Transmission et changements des motifs occidentaux d'iconographie religieuse

Abstract

In the second part of the 16th century, Northern Europe was one of the main scenes of confrontation between Reformation and Counter-Reformation. The competition of ideas has also found its expression in the visual arts: the cities of Antwerp and Amsterdam were among the most famous for their number of printers and publishers as well as for their painters, draughtsmen and engravers. It is not surprising that this area was the place of origin of many new iconographic patterns. Examples of dissemination of some of them among the Eastern and Mediterranean parts of the European continent and beyond will be presented, by analysing works of art and religious artefacts belonging to Orthodox and Armenian cultures to be found in museums or private collections. The lecture will focus in particular on the process of translation (from a technical, an aesthetical or a theological point of view) which these religious patterns undergo when adopted in other cultural areas.