THE QUESTION OF SACRED ART

This article by Leonid Ouspensky examines the question of Orthodox sacred art as it was placed on the agenda of the Pan-Orthodox Pre-Council following the Rhodes Conference of 1961. Proceeding through rigorous theological and historical analysis, the author contests the legitimacy of the coexistence, accepted in contemporary ecclesial practice, of two artistic currents: the traditional canonical icon and the so-called "artistic-realist" style, of Western inspiration, introduced from the eighteenth century onward. The article demonstrates that this coexistence results from a spiritual and theological decadence linked to Latin influences, and not from an organic development of Tradition. Drawing on the acts of the Seventh Ecumenical Council and on patristic sources, Ouspensky establishes that the question of the icon is above all of a dogmatic order: only the canonical icon adequately expresses the Orthodox doctrine of the Incarnation and deification.