Metaphor of Light in the Sacred Images in the Ornaments of the East and the Ancient Russian Art

Abstract

The article presents a comparative analysis of the two phenomena of sacred and cult art that are empirically different in the method of execution, materials, style, and language: the ornaments of the Arab East and ancient Russian frescoes. Despite the differences in the external properties of these cultural objects, they express in their own language a single sacred image contained in the compositions in the domes of their temples, which allows us to complete the comparative analysis of the ‘different’ with the synthesis of the ‘similar’ hidden in the symbols of these cultures. The visual semiotics complements the research methods, revealing the levels of reading (interpretation) of the visual texts.

Keywords

• comparative analysis
• semiotics
• calligraphic ornament
• ancient russian art
• symmetry
• rhythm
• tabor light