A novel painted monument. Byzantine Art between Aesthetic Redefining and Dogmatic Perennity. The church Saint John the Baptist of Bârnova
A novel painted monument. Byzantine Art between Aesthetic Redefining and Dogmatic Perennity. The church Saint John the Baptist of Bârnova

Summary/Abstract: Being remarkablethrough the monumentality andelegance of proportions, thearchitecture of the Church “SaintJohn the Baptist” from Bârnovaderives from the so-called oldWallachian style, skillfullyreshaping a structure whichcombines elements which arespecific to Byzantine Balkanicecclesiastical buildings. Theunseen pictural work of ȘtefanConstantinescu is characterized bythe attempt to associate the resultsof experiencing freedom ofinterpretation and expression withthe rules of the iconographiccanon, inside the same ensemble.Its representations do notreproduce the traditional Byzantinemanner, nor it is delivered as aform of quoting reality, but it is filtered and interpreted. From a theologicalpoint of view, the author respects the iconographic program, except for thetopographic placement of some episodes, adapting the discourse accordingto the configuration and features of the liturgical space. We are in front ofa case which places us in the position of managing the relationship betweenthe value of artistic creation and the meticulosity of theologicalinvolvement. Neither Byzantine, nor realistic, the artistic solution of themural painting from Bârnova is closer to the manner of iconictransfiguration than to the one of improvisation or artistic intermediationthrough which the daily tridimensional world is reflected.

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