Естетичний та соціальний вимір сучасного іконопису
The Aesthetic and Social Dimension of Contemporary Icon Painting

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of the article is to highlight the aesthetic and social approaches to the interpretation of the contemporary Eastern Christian icon painting tradition. The methodology of the research is a contextual approach using both comparative and systematization methods. The scientific novelty of the paper is that it systematizes the most significant concepts that characterize the development of the contemporary icon-painting tradition in Eastern Europe. The work debates the findings of the leading scholars in the field. Conclusions. Among art critics, there is a clear understanding of the icon painting tradition as a piece of art that is executed by predetermined rules and church canons. In this sense, the icon painting tradition is bound with medieval Byzantine and post-Byzantine cultural heritage. Although the ideas of various authors regarding the prospect and canonicality of the icon often vary, all of them appeal to medieval, icon-painting tradition as a "true" one. While some researchers evaluate contemporary icons with "uncritical conservatism" and deny its perspective, others oppose them, stating that today's development of Eastern Christian icon painting is based not only on aesthetics but also on a social basis. If the aesthetic argument of modern icon painting is closely linked to theological and religious discourse, the social function of the icon has played and continues to play a prominent role in the development of national identity building in Eastern Europe

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