Icon Painting as Visual Component of Ritual Entertainment in the Context of Socio-Cultural Life of Kyivan Rus

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to consider icon painting as one of the elements of the visual component of ceremonial and ritual "entertainment" in the context of the socio-cultural life of Kyivan Rus.The methodology of the research consists in the application of the analytical method to study the theoretical material about the types of «entertainment», special attention is focused on the ceremonial-ritual type. The formalisation method is used to clarify the term «Entertainment» within the subject field of art history. The hermeneutic historical-cultural methodsenable the study of icon painting as a visual component of the «Entertainment» ceremonial-ritual phenomenon in the context of the socio-cultural life of Kyivan Rus. It is undeniable that the research also uses theoretical material regarding icon painting schools and traditions of icon painting during the times of Kyivan Rus.The scientific novelty of the work is that for the first time icon painting is considered as a visual component of "entertainment" ritual in the context of the socio-cultural life of Kyivan Rus.Conclusions. The hermeneutic method of interpretation of the «entertainment» concept nakes it possible not to narrow its meaning to the term entertainment, in the linguistic and art-historical aspect. Thus, this term is interpreted as a spectacle, and in relation to this interpretation, it has several types, the main of which are ceremonial-ritual, artistic, agonal, and fair. The article focuses on the ceremonial-ritual format of «entertainment» and its visual component during the socio-cultural life of Kyivan Rus. The ceremonial and ritual format of the spectacle is extremely important, combining elements of ceremony and ritual, and the religious aspect plays an important role in the socio-cultural life of each historical era. The interpretation of rite and ritual in the works of Arnold van Gennep, I. Fursin, N. Zakovych, V. Horovyi, and E. Durkheim is considered. It has been determined that it is the symbolic nature of the ceremonial-ritual format of the spectacle that distinguishes it from entertaining, artistic, agony, and farce formats. It is noted that the church rite, as one of the forms of spectacle, also has the right to exist, as an external manifestation of faith in God and the possibility of worshiping him. Thus, icons, which had their own sign and symbolic language, acted as one of the visual components of the ceremonial-ritual spectacle in Kyivan Rus, for example, a church rite. The traditions of the Kyiv icon-painting school of the times of Kyivan Rus, the peculiarities of style, and the main icons of that period are considered, which makes it possible to determine that icon-painting is one of the visual components of the "Entertainment" ritual in the socio-cultural life of Kyivan Rus. Key words: еntertainment, church rite, Kyivan Rus, Kyiv icon painting school, rite, ritual.