The Soteriological Aspect of the Murals in the Kaliningrad Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
- Pages
- 35-45
Abstract
The article explores the main principles behind modern church paintings. The author examines the key factors affecting the structure of mural paintings and pays special attention to their semantic content. The main objective of the analysis is to identify means of expressive visualisation of the Divine Oeconomy, which is the semantic fundamental of the murals’ iconography. The author employs the methods of iconographic and iconological analysis correlating with the objectives of the study. It is concluded that the soteriological aspect of mural iconography is one of the most traditional and semantically justified. It is reflected in the composition and the choice of colours as well as in the selection and juxtaposition of motifs and their correlation with the architectural elements of the Kaliningrad Cathedral. The soteriological aspect does not diminish the significance of other factors determining the iconography of the murals, i. e. the architectural design, the dedication of the Cathedral, liturgical aspects etc. On the contrary, it contributes to a deeper understanding of such aspects.
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