Icon and Devotion is the first historical survey in English of the making and meaning of Russian icons. The craft of icon-making is set into the context of forms of worship that emerged in the Russian Orthodox Church in the mid-seventeenth century. Oleg Tarasov shows how icons have held a special place in Russian consciousness because they represented idealized images of 'Holy Russia.' He also looks closely at a range of issues, from the sacred meanings of icons to how and why icons were made. Wonder-working saints and the schismatic 'Old Believers' appear in these pages, which are copiously illustrated with paintings, lithographs and engravings never before published in the English-speaking world.By tracing the artistic vocabulary, techniques and working methods of icon painters in the last 400 years, Tarasov shows how icons have been integral to the history of Russian art, influenced by folk traditions and Western European currents alike. As well as articulating the specifically Russian piety they invoke, he analyzes the significance of icons in the cultural life of modern Russia in the context of popular prints and of artists associated with the 'Modern Movement,' such as Malevich and Larionov.This book will not only interest specialists in icons and the history of Russian art, but everyone with a general interest in Russian history and culture. It includes a substantial Foreword by the translator and editor, Robin Milner-Gullard, which is a valuable introduction to icons, devotion and Imperial Russia.Oleg Tarasov is Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Cultural History of the Institute of Slavic Studies (Russian Academy of Sciences), Moscow. He has written extensively on icons, painting and cultural history.For additional details see: Iconofile
