aniconism

aniconism
/an uy"keuh niz'euhm/, n.
1. opposition to the use of idols or images.
2. the worship of objects symbolic of but not depicting a deity.
[1905-10; AN1- + ICON + -ISM]

* * *

      in religion, opposition to the use of icons or visual images to depict living creatures or religious figures. Such opposition is particularly relevant to the Jewish, Islāmic, and Byzantine artistic traditions.

      The biblical Second Commandment (part of the First Commandment to Roman Catholics and Lutherans), “You shall not make yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything,” which had been intended as a protection against idol worship, came to have a restricting effect on the production of Jewish art, though this effect varied in strength in different periods and was strongest on sculpture. Figural representations were absolutely prohibited in the early period of Islām and under the Berber dynasties of Africa and the Mamlūks of Egypt and Syria, though under the ʿAbbāsids and most of the Shīʿite and Turkish dynasties, it was excluded only from public buildings. In the Byzantine Empire, during the Iconoclastic Controversy (725–843), a ban was imposed on the representations of saintly or divine personages.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Aniconism — is the practice or belief in avoiding or shunning the graphic representation of divine beings or religious figures, or in different manifestations, any human beings or living creatures. The term aniconic may be used to describe the absence of… …   Wikipedia

  • aniconism — ANICONÍSM s. n. lipsa reprezentării figurate a unei divinităţi. (< anicon/ic/ + ism) Trimis de raduborza, 15.09.2007. Sursa: MDN …   Dicționar Român

  • Aniconism in Islam — is a proscription against the creation of images of God in Islam. Other forms of aniconism in Islam prohibit the depiction of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, which is the consensual view among sunni Muslims,or even, in the case of more extreme case …   Wikipedia

  • Aniconism in Buddhism — Buddhist art used to be aniconicFact|date=February 2007: the Buddha was only represented through his symbols (an empty throne, the Bodhi tree, the Buddha s footprints, the prayer wheel). This reluctance towards anthropomorphic representations of… …   Wikipedia

  • Aniconism in Judaism — The Tanakh A number of verses in the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) refer to prohibitions against the creation of various forms of images, invariably linked directly with idolatry. The strongest over all source is based on what Judaism counts as the… …   Wikipedia

  • Aniconism in Christianity — Byzantine iconoclasm There were two periods of iconoclasm, or icon destruction, in the Byzantine Empire, in the mid eighth and early ninth centuries. The political aspects of the conflicts are complex, dealing with the relationship between the… …   Wikipedia

  • aniconism — noun The conviction that artists should not depict human beings. See Also: aniconic …   Wiktionary

  • aniconism — an·icon·ism …   English syllables

  • aniconism — (ˈ)aˈnīkənˌizəm noun ( s) Etymology: an + iconism 1. : worship of an aniconic object 2. : opposition to the use of idols * * * /an uy keuh niz euhm/, n. 1. opposition to the use of idols or images. 2. the worship of objects symbolic of but not… …   Useful english dictionary

  • aniconic, aniconism —    Aniconism is the conviction that one should or must avoid naturalistic figurative representation. This sort of prohibition can be found in several cultures. As a feature of Islamic art, its intended as as a measure against idolatry. Also see… …   Glossary of Art Terms

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”