RELIGIOUS EKPHRASIS IN N.KOLYADA’s PLAY “PICTURE”

Abstract

Taking into account the results and prospects of studying ekphrasis, religious ekphrasis is considered in the article as a verbal representation of religious artifacts. On the material of modern literature, in particular, the early play of the repertoire of Russian playwright N.V. Kolyada “Picture” (1996), the features of this type of ekphrasis are studied in the context of visual magic which was meaningful throughout the existence of art. An attempt is made to relate the icon as a theurgic act, in which “spiritual life is witnessed in images of flesh” (Sergiy Bulgakov), and a picture on the religious plot. In the play the picture on the religious plot "The Holy Family" becomes the main character. Particular attention is paid to the complex interweaving and the collision of the sacred and the profane in a one-act play by N.V. Kolyada. The sacral implies a religious plot, the transformation of the heroes contemplating the picture, their comparison with the characters in the picture, the emphasis on the Mother of God ideal and the Christian deed of the woman; the profane is meant as interpretation of the religious plot by an unknown artist, the location of the picture, the speech of the characters, replete with abuse and obscenity, a desire for material values and the motive of the absorption of dumplings. The problematization of the boundaries between the sacred and profane in this play is substantiated. The role of the Vietnamese in the play is summarized through the prism of detailed remarks, and the time of action - the night - is emphasized.