On 18 May, Dr Anna Arkatova gave a lecture on “The Russian Icon: History, Sacred Space, Interpretation” in T4's Staff and Student Activities Centre (SSAC). This was the last lecture of the WPEO lecture series “Building the Community of Common Destiny”.
Dr Arkatova is an Assistant Professor of Russian at UIC in the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences (DHSS). She studied the history of Russian-American relations at Amur State University and at the University of Kansas. She earned her PhD in Russian literature with a focus on the works of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and their intersection with the modernist tradition at the University of Illinois.
This lecture focused on one of Russia’s most famous icons, “The Trinity” by Andrei Rublev (1425). At the beginning of her lecture, Dr Arkatova introduced the background of this icon and explained the three saints depicted in it. Next, she analyzed the images and implied meaning from the colours, composition and the saints in the icon. Afterwards, she talked about the historical background of the icon and compared it to some other religious works. In addition, Dr Arkatova also showed some videos during her lecture to enhance the understanding of this icon.
Reporter: Huang Jingqi (Y3, ATS)
Photographer: Catherine Qi
Editor: Catherine Qi
(from WPEO)
