresy of Iconoclasm, which rejected all depictions of Christ and the Saints. The Council decided to uphold the affirmation of such images, based on the Church’s faith in the Incarnation — that in the person of Jesus, the eternal Son of God had revealed himself visibly and tangibly, and thus could be depicted and venerated in sacred art. One can read more about the Council and its decisions here and here.
Today, as I write this, is the Sunday after October 11th, and I thought it might be appropriate to post links to an excellent three-part series on Christian art, East and West, which first aired on the BBC in 2007. The host is the always-engaging Andrew Graham-Dixon, all of whose many documentaries on art history merit attentive viewing. My wife, Solrunn Nes, previously posted the same series on her Substack, but I think it deserves a re-posting here. Needless to say, there is a strong connection between iconography (and other kinds of sacred art) and the Christian life of prayer and worship.
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From the description:
How should art depict the relationship between man and God? How can art best express eternal values? Can you, and should you, portray the face of Christ? For over a thousand years these were some of the questions which taxed the minds of the greatest artists of the early West. In this three-part series, art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon sets out to unravel the mysteries of the art of the pre-perspective era. Why has this world been so frequently misunderstood and underrated? His journey takes him from the mysterious catacombs of ancient Rome to Coptic Egypt, to the Orthodox Christian world of Istanbul and then onwards to medieval Italy and France.
Episode One: Painting Paradise
You can see Episode One by clicking here.
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Episode Two: The Glory of Byzantium
You can see Episode Two by clicking here.
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Episode Three: When East Meets West