Iconoclasm is a social belief formed against the icons including detraction, prohibition, and extermination of any types of art related to the church imagery. This act was provoked either by political or religious influences against this type of art. It is associated with a period of interaction between Islamic and Byzantine’s cultures, which influenced the art tendency during that historical period (Labatt and Appleyard 2004). During almost 150 years, the illustration or usage of any religious images was forbidden in the Byzantine Empire. People were encouraged to destroy any kind of icons and other religious images. After the period of confrontation, the veneration of icons was confirmed once again, and iconoclasm was recognized as heresy.
The icon is defined as a representation of a sacred image or other piece of religious art work which serves an object of devotion. Generally, it is created based on the religious figure or event, which includes the saints on the image. In the Byzantine Empire icons were mostly made on the “wooden panel painting” (Brooks, 2009). While the idol is an image of a person or another symbol, which creates religious impact, deference, and spiritual power.
People directed their prayers towards the idol who was illustrated on the icon, when the icon served as a physical representation of an art. Referring to Brooks (2009), religious leaders in the Byzantine Empire represented the icon as a source for prayers to communicate with the religious idols either pictured on a particular icon or related to this image. The main reason for creation of the icons was to allow people to address the thoughts directly towards the saints.
References
Brooks, Sarah. 2009. “Icons and Iconoclasm in Byzantium.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Web.
Labatt, Annie, and Charlotte Appleyard. 2004. “Byzantine Art under Islam.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Web.