| Popis: |
This new book by Michel Bacci is dedicated to the image of Christ, and more specifically to how existing visual tradition relates to the issue of the authentic face of Jesus. It explores how an iconography that was considered typical for centuries came into being and the various strategies underlying this process. The study demonstrates that the iconic representation of Christ portrayed as a handsome young man with a beard and long hair was neither the first nor the only option considered by Late Antique artists and medieval churchmen for the image of Jesus. Hence, the author of The Many Faces of Christ challenges the common belief that the appearance and physiognomic traits of divine figures were from the outset fixed in art and canonized by tradition. As a consequence, the standard narrative of established long-lasting patterns and singular archetypal models is substituted in the book by a story of change and experimentation in which Christian phenomena at times find direct counterparts in other religious traditions. |
