Talk with Denis A. Khotimsky: Untangling Ornamental Cyrillic
Free with admission.
This talk will dive into the history and theory of Cyrillic ornamental calligraphy, present several masterpieces, and provide examples of deciphering a few inscriptions on icons featured in the ongoing special exhibition “Icons: Old Believers and Their World.” It will also reveal a treasure that has been hiding in plain sight for nearly two centuries and demonstrate how untangling Cyrillic Viaz’ can help to bust historical myths and expose deliberate fakes. The listeners will have an opportunity to touch and feel the original seventeenth-century antique maps.
Everyone who studied or just observed Orthodox icons surely noticed elaborate ornamental inscriptions that often name the image itself, the Saint, or the event depicted on the icon. The inscription may also appear on the scrolls or books held by the figure. According to an observation by Boris Uspensky, “the inscriptions act as an essential component of icon-painting representations”, which “expresses the archetype no less, if no more, than does the actual representation”. Furthermore, since the early icons were intended for largely illiterate viewers, “in general they were not designed to be understood, but precisely establish an internal, sacred (mystic) identification and to affirm the ontological connection between the image and the name” (Boris Uspensky).
The calligraphic style of these inscriptions is known in Russian as Viaz‘, which means “intertwining.” Combining a two-dimensional arrangement of letters with extensive use of ligatures, Viaz’ aims to fuse a word or line into a continuous ornamental pattern. The Old-Believers mastered the art of Viaz‘ making a pattern appear more like a cryptographic puzzle than a segment of text.
The same calligraphic style is often found in the titles of the books and book chapters, church dedication plaques, tombstone inscriptions, the everyday objects, and — in a few examples — on antique maps. In many of those cases, the text is actually meant to be read, and thus performs an informative rather than merely ontological function.
Denis Khotimsky, Ph.D., is an engineer with a passion for the history of cartography, who explores the evolution and graphic logic of Cyrillic Viaz’—the interlaced ornamental script that adorns many icons as well as other works of art, including antique maps. The talk provides examples of the visual gems Viaz’ intricate letterforms may conceal and the historical mysteries they can help to untangle.
Free with admission.
This talk will dive into the history and theory of Cyrillic ornamental calligraphy, present several masterpieces, and provide examples of deciphering a few inscriptions on icons featured in the ongoing special exhibition “Icons: Old Believers and Their World.” It will also reveal a treasure that has been hiding in plain sight for nearly two centuries and demonstrate how untangling Cyrillic Viaz’ can help to bust historical myths and expose deliberate fakes. The listeners will have an opportunity to touch and feel the original seventeenth-century antique maps.
Everyone who studied or just observed Orthodox icons surely noticed elaborate ornamental inscriptions that often name the image itself, the Saint, or the event depicted on the icon. The inscription may also appear on the scrolls or books held by the figure. According to an observation by Boris Uspensky, “the inscriptions act as an essential component of icon-painting representations”, which “expresses the archetype no less, if no more, than does the actual representation”. Furthermore, since the early icons were intended for largely illiterate viewers, “in general they were not designed to be understood, but precisely establish an internal, sacred (mystic) identification and to affirm the ontological connection between the image and the name” (Boris Uspensky).
The calligraphic style of these inscriptions is known in Russian as Viaz‘, which means “intertwining.” Combining a two-dimensional arrangement of letters with extensive use of ligatures, Viaz’ aims to fuse a word or line into a continuous ornamental pattern. The Old-Believers mastered the art of Viaz‘ making a pattern appear more like a cryptographic puzzle than a segment of text.
The same calligraphic style is often found in the titles of the books and book chapters, church dedication plaques, tombstone inscriptions, the everyday objects, and — in a few examples — on antique maps. In many of those cases, the text is actually meant to be read, and thus performs an informative rather than merely ontological function.
Denis Khotimsky, Ph.D., is an engineer with a passion for the history of cartography, who explores the evolution and graphic logic of Cyrillic Viaz’—the interlaced ornamental script that adorns many icons as well as other works of art, including antique maps. The talk provides examples of the visual gems Viaz’ intricate letterforms may conceal and the historical mysteries they can help to untangle.